Hillbilly and the People Who Explain Us to Ourselves
Academics have fancy names for it now. Urban Chauvinism. Urban-Centrism. Ruralism. Metronormativity.
John W Peace II
A Legacy That Keeps Giving: Buccaneer Scholarship Program Awards Nearly $70,000 to Union High School Seniors
By John W. Peace II
BIG STONE GAP- 6/28/2026 – For Adam Harris, current Big Stone Gap town councilman and member of the Buccaneer Scholarship Program board, serving the organization is about much more than handing out scholarship certificates. It's about preserving a legacy that began long
When Family Farms Were Middle Class
We’re finally looking at a stretch of warmer weather here in Southwest Virginia, and it brings back a feeling folks around Russell County and Washington County used to know by heart.
But this story isn’t just about two counties in the mountains and foothills of Southwest Virginia. It’
Most 911 Calls Aren’t for Police... They’re for FIRE / EMS And Rural America Already Knows It
Chances are, if you live in rural America, you know somebody in Fire / EMS.
If you don’t, you have probably met them the hard way. In your driveway. In your living room. Standing beside a family member on a day you will never forget.
That is just the way
The Mayberry Effect: Nostalgia, Memory, and Rural America
In 2016, some of the most effective political campaign messaging across rural America was not built on economic policy or specific issues. It was built on nostalgia. A feeling that life was once more stable, more local, and more connected to community. That emotional appeal resonated deeply in small towns
Why Liberals, People of Color, and LGBTQ Need the Second Amendment More Than Ever!
For decades, the image of a gun owner in America looked a certain way. White. Rural. Conservative. Republican. That picture no longer holds, and what is replacing it says a lot about who truly relies on the right to keep and bear arms.
Across the country, liberals, people of color,
Wrong About Rural: Why White Rural Rage Misses the Mark
Here is a question for you. Which crowd has a higher percentage of people being college educated?
One picture shows the mob of January 6th storming the Capitol. The other shows a college football stadium packed to the rafters on a Saturday in Knoxville or we could use a picture