Monday, January 9
This morning, I really was not sure what to expect for the day. Sunday we slept in after a very late arrival Saturday night. Artie, one of the leaders at the Southern Appalachian Labor School, welcomed us to the organization and Beards Fork, West Virginia, population 200. He gave us directions to a grocery store in nearby Oak Hill, so we had the day to get lunch and shop before meeting him again that evening.
We returned for our meeting and were introduced to more SALS leaders. Then we received a lesson on West Virginia's history and culture, especially about the issues around coal mining and the major effects it has on those communities. Since the coal mine companies basically run politics in the state, it results in a lot of problems for people who can't make their voices heard. The director John told us that there are five area schools that had been shut down because they were so far below state standards, including the school in Beards Fork. We learned we would be helping out with an after school program at the SALS community center, where kids were dropped off by buses and we would be hanging out with them til 6:30 pm. The kids came for homework help, dinner and a place to go Monday through Thursday if their parents were working. In the mornings, we'd be headed back to Oak Hill to help rehabilitate a three-story school building the SALS had acquired and was working to make into another community center. I’m not at all a handy, construction-oriented person so this made me nervous.
So Monday morning we headed to the school. There we met the men in charge of the Youth Build employees, who were men mostly between the ages of 16 and 25. We were split up to help with different tasks. Catie and I worked with Daniel and Nick, who willingly taught us how to use Liquid Nails while keeping up great conversation. They even let me use the Exacto knife. Daniel worked to support his 7-year-old son, of whom had had sole custody; Nick was training to become an electrician. I enjoyed getting to know Catie better, and we really enjoyed getting to hang with the guys. I was quite relieved that my first foray into construction work wasn’t at all strenuous.
Walking around the school was exciting. The three story building overlooked the houses and buildings on the small town’s hills. I was enamored with this cute little town, but I quickly found out about so many of the negatives.
In the afternoon, we returned to Beards Fork and met the kids in the after school program. I made friends with a fifth-grade girl named Evelyn when I helped her with her reading homework. Her sassy comebacks and personality made her a joy to be around. The kids ate dinner and left, leaving me wondering what kind of homes they were returning to. Evelyn had several siblings waiting for her and a working mom.
Over dinner, our group reflected on the day. We shared the stories of the Youth Build workers and gushed over the kids in the after school program. I thought about all the closed schools and the suffering quality of education in the state. It’s kind of a vicious cycle, the situation with coal mining - the people depend on it for their economy, but it causes so many problems and keeps them from getting out. Many people there also lack the opportunities that so many of us take for granted, like the chance to get a college education and pursue a career in one’s passions. I realized how strongly I feel that since I am so blessed, I am meant to turn around and give back to others. I just have to figure out what impact in particular I wish to make.
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