Identifying, Preserving, and Amplifying Black Appalachian Experiences and Voices in Central Appalachia

FAIN: PN-293507-23

Appalshop, Inc. (Whitesburg, KY 41858-0743)
Caroline Rubens (Project Director: January 2023 to present)

The documentation and preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage resources about Black and African American Appalachians.

A project to identify, preserve and amplify Black Appalachian experiences and voices through cultural mapping, oral historic collection and dissemination, and national cultural exchanges and organizing. This is a cross-programmatic project within the arts and media non-profit organization Appalshop, Inc. It features work by project coordinators in three programs of the organization: Archive, Community Development, and Roadside Theater. We will collect and map Black churches and faith experiences in central Appalachian communities in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, collect oral histories from an integrated community in Knott County, Kentucky, and participate in residencies with other organizations working with historically disadvantaged communities through the Performing our Future program.