In the early morning of August 4, 1917, a gas explosion ripped through the southern end of the West Kentucky Coal Company’s No. 7 mine in Clay, Kentucky, killing 62 of the 153 men below ground. It remains the deadliest mining disaster in Kentucky history. The tragedy did not end […]
Read MoreTag: Culture
Commentary: Gun Violence Has Defined Gen Z’s School Life. Will the Capitol Breach Change Anything?
School shootings and lockdown drills have been a defining experience for my generation. On social media, countless students have described experiences during shootings or shooting drills – the fear they feel as they huddle in their darkened classroom corners; the sound of loud pops echoing outside of locked and barricaded […]
Read MoreBlack Lives In Red States: Art And Life Converge For Two Women In A Tumultuous Year
This article was originally published by Ohio Valley Resource. Jessalyn Brown met Kyra Higgins through theater. “I saw her on stage and I was just like, ‘This girl is so good!’ She was just amazing.” So when it came time for Brown, 21, to direct a play for her senior […]
Read MoreA New Generation of Appalachian Jewish Farmers Is Going Way Back to the Land
In English, the Hebrew word “yesod” (pronounced yeh-sode) translates to “foundation.” Given its multiple layers of meaning, it’s a fitting moniker for a farm inspired by Jewish values, like Yesod Farm+Kitchen, in Fairview, North Carolina. Yesod suggests “connecting with Jewish ancestral wisdom, specifically with our agricultural wisdom,” says farm cofounder […]
Read MoreOn Kwanzaa and Kuumba with Birmingham’s Deidra Clark
On the list of winter holidays, Kwanzaa is the youngest, first celebrated just five decades ago. But it’s origins reach back generations. In Africa, agricultural celebrations across the continent honored the full harvest, but also celebrated the “first-fruits” as far back as the ancient Egyptian and Nubian societies. More modern […]
Read MoreIn Knott County, KY, Gingerbread Is Remembered For Its Connection to Local Politics
In her cozy kitchen in Hindman, Kentucky, LaRue Laferty watches over her teenage grandson, Jaxon Conley, as he makes a fresh batch of gingerbread. All of the ingredients are sitting on the green countertop of the kitchen island. So are the necessary tools, like metal baking sheets, measuring spoons, and […]
Read More