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The Case For Appalachian Studies
page 14

The latest from the State Department of Education was that the students would be bussed from Blackey, but the community has not given up the fight.  In the words of one parent,
"we lose our purpose when we lose our children.  We think it is important for our children to have a sense of continuity of their lives as they flow from lives of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.  If our children are moved to a large consolidated school, we lose touch with them and they lose touch with the community.  They will become citizens of nowhere."
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The Case For Appalachia Studies Courses in the Schools

Whatever happened to Appalachia is a question one hears frequently.
Ten years after the rediscovery of Appalachia by John Kennedy, the question looms important, although Appalachia itself has receded from the forefront of contemporary  American issues.  The region's problems remain; little has been solved.  The land and the people are still the victims of a vicious economy; miseducation or no education plague the area's youth; malnutrition, black lung, parasitic infection still are commonplace.  As always, justice is elusive.  Appalachians still have no voice in the affairs of their region.

Worse yet, they have no sense of their own identity.  Not only has the land been robbed and raped, but also the birthright of Appalachians to a unique cultural heritage has been systematically and cruelly violated.  All the intensive analysis by sociologists, the euphoric activity of college students turned organizers, the federal dollars -- whatever else they have done -- have had no positive impact on how Appalachians see themselves or their sense of group identity and purpose.
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