I care because I envision the Appalachian Independent as a powerful tool for social change and for the strengthening of democracy… an opportunity to build community, encourage citizen activism, and bring all voices to the table. These, I believe, are the foundations of democracy.

I care because I want ordinary people- and especially young people - to be able to cut across the geographic, racial, social, and economic boundaries to engage in respectful conversations about things that matter…to engage in the “dialogue of democracy”.

I never thought about politics much when I was a kid, even though I lived through the Kennedy and MLK assassinations, the Viet Nam War and the protests at home, and the Nixon era.  Of course, I knew the ones assassinated were the “good guys.”  My mother was a die-hard JFK fan, and she loved Bobby as well.  While my father may not have been as progressive as my mother, they were both Democrats, and they both read The Washington Post, which landed on our doorstep every morning.  My mom was a member of the League of Women Voters, doing volunteer work while raising her four kids, and I can remember going with her to campaign events when I was a child, where I’d get white straw hats with red, white, and blue ribbons and other goodies for my “help.”

What Appindie Means to Me, or What I Did Over Summer Vacation

The Appalachian Independent: A Grand Undertaking about to Begin.

I got hooked in the twelfth grade. To be more precise, it started on Silver Hill Rd. at Suitland High School, in the Problems of Democracy class that was taught by a short and balding, retired State Department Ph.D. who spoke fluent Russian. It was a bunch of seventeen and eighteen year olds who were regaled by his knack for engaging his students, and for encouraging each of us to become involved in what was going on in the world around us. The classroom was constantly an interaction of opinions, and all opinions were valued for discussion. We were nurtured on The Washington Post, and made acutely aware of the value and enjoyment that could be derived from being interested in the events swirling through our adolescent days. The class was centered on the concept of citizen participatory democracy, and its allure has remained with me ever since. So here I am, still hooked on what goes on in our culture and government, still wanting to give voice to the things that I find important.