Derek Hudson has lived on the West Side of Charleston, West Virginia, his entire life. He grew up on Bigley Avenue, a major road that runs parallel to the Elk River and defines the eastern boundary of the neighborhood.  After attending local public schools – first Taft Elementary, then what […]

On a Friday afternoon, the washers and dryers run nonstop at Bream Memorial Presbyterian Church, in Charleston, West Virginia. Three bright-white tiled shower rooms line one wall. MREs – Meals Ready-to-Eat – sit on shelves behind a small wooden reception desk.  On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the church serves lunch […]

Depending on who you ask, the development of the Elk City district on the West Side of Charleston, West Virginia, is either “gentrification” or “revitalization” – though some will say both.  Karen Williams, a lifelong Charleston resident who grew up on the West Side, says the transition from homes and […]

Karen Williams’ father, Charles Price, was the first Black graduate of West Virginia University’s College of Law, one of two land grant institutions in the state. His office once sat on Court Street, in Charleston, West Virginia’s Triangle District. As a child during the civil rights struggles of the 1950s […]