PODCAST · history
Black in Appalachia
by Black in Appalachia
Having long been in this region, Black Appalachians remain mostly invisible, while the dominant narratives of Appalachia depict an overwhelming, white cultural homogeneity. 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 space where under-told stories can be heard and Black identity can be reclaimed.
Episodes
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Black in Appalachia: Tennessee Humanities in Action
Reshared episode from Host and Historian Brigette Jones discussing Belonging in Tennessee with Black in Appalachia director William Isom. This interview was recorded as part of Humanities Tennessee's United We Stand Project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Black in Appalachia: Power, Light & Outmigration
Power, Light & Outmigration This episode is a special live recorded production hosted at the National Archives Museum in Washington DC with Ron Carson and Dr. Karida Brown. Participants discussed Black life in Appalachian coal camps, mass outmigration & the return one generation later. Event was...
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Black in Appalachia: Researching Black Businesses
Researching Black Businesses Co-hosted by Precious Brown, in this episode we're learning about her research on Black businesses in her homeplace, McMinn County, Tennessee. Sourced from historical records, interviews, and community connections, we'll get some highlights from that research and the...
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Black In Appalachia: Meals, Health & Habits
We are talking about food with Femeika Elliot, a food policy advocate. She discusses food insecurity, food apartheid, policy and zoning decisions that limit access to nutritious food as well as the social determinants of health, employment, income, and transportation & her community-led…
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Black in Appalachia: Bessie Woodson Yancey
We explore the life and work of Bessie Woodson Yancey, a prolific Black Appalachian poet and writer and sister of Carter G. Woodson. Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin teams up with Courtney Shimek & Jennifer Sano-Franchini from West Virginia University's National Writers Project to discuss Woodson-Yancey's…
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Black in Appalachia: Marcus Garvey Revisited: Eugenics
In this episode we delve into the short, but complex relationship between Marcus Garvey and Virginia eugenicists during the 1920s. These strange bedfellows' brief alliance formed around the infamous Racial Integrity Act of 1924 & Garvey's imprisonment, exposing the gendered and classist aspects…
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Black in Appalachia: What's in a Name
This episode we explore the history and significance of racially charged place names in Appalachia. From Ann Miller Woodford in Far Western North Carolina, SW Virginia's Great Stone Face to poet Cecil Giscombe's reflection on the absurdity of "Negro Mountain" in Appalachian Pennsylvania, this...
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Black in Appalachia: Immigrant Independence
On this episode of the Black in Appalachia podcast, West Virginia University Sociology Major, Suraya Boggs, shares her experience of growing up in Appalachia as a second generation immigrant with a West Indian parent. She is particularly concerned with the codependent relationships between...
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Black in Appalachia: Frank X Walker
On this episode of Black in Appalachia we talk with Frank X Walker, Black Appalachian award winning author, coiner of the term “Affrilachian” and 1st Black Poet Laureate of Kentucky. Frank shared with us about his background and growing up in Danville, Kentucky, the origins of his career as a…
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Black in Appalachia: Cornel West runs for president
Enkeshi and William sit down and talk with Cornel West about his run for President of the United States.
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Black in Appalachia: The 102 years of Clara Hughes
The Black in Appalachia Podcast was lucky enough to talk with 102 year old Clara Hughes from Oliver Springs, Tennessee. She has led an incredible life, so you can only imagine the amazing stories she has to share, such as, she was the first Black woman to sit on the Y-12 Union Board in Oak Ridge,...
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Black in Appalachia: Black Safety
On this episode of Black in Appalachia, Enkeshi is joined by University of Tennessee Sociologists, Shaneda Destine and Michelle Brown to share about a project the three of them worked on around the topic of Black safety. Black safety is a term Enkeshi developed in her dissertation that was...
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Black in Appalachia: Y’all Don’t Hear Me
Curator Kreneshia Whiteside-McGhee talks about her installation Y’all Don’t Hear Me: The Black Appalachia. As part of the exhibit Kren sits down for a conversation with Nikki Giovanni. Featured artists include Amanda Banks, Jabari Browne, Kamau Bostic, Kywaun Davenport, Laiza Fuhrmann, Nikki...
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Black in Appalachia: Letters from the past.
On this episode of Black in Appalachia, Enkeshi teams up with four educators of West Virginia University's national writers project to bring you letters from the archives. The team went to the University's archive for a workshop on how to incorporate primary sources in developing new narratives…
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Black in Appalachia: An update with Daryle Lamont Jenkins
In this unreleased episode from March 2022 William talks with Daryle Lamont Jenkins of the One People’s Project to get an update on what’s happening in the white supremacy movement.
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Black in Appalachia: Environmental Justice
Enkeshi and Pumpkin talk with Pam Nixon about her advocacy work in Environmental Justice in Institute, West Virginia. This was a live-recorded event that was part of the University of Tennessee's Black Ecologies Week, held as a partnership with UT Humanities Center initiative with Africana…
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Black in Appalachia: Agree to Disagree
Black in Appalachia’s Angela Dennis talks with Matthew Hawn, a teacher who was fired for exploring the concepts of white privilege and racial disparity. Hawn stresses the need to engage students to think deeply about values, history and society as he tries to reclaim his place in the classroom.
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Black in Appalachia: Birdwatching while Black
On this episode, Enkeshi and Pumpkin welcome wildlife biologist, writer, and poet, Dr. J Drew Lanham. Originally interviewed at Black in Appalachia's live show for the University of Tennessee's "Black Ecologies Week", we discuss and riff about birds, nature, and Appalachian South Carolina. We...
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Black in Appalachia: Race First | Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association
On this episode of the Black in Appalachia podcast, Director William Isom sits down with Enkeshi El-Amin to talk about the Marcus Garvey led Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and the organization’s early twentieth century impact across Appalachia. Explore the scope of the UNIA and…
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Black in Appalachia: Black by God
On this episode of the Black in Appalachia podcast we reflect on the historical and contemporary importance of the Black press to Black people and Black communities. We ground this conversation in a special feature of a new Black newspaper in West Virginia called Black by God: The West Virginian....
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Black in Appalachia: Swimming and Pools
On this episode of the podcast Enkeshi and Pumpkin talk about Black people’s relationship with swimming and pools in America. We discuss the stats, dispel the myths, explore the racist histories and share the stories from Black experiences in Appalachia. Guests on this episode include swim…
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Black in Appalachia: Punch Me Up to the Gods
Enkeshi El-Amin talks in-depth with Pittsburgh-based Brian Broome, the author of Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir. His book recounts his experiences—in all their cringe-worthy, hilarious, and heartbreaking glory—revealing a perpetual outsider awkwardly squirming to find his way in.
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Black in Appalachia: John Henry
On the next episode of the Black in Appalachia Podcast, Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin & Pumpkin Starr dig into the story of John Henry. There are dozens of tales of this Black laborer covered in myth & metaphors on race & class, but very little discussion on health & the sacrifice of Black bodies for capital.
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Black in Appalachia: #GiveBlackAppalachia
On this episode of the Black in Appalachia Podcast Enkeshi and Pumpkin discuss the importance of the giving season to Black organizations in the region. They also talk about inequity in funding and the need for shifts in philanthropy. The episode closes with a charge to our listeners to…
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Black in Appalachia: Sepia Tones
Black in Appalachia Initiative Director William Isom shares Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music. This series chronicles the experience of freed and escaped African slaves and their descendants in the development of what we know today as Appalachian music.
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Black in Appalachia: A Hawk's Nest Halloween
It's the Halloween episode of the Black in Appalachia podcast. Enkeshi & Pumpkin dig into truly macabre tales of Black labor in the coalfields of West Virginia and specifically the digging of Hawk's Nest Tunnel in Nicholas County. Featuring photojournalist Raymond Thompson Jr. and his work to...
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Black in Appalachia: The Harlan Renaissance
Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin talks with the Godfather of Blacks in Appalachia, Dr. William H. Turner about his new book, "The Harlan Renaissance: Stories of Black Life in Appalachian Coal Towns." The Harlan Renaissance invites readers into what might be an unfamiliar Appalachia: one studded by large and...
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Black in Appalachia: No Neutral Ground
In this episode we're talking about the history of confederate monuments, their removal and impact on our educational landscape with C.J. Hunt the director of Neutral Ground. Neutral Ground documents New Orleans’ fight over monuments and America’s troubled romance with the Lost Cause.
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Black in Appalachia: Lift Every Voice and Sing
Black in Appalachia was invited to speak at ArtsBuild Chattanooga’s Equity in the Arts Conference held on September 10, 2021. This episode is a live recording where Enkeshi and Alona discuss shifting the power in equity conversation from funders to cultural workers and artists. We center the...
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Black in Appalachia: Power and the West Virginia Coalfields
Black in Appalachia is talking Black life in West Virginia coal camps, the Mine Wars and the struggles for Black political power and workers’ rights, with excerpts from our visit to The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, retired coal miners and the one and only Dr. Joe Trotter, Jr.
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Black in Appalachia Roadshow Live: Pittsburgh
In this episode Black Excellence from the Steel City comes to life as the Black in Appalachia crew headed to Pittsburgh for a live episode at the August Wilson Cultural Center. Special guests include Marimba Milliones of the Hill District CDC, National Student Poet Anthony Wiles, and Artist…
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Black in Appalachia: Crystal Wilkinson: Perfect Black
Affralachian Poet Crystal Wilkinson shares her thoughts on growing up in Appalachia and reads from her new collection Perfect Black.
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Black in Appalachia: Berea College
Enkeshi and Alona explore the interesting history of Berea College and it’s legacy for Appalachia.
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Black in Appalachia: Guns
Enkeshi, Angela and Alona discuss guns and gun culture in Appalachia. We talk with David Yamane a sociologist at Wake Forrest who is an expert on American Gun Culture and hear from Jered Croom on why he is a member of the NRA - begrudgingly.
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Black in Appalachia: Struggle, Resilience and Art
On this episode of Black in Appalachia we have a discussion with singer-songwriter Walter DeBarr about growing up Black in West Virginia. Debarr was the only bi-racial person in his extended family AND his hometown. His feeling of cultural separation from those around him accompanied by…
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Black in Appalachia: Appalachian Drag
Enkeshi and Pumpkin talk with Drag Queens about the ups, downs and being Black in the Appalachian Scene
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Black in Appalachia: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
On this episode of the Black in Appalachia Podcast Enkeshi and special guest host Joe Tolbert talk Black church life, community, sex, identity and much much more with Deesha Phliyaw, acclaimed author of The Secret LIves of Church Ladies.
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Black in Appalachia: Christmas Traditions
It’s Christmas in Appalachia and the crew is exploring Black holiday traditions from Pennington Gap, VA, London, KY and Birmingham,AL. Join in and hear talks about food, chittlins, rabbit hunting, Kwanzaa and more!
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Black in Appalachia: Melungeons
Discover the history of Appalachia as Enkeshi and Angela talk about Mulungeon identity in the region and hear from author and descendant, Wayne Winkler.
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Black in Appalachia: Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes
In this Thanksgiving episode Enkeshi and Angela explore the relations between black folks and the Cherokee nation. Listen as they talk to Marilyn Van, President of the Descendants of Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes Association and dig deeper into the indigenous history.
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Black in Appalachia: Nikki Giovanni
As Enkeshi and Angela embrace the centering of Black women, this episode features the award winning legendary poet, author and civil rights legend Nikki Giovanni as she joins them for an exclusive interview. Listen as she talks Appalachian history and family stories in true Nikki fashion.
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Black in Appalachia: A Halloween Special: Cupid's Mansion
It’s Halloween in Appalachia and Enkeshi and Angela host special guest activists on this hour long special episode exploring historic homes and the spooky ghosts of untold and forgotten Black History.
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Black in Appalachia: Election Season
It's election season and Black women are on the rise in Appalachian politics. In this episode Enkeshi and Angela talk about Amelia Parker, Black women and the historic elections that have shaped the political climate in the region.
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Black in Appalachia: 40 Acres and a Mule
In the wake of uprisings, Asheville, NC has been in the media and at the center of reparations talk in the region. Will Black Appalachians finally get their 40 acres and a mule? Find out as Enkeshi and Angela explore the truth behind the city's Reparations resolution and dig into what's happening...
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Black in Appalachia: Black Coal Miners and The Great Migration
In this episode of Black in Appalachia, Enkeshi and Angela discuss The Great Migration and the role that Appalachian coal miners played in it. With the rise of coal industry, thousands of Black laborers were recruited from the deep South to the coal fields of Kentucky, Virginia, and West…
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Black in Appalachia: Nazi Hunter: A Conversation with Daryle Lamont Jenkins
In 21st century America, there are people actively working to track down Nazis. Daryle Lamont Jenkins explains modern Nazi Hunting, why this is even a thing & the special skill set he's developed for exposing those that may prefer to stay hidden.
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Black in Appalachia: Sundown Towns
"Sundown Towns" explores the existence of these no-go places for Black folks and the navigation of the checkerboard that is Appalachia.
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Black in Appalachia: Emancipation Days
Its Emancipation Day in Appalachia, but what has that meant through Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the current uprisings for justice. We'll talk though being Free-ish in 2020 with scholars, activists and community members.
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Black in Appalachia Coming Soon
Having long been in this region, Black Appalachians have remained mostly invisible while dominant narratives of Appalachia depict whiteness. The Black in Appalachia Podcast challenges misconceptions by highlighting how Black people have shaped and have been shaped by Appalachia. Through…
more
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Having long been in this region, Black Appalachians remain mostly invisible, while the dominant narratives of Appalachia depict an overwhelming, white cultural homogeneity. 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 space where under-told stories can be heard and Black identity can be reclaimed.
HOSTED BY
Black in Appalachia
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Black in Appalachia have?
Black in Appalachia currently has 49 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Black in Appalachia about?
Having long been in this region, Black Appalachians remain mostly invisible, while the dominant narratives of Appalachia depict an overwhelming, white cultural homogeneity. The Black in Appalachia Podcast challenges these misconceptions by highlighting how Black families have shaped and have been...
How often does Black in Appalachia release new episodes?
Black in Appalachia has 49 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Black in Appalachia?
You can listen to Black in Appalachia on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Black in Appalachia?
Black in Appalachia is created and hosted by Black in Appalachia.
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