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Hillbilly and the People Who Explain Us to Ourselves

Academics have fancy names for it now. Urban Chauvinism. Urban-Centrism. Ruralism. Metronormativity.

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

From Bringing Home the Bacon... to Misplacing the Grocery List

Older residents say there was once a different kind of Congressman roaming these hills. A fella by the name of Rick Boucher.

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

The Great Rural Grift & Why So Many Rural Virginia Democratic Candidates Are Angry

Out here in the hills and countryside, we know a grift when we see one. It is when somebody swears they came to help you fix the tractor, but the tractor never moves and somehow they leave with your gas money. Country definition, but it holds up in court. And

The Night the Siren Never Sounds

By Cindy Green, fmr candidate for VA House of Delegates District 44 There is a sound folks in rural Virginia recognize without thinking. A siren cutting through the dark, rolling across hills and hollows, telling you someone needs help and neighbors are already on the way. That sound has carried

When the Siren Stops

There is a sound folks in the country know by heart, that high, lonesome siren cutting through the night. You would hear it echo down the valley and think, help is on the way. That sound may soon be getting more rare. If the Congressional Approved Medicaid cuts in Washington

Mama’s Drive to Corry, PA: A Lesson in Political Salesmanship 101

Mama loves the drive to Corry, PA. A native Mississippian, she is unused to Pennsylvania’s protracted autumns. Back home, September is still summertime—but with SEC football and zero fall colors. So, Mama loves Pennsylvania in September with its autumn yellows and luminous reds. She also feels at home

Work Boots Don’t Have Lobbyists, and That’s the Problem

By Cindy Green, Democratic Candidate for Virginia House of Delegates, District 44 If I ever wrote a book, I think I’d call it “The Fastest Way to Become a Millionaire: Be a Career Politician.” Or maybe turn it into a game show. “How Big of a Campaign Donation Does

An experiment that Succeeded

An experiment that Succeeded So I'm scanning the offerings on AppSumo, which sells software and such at a steep discount. I see this thing called Hey Summit – "everything you need to hold a virtual conference." I've always wanted to do some sort of Forward