All over the American South, civic-minded people are working to improve communities by building coalitions and breaking down barriers to opportunity. The recent commemorations on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, honored the sacrifices of those who marched 50 years ago and the gains they brought to bear on our society. Many of those brave...
On January 9, 2014, 300,000 people in and around Charleston, West Virginia, woke up to a licorice-like odor emanating from their tap water. Thousands of gallons of coal-processing chemicals had spilled into the Elk River, plunging nine counties into a state of emergency. Health officials issued warnings against drinking, cooking with or bathing in the water.
Government leaders were...
The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation is pleased to welcome Justin Maxson as its new Executive Director. Maxson’s leadership experience and dedication to helping communities achieve greater social and economic justice will be profound assets to the Foundation.
Since 2002, Maxson has served as President of the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development in Kentucky, where he...
Every day across various media platforms we are flooded with news about the downturn in our economy. In Appalachia, where the economy has traditionally been not so diverse, this often means layoffs in the coal industry, outsourcing of factory jobs and lack of job opportunities. Our young people are seeing this and taking note. Many of us have been encouraged to leave our mountains to...
