Food-Filled Road Trip Celebrates West Virginia’s Appalachian Culture

National magazine Bon Appetit celebrates the food and culture of Appalachia in their latest issue. Crystal Good contributed a dream road trip sharing the best ways to get to know Appalachian food, culture, and history through the Mountain State. 

Read Bon Appetit’s story

DOCUMERICA: Jack Corn Captured Appalachian Realities

Throughout the 1970s he visited the Appalachian Mountains and photographed coal miner culture of West Virginia

Read the story by Adam Payne

Lessons Learned Traveling with ‘The Green Book’

Bluefield’s Hotel Thelma belonged to Carolyn Foster Bailey Lewis’ aunt. It was one of the entries in the Guide to Travel and Vacations and she and her aunt traveled the country following its recommendations.

Read the story

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: Honoring Women Who Helped Shape My Life

March 8 was "International Women’s Day." As a Black woman who has survived and thrived in a male-dominated society, I want to pay homage to some of the amazing women who have influenced my life and represented the best of womanhood.

Read the Donna WIllis opinion piece

Family Members and Activists Protest Deaths in West Virginia Jails

Two rallies were held in southern West Virginia to raise awareness of the high number of deaths at regional jails throughout the state in the last year. The over 100 prisoners, who have “mysteriously” died while incarcerated, are both Black and white, but people of color face harsher sentences than white people for the same “offenses.”

Read the workers.org story by Otis Grotewohl

FROM THE GUARDIAN: Families of 14 Inmates Who Died in West Virginia Jail Allege Negligence

Families demand federal investigation amid reports of deplorable conditions, rampant violence and inadequate medical services

Read the story

Food and Faith: Church Dinners Have Served as Places to Build Community for Generations

A member of Charleston’s Abundant Life Church serves barbeque chicken. About a dozen churches and faith communities partnered with several community organizations to prepare food for the Heart and Soul Dip Dinner in February.

Read the 100 Days in Appalachia story by Laura Harbert Allen

Dr. Patrice Harris: ‘My Roots Are Here’

BLUEFIELD — Bluefield native Dr. Patrice Harris attended the East End/North Side town hall meeting Monday night and said she remains involved in what is happening in her hometown, and in her home neighborhood.

Harris, who was the first African-American woman to lead the American Medical Association and now lives in Atlanta, grew up in the East End.

“I have always believed in giving back and there is no question my roots are here,” she said. “I have done many things and traveled all over the world, but it is very important for me to come back to the community that gave me my foundation … family, friends, a tight-knit community.”

Read the Bluefield Daily Telegraph story by Charles Boothe

Dear Readers,

I am pleased to share that I received the e-Appalachia Award at the 2023 Appalachian Studies Conference in Athens, Ohio. This award recognizes exceptional media sources that offer insight into Appalachia and its people. I was honored to stand alongside Jason Tartt, Sr. of Edge Farms in McDowell County, W.Va., and Femika Edwards of Meik Meals in Knoxville, Tenn., who were also recognized as winners of the Grow Appalachia, Appalachian Studies Association, and Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Living Traditions program.

At the conference, I had the chance to reconnect with friends and colleagues who share my passion for the Appalachian cause. The highlight for me was hearing Webster Springs poet Torli Bush. Their work is dazzling and necessary. You can read their poem, An Open Letter To JD Vance on BBG. This conference experience has fueled my excitement for our upcoming project, the Juneteenth/Pride issue. However, to make this a reality, we require your support. We need donations, writers, editors, and volunteers to assist us in distributing BBG across the numerous Juneteenth Festivals throughout West Virginia. If you are interested in contributing your time and energy, please contact me at crystal@blackbygod.org.

Thanks!

Crystal Good