November 12, 2021

Building Cultural Bridges Through 'Mexilachian Music,' A Black Recreation Area Sees New Life, And Writer Marie Manilla On Being 'Urban Appalachian'

51 minutes

This week on Inside Appalachia, we'll hear what happens when a family with roots in Mexico and in Appalachia combines its cultural identities through music. And we have a story about a park in southwestern Virginia that was created during the Jim Crow-era as one of the only recreation areas in central Appalachia for Black residents. Green Pastures eventually fell into disrepair, but now it's seeing a makeover as one of Virginia’s newest state parks.

We’ll also hear how investigative reporters in Pittsburgh brought to light safety concerns in low-income housing. Writer Marie Manilla tells us why she identifies as an "urban Appalachian" and why she feels drawn to push against stereotypes of her region and her people.

A Special Place

In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps and other New Deal programs created parks across America. But many of these places were closed off to Black people, especially in the Jim Crow South. In Clifton Forge, Virginia, the local branch of the NAACP pushed for the creation of a recreation area for Black people. So the state of Virginia partnered with the U.S. Forest Service — and in 1937, they opened Green Pastures. It became a destination for generations of Black people across Central Appalachia.

Now there’s an effort to gather the stories of people who grew up swimming and playing at Green Pastures.

Mexilachia

The Lua Project calls their music "Mexilachian” - a blend of Appalachian old time and Mexican folk songs. But members of the band say their music also draws on Jewish and Eastern European traditions.

Their sound is a musical manifestation of what it means to connect with a mixed cultural identity - a journey which isn’t always easy. Folkways reporter Clara Haizlett caught up with a couple members of the band at their home in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Eviction

Last year, the Centers For Disease Control issued an eviction moratorium to keep the COVID-19 virus from spreading. In parts of central Appalachia, the moratorium was one of the few things keeping some families afloat. But now there’s no longer a federal policy in place to prevent evictions. The Supreme Court ruled against the Biden administration’s eviction moratorium on August 26, which ended protections that were supposed to extend into early October. As Katie Myers reports, the end of these eviction protections is creating new health risks.

Unsafe Living

An increase in evictions isn’t the only issue facing renters. Reporters Kate Giammarise and Rich Lord have been looking into various issues with the rental market in Pittsburgh.

They’ve heard about tenant organizing, and unsafe living conditions in low-income housing. Rich and Kate have been reporting a year-long series of stories for W-E-S-A and Public Source. Our producer Roxy Todd spoke with them about why this reporting matters, and why it’s not just an issue that people in Pittsburgh should care about.

Urban Appalachia

For a lot of writers, and publishers, Appalachia means stories about the rural experience-- like coal mining or farming.

But that’s not true for everyone.

Author Marie Manilla grew up in Huntington, West Virginia, a city along the Ohio River. Manilla spoke with reporter Liz McCormick about how she uses her work to push change in West Virginia and around the world.

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By West Virginia Public Broadcasting

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