Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia
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This document is a report by Dylan Mullins about his experiences in the Entrepreneurship for the Public Good Program at Berea College in Kentucky. It discusses his preconceptions about Appalachia, insights he gained from the program, and lessons learned. Some of the key insights included recognizing the economic challenges facing the region, the importance of empowering local communities to enact change, and identifying cultural and natural assets that could be leveraged for economic development. The report provides perspectives on how to overcome stereotypes and help Appalachian communities in an effective way.
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Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia
- 1. Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia Dylan Mullins Entrepreneurship for the Public Good Program Berea College, Berea, Kentucky July 3, 2014 Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 2. A life in the city Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 3. Assumed Stereotypes of Eastern Kentucky Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 4. Purpose? Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 5. 10 Key Insights Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 6. Learning Empathy d. School Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University. Facilitator’s Guide to an Introduction to Design Thinking. Palo Alto, California: Stanford University (2011). Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 7. Insights of Appalachian Region Salstrom, Paul. Appalachia’s Path to Dependency: Rethinking a Region’s Economic History 1730-1940. Lexington, KY: The University Press (1994). Guest Speaker, Chad Berry, Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty in the Appalachian Gallery Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 8. Salstrom, Paul. Appalachia’s Path to Dependency: Rethinking a Region’s Economic History 1730-1940. Lexington, KY: The University Press (1994). Guest Speaker, Chad Berry, Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty in the Appalachian Gallery Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 9. 23 Million Salstrom, Paul. Appalachia’s Path to Dependency: Rethinking a Region’s Economic History 1730-1940. Lexington, KY: The University Press (1994). Guest Speaker, Chad Berry, Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty in the Appalachian Gallery Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 10. Key Experience Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 11. Key Academic Insight Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 12. Impact of Social Media Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 13. Evidence/Findings Before Entering Eastern, KY Atlas of Rural and Small Town America from 2010 Census Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 14. EPG Students Meeting with UK Extension Agent in Letcher County, a catalyst of the Whitesburg Trail Town Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 15. “Change Must Come From Within” Heath, Chip and Dan Heath. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard. New York: Broadway Books, Crown Publishing (2010). Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 16. Cultural and Natural Assets in Letcher County Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014 Appalshop Pine Mountain-Shepard Trail Roundabout Music Company
- 17. Kirstie Wilder and Kacey Smith, Action Team, Owsley County, KY Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 18. 40.1% Atlas of Rural and Small Town America from 2010 Census Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 19. Judge Executive Ronnie Debord signing a letter in support of becoming part of multi-county Trail Town linked to Buckhorn State Resort Park Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 20. Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 21. Galinsky, Lara and Doug Ulman. Work on Purpose. Echoing Green (2011). Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 22. Problems are Opportunities Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
- 23. Dylan Mullins, Uncovering the Truth of Appalachia, July 3, 2014
Editor's Notes
- Greet with a warm welcome. Introduction (name, major, year, hometown)
- Ever since I was in the sixth grade, I aspired to move out of small-town Danville, KY and find myself in a city where I could hear the constant honking of cars, musicians playing on street corners, and feel the hustle of big-city-life. Not once had I ever dreamed of staying in Kentucky after graduating high school because I believed that this state would hinder my path towards success because there “was nothing here”. I fell victim to believing the stereotypes placed on the people of Kentucky, especially that of Eastern Kentucky, which was one place I was running far and fast from.
- These images were what I assumed Eastern, KY to be like from the perspective of others who told me of their stories in coal communities and from the books or films I saw throughout my childhood. Even for a person growing up only 2 hours away from the region, I was certain the area was covered with impoverished people, coal miners who were working for the lowest wages, and families suffering from a lack of education. Thus, I was sure that Eastern, KY was far from the list of must-see-places in my lifetime. And like I said earlier….I was ready to run from Kentucky in general.
- You may be wondering what the purpose of this presentation is? Throughout the Entrepreneurship for the Public Good Program, I gained a number of insights about the truth of Appalachian communities. As stated previously, I came into this summer with a preconceived idea of what Eastern, KY people were like, but what I found was that my assumptions were very wrong. Throughout the presentation, I will be presenting to you key insights and how that shaped my EPG experience, the history behind the Appalachian region, a summary of my time spent in Owsley and Letcher County, and a number of learning and personal growths that happened throughout the journey.
- Understanding what the Appalachian people have been through for the past three centuries was vital to learn for this program. However, a number of other insights helped deepen my knowledge throughout the summer as we journeyed into Eastern, KY 1. Empathy- Design Thinking (Social media which was also my academic insight, visiting the Eastern KY communities/Interaction with Design Thinking in general) *Use picture of empathy image from DT document 2. Change must come from within – Switch ( 3. To create a movement you must be specific and concrete- Switch 4. Barter/Creeper Phenomenon- David Costello, Economic Director of Washington, KY 5. If you are leading a change, you need to remove the ambiguity from your vision of change-Switch 6. Heart + Head=Hustle-Echoing Green 7. “Don’t hate people because of their fear”-Shad Baker 8. Collaboration is key-Lisa Vaughn and Sarah from the IDEA Village 9. Damascus’s Revenue Impacts from Creeper Trail 10. Understanding Your “Why”-Simon Sinek Video
- The concept of empathy comes from the d. school Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University and used throughout the process of Design Thinking which is a systematic way of problem-solving. Design Thinking elements proved to come in handy this summer, and is unique system I have been intrigued by for a few years now. One of the steps in Design Thinking is called empathy. Empathy involves putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Without understanding where a person is coming from or what their motivations are, you are building a case primarily off of assumptions. Empathy breaks down assumptions into real-life perspective.
- During a talk with Dr. Chad Berry, Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty in the Appalachian Gallery, empathy became a crucial concept when he presented unexpected details about the settlement patterns of the Appalachian people ranging from the 1840’s to the 1930’s. Before that, in Appalachia’s Path to Dependency, we uncovered the truth about how the Europeans came into the Appalachian land for excessive utilization unlike that of the Native Americans who coexisted with the land. Industries such as timber became highly exploited, but in the process was running through resources at a lightning pace. Although subsistence farming became a widely practiced technique, people began to flood the Appalachian region, seeking new land for opportunity.
- Shenadoah Valley parts of VA and in TN (1st generation families) Ran out of land because of high population, people began to travel down to North and South Carolina (2nd generation families) Overpopulate land led to people traveling northwest through Cumberland Gap which is also known as the Plateau region in parts of Easter, KY and Virginia (3rd generation families)
- By 1910, the fourth generation of the family had no place for them to go. Because people had over utilized the land, subsistence farming became less of a economic resource for Appalachian families. It was in this time the coal industry took off, and families entered into the mines to raise their family, but with this coal families grew poorer because coal companies kept the circulation of money in the coal towns. Thus, a shift from dependence on land to coal occurred. By the 1930’s, over 23 million southern white Appalachian people left from the south to find economic opportunity that was lacking in the Appalachian region. People wanted to run away from dependency and from a future of poverty and struggle. Appalachia evolved into the community we know it as today as reporters, writers, outsiders, flocked into the region to depict a lifestyle unlike the more urbanized Midwest. To them, they were abnormal, poor, and talked differently. Thus, stuck the stereotypes we know of Appalachia today.
- As I reflect back on the Institute, the key experience for me was listening to Dr. Chad Berry give his presentation on the Appalachian Region and crystalizing the information I read from Appalachia’s Path to Dependency. The struggle of the Appalachian people became clear in my mind, and my heart. The moment stuck with me the most because it forced me to step out of my narrow mindset of the Appalachian region and see that understanding a culture comes from learning about a culture, but also experiencing it, as well.
- Empathy continued to make itself known to me as we were introduced to the world of social media. The focus of the Entrepreneurship for the Public Good was promoting adventure tourism throughout Berea, and Eastern, KY and with that came the component of social media for the small-businesses within each of the communities we were studying. Social media, for small-businesses specifically, became my biggest academic insight I gained from the EPG experience because I was able to see the impact not only from the students experience, but also in the eyes of the business owners. The value of using numbers from extensive research can be critical, as well. People tend to remember numbers, and I learned throughout EPG how to find and discern what numbers would stick when giving presentations such as this.
- As I have seen from this summer, social media, especially these specific platforms, are sticking out. The numbers say everything. On Trip Advisor, alone, I have had 1,638 people look at my reviews. Lisa Vaughn helped us understand the empathy business owners can gain by creating and using their social media platforms. Through Trip Advisor and Yelp, business owners can view their customer comments to make improvements. It is free advertising, it rebrands the region, and attracts outside tourists who indirectly contribute in building a sustainable local economy. This also is an example of one of the EPG Abilities because we learned to mobilize our resources. Throughout the summer we made it a point to strategize conversation with local business owners for them to see the importance of technology today, and how they can enhance their product or services for adventure tourists visiting their areas.
- In June, my team members and I traveled to Eastern Kentucky to study the two counties of Owsley and Letcher and how they could possibly become Trail Towns. Above are numbers compiled from the Atlas of Rural and Small Town America which were staggering to come across. With these numbers, we begin to make assumptions of expected difficulties such as a lack of knowledge or existence of the natural, cultural, and historical assets. Furthermore, the numbers made me think that compiling the information in regards to the specific worksheets for Trail Town certification would be nearly impossible.
- Shortly after arriving in Letcher County, my team and I wanted to gain empathy for the two Eastern, KY communities in Owsley and Letcher. We soon discovered that Letcher County was already in the process of becoming a Trail Town. This was the EPG skill of opportunity recognition at its finest. We had the chance to meet with Civic Leader, Shad Baker, that helped us discern specific information in regard to applying to become a Trail Town and the type of enthusiasm and passion must come from within the community to make the process occur. Shad was extremely interested in the work EPG was doing throughout the Kentucky River Area Development District because it perfectly aligned with his work in Letcher County and the work the extension office is doing to improve the quality of life for its people through health and sustainable living.
- After interviewing Shad Baker, I realized the importance of the quote coming from the book “Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard”. This was the second of the key concepts that stuck out to me this summer as we traveled East. In Switch, the story of the Vietnamese village and their problem with mal-nutrition surface, I found, could be applied to the eastern KY communities. Jerry Sternin of the Save the Children Organization, decided to focus on finding the bright spots in the communities where mal-nutrition was not as dense. He found mothers who were feeding their children smaller increments of food per day and integrated rice and shrimp into the diet. He then helped facilitate learning opportunities for the mothers who were not practicing these techniques from the mothers that were defining the bright spots. Rather than forcing the change through an outsiders view, like ourselves, the motivation must come from within to spark a level of interest to carry locals throughout the process. In Letcher County, through the Extension Office and Shad Baker himself, my team and I could see the importance of having a catalyst in the community to bring about establishing a Trail Town. He was working from the inside-out to show others the importance of trails and the economic value associated with it. However, when we entered into Owsley County, the story was not as similar.
- My team discovered that Letcher County was diverse with a number of both cultural and natural assets that the county itself had done a fabulous job of exploiting. In Letcher County, through the Extension Office and Shad Baker himself, my team and I could see the importance of having a catalyst in the community to bring about establishing a Trail Town. Shad understood what he had to use for connecting all of the assets together, and how to begin pulling in community members that would benefit from a Trail Town. Although some of our assumptions based off the Atlas of Rural and Small Town America were negative, we were surprised after actually experiencing Letcher County that many great things are happening to restore economic flow and community pride. However, when we entered into Owsley County, the story was not as similar.
- When looking at the quote “Change must come from within” I found Owsley County to be more of a challenge than Letcher. In our first week there, we met with Kirstie and Kacey from Action Team who were just starting up a Tourism Committee. Although our relationship started off strong, our team observed a “glass-half-empty mentality” from the two as well as from the people in Owsley. This contrasted significantly with that of Letcher where we seemed to come across more enthusiasm. Our assumptions for Owsley proved to be coming true. Many of the historical assets were abandoned and unkempt, and the cultural and natural assets were scant.
- This number signifies the percentage of people that fall below the poverty line in Owsley County. This statistic was an aspect we found very quickly in Owsley because little of the city had been developed and many of the store fronts were not in use. The purpose of the Action Team is to help others in the community make sure they do not fall into poverty, as well as try to promote sustainable community development. The Owsley County Action Team builds local capacity through leadership development and exploring new ways to solve old problems. Members are encouraged to develop expertise in problem solving, visioning, fund-raising and organizing. Also, the Action Team does out-reach programs for GED completion and also drug-prevention. However, the people working at the action team while also trying to form a tourism committee were stretching across a variety of programs which proved to be exhausting. The focus could not be as well maintained as it was in Letcher for the possibility of becoming a Trail Town, and this proved to be difficult for my team and I.
- Although we relied heavily upon Kirstie and Kacey in our first two weeks in Owsley County, communication became less frequent within the third week. Once the opportunity was raised for Owsley to become part of Buckhorn’s Trail Town Application, we needed to reach out to the Judge Executive Ronnie Debord for his support. In previous weeks, we faced much ambiguity, which is one of the EPG Skill sets we crossed several times this summer, while trying to get in contact with him. As our team needed to pivot to gain contact to people in higher power, we were forced to do this on our own. Instead of seeing the situation as a failure by not being able to contact the Judge previously, we persisted and were able to set up a meeting which led to perhaps one of the greatest accomplishments of the entire meeting.
- The most significant new piece of civic leadership information about the Appalachian region for me was that power is key – especially that of the local government. I am sure many of you saw this in your counties, as well. Many of the elected officials have been around for decades, in our case, for almost a century (Mayor Charles Long of Booneville, KY). A resistance for change becomes the norm because of uncertainty in the outcome. Many of the people in these Eastern, KY communities believe the stereotypes others, for centuries, have placed upon their lifestyle. By looking at the Trail Town Certification Process as a way to promote the assets, these communities could potentially show others that Eastern KY is truly a remarkable place to visit and potentially even live. Thus, more money could flow in the local economy helping to lift Owsley out of poverty, and help keep people within the communities as job opportunities could spawn from the creation of more trails.
- My third key concept, also my personal theory about entrepreneurial leadership, is head + heart=hustle. The phrase comes from Echoing Green’s “Work on Purpose” which we read earlier this summer. By assessing what is in your head (the unique skills, knowledge, or insight you have), listening to your heart (the things you are connected to by paying attention to your emotions), you can find your hustle (doing the work you would do for free). For me, I believe this the truest example of an entrepreneur. They know how to step back and analyze who they are, what they want and feel most passionate about, and how to get to that point. I believe the more self-aware you are, the bigger the pay off. Throughout my time in EPG, I wish I would have taken more initiative to delve into my heart and head more frequently. I think this can be done by living in the moment rather than always thinking about the next step. It is then that we can truly be empathetic of our surroundings. Although this experience is coming to a close, I believe that the program has helped me and perhaps others start on the path to understanding who we are. Perhaps, then, we will all be in our hustle somewhere in the near future while being a true entrepreneurial leader.
- David Petit, created a technology system centered around ATM’s to better surveillance the areas to prevent further accidents such as the woman getting stabbed. He recognized that the safety of the bank customers was at risk, and took initiative to search for a problem that needed a solution by using divergent thinking (creative steps to possible solutions). David also realized that good inventions takes complexity out of life and gives simplicity. The ATM needed one way to secure safety, and now his surveillance cameras branch across a variety of ATMS all over the US. Throughout Eastern KY, it was easy to get discouraged because the problem seemed so vast, but the EPG Cohort focused on turning the problem into an opportunity, and with the opportunity came results.
- What my team and I accomplished this summer in our two counties has been a mountainous learning experience. Working with my teammates has been a blast and the diversity of skills and mindsets have been challenging, but rewarding as we advocated for change. I brought a variety of skills such as public speaking, enthusiasm, leadership, and passion to my team which I believed to be an asset to not just my team, but to the entire EPG Cohort, as well. I hope you have learned as much from me, as I have from you all. Shad Baker, in our meeting at the Letcher County Extension Office, stated, “Don’t hate people because of their fear.” This statement rings true because we all have fears. Mine, specifically, is heights. Climbing to the top of Pine Mountain was frightening, as my teammates can attest. For a long time, I also feared the perception of Kentucky and how that might dictate my path towards success. I wanted to escape to a big city and have the landscape be skyscrapers. Now, I see this place, specifically the mountains, as a thing of natural beauty where culture and people are alive. My assumptions proven completely wrong. But what an experience it was to get to the top, and see the incredible view. Just like going up and down the peaks of the mountains, we have all risen and fallen this summer throughout EPG. As I look out to the view right in front of me, I see 18 other people who have helped me face my fears and in the process create some change along the way. For that, I thank you.