Black in Appalachia: A Community Archive Centering the Black Experience in the Mountain South

By Alona Norwood

Published in Sustainable Futures via Medium.com

“Black in Appalachia: Research, Education & Support is a non-profit that works in collaboration with public media, residents, university departments, libraries, archives and community organizations to highlight the history and contributions of African-Americans in the development of the Mountain South and its culture. We do that through research, local narratives, public engagement and exhibition. Black in Appalachia is a community service for Appalachian residents and families with roots in and through the region.” Black in Appalachia became a 501(c)(3) in 2020 after a decade of working in the region as an initiative of East Tennessee PBS. Executive Director William Isom II is dedicated to the mission and is continually pushing the organization to have a greater impact in the Appalachian region. People can visit the Black in Appalachia Field Office located in Whitesburg, Tennessee. You can borrow or purchase a variety of books related to black folks and regional history, relax with a cup of coffee and conduct research or just stop by for a chat. The field office is a point of pride for BIA as we are expanding our physical footprint in the Mountain South. We started renting a small space and over the course of two years, we purchased the building, paid off the mortgage, hired local artist Jason Flack to paint a mural, expanded a book collection into a legitimate bookstore, and began supplying Wi-Fi to the public. Providing access to Wi-Fi is crucial in the Appalachian mountains as many folks do not have this privilege despite living in the digital age. Thanks to the Southern Connected Communities Project we are able to provide free Wi-Fi access for an entire city block. Our next goal is to double the coverage.

The Black in Appalachia Podcast is a popular source for information. With financial support from Public Radio Exchange and utilizing the recording studio at East Tennessee PBS, the podcast has produced four seasons of conversation style episodes featuring a variety of topics and guests discussing important issues for the Black community in an entertaining fashion. “The Black in Appalachia Podcast challenges these misconceptions by highlighting how Black families have shaped and have been shaped by the region. Through historical and contemporary stories of people, places and experiences, hosts Enkeshi El-Amin and Angela Dennis interrogate what it means to be Black in Appalachia, creating a space where under-told stories can be heard and Black identity can be reclaimed.” You can listen to the podcast anywhere podcasts are available for streaming! Check us out today. There are episodes featuring the likes of Nikki Giovanni, Frank X Walker and Cornel West.

While digitizing materials like school records has limited community engagement, Black in Appalachia regularly conducts Community History Days. Community History Days are a chance for Black in Appalachia to digitize materials containing personal and historical significance. The digitized materials can be found online at the Community History Digital Archive. We are intentional about how we engage with communities, as they have had experiences where they were exploited for their stories and portrayed in a stereotypical or negative fashion. We go into communities for history days via invitation only and make it clear to participants they have full autonomy of how their materials are described, owned and published now and in the future. We do this in an effort to ethically collect and gain the trust of folks in our region.

Black in Appalachia strives to engage with all 420 counties across the Appalachian Mountains. If you are interested in how we can serve your community or have an idea for collaboration please contact William Isom II via email. We are happy to help as we see our work as a labor of love. We enjoy traveling around the region, making friends, and documenting Black History. In the meantime check out our website or follow us on all the social medias @BlackinAppalachia to see what else we have been up to. You can also browse the Community History Digital Archive for free or listen to our award winning podcast. Please consider donating to help us continue reaching new heights in our work.