Equipping Appalachia’s Grandmothers for Positive Change
In late August, my co-founder Jen and I received an invitation from Gwen Johnson, the Executive Director of the Hemphill Community Center in Jackhorn, Kentucky. Gwen invited the Grandmother Collective to facilitate a workshop focused on grandmothers and their pivotal role in driving social change within local communities. Gwen learned about our work and immediately recognized the vital roles that older women in her community had been playing as pillars of support during recent times of hardship. We are actively engaged in running pilot programs within communities like Hemphill, with the primary goal of empowering grandmothers to collaboratively address and resolve local issues and were thrilled to have the opportunity to visit in person and share our insights. Right from the first day, it became evident that our approach–which centers on grandmother-led, culturally-responsive, and asset-driven solutions–is a crucial avenue for supporting communities in becoming more vibrant and resilient.
Indeed, we have found that due to the incredibly strong need for internal community solutions, grandmothers are the perfect partners in community development and social change initiatives. First, they have lived their lives in the area and have seen other people’s lives unfold, creating deep patterns of recognition over life courses and life outcomes. Second, they have a deep commitment to the community and focus on improving it for the benefit of their grandchildren. Thirdly, they can uniquely tap networks, relationships, and resources to get things done in their community and engage people in the ways they need to be engaged.
A Legacy of Coal and Resilience
Hemphill Community Center is nestled in an unincorporated community in Eastern Kentucky, near the border with Southwest Virginia, within the heart of the Appalachian range of mountains that span most of the Eastern United States. Historically, Hemphill was a coal camp operated by the Elkhorn Coal Corporation, an industry that once dominated the region’s modern history. Every resident here has a connection, whether through family ties or personal memories, to the coal industry, which controlled the economy through boom and bust. Unfortunately, the decline of the mines stripped away a substantial portion of economic opportunities, particularly for the male population. According to a 2019 New York Times story, Letcher County where Hemphill is located, saw a shift in gender balance unlike any other county in the country between 2010 and 2017. When the mines closed, the women went to work.
The Central Appalachia region encompassing all of West Virginia and the Kentucky portion of the mountains has been plagued by harmful stereotypes due to a complex web of historical factors. These stereotypes have cast a shadow over economic progress and social development, perpetuating a cloud of negativity. In films like 1972’s Deliverance and television shows like the Beverly Hillbillies, the region’s inhabitants were portrayed as backward and illiterate, reinforcing the perception of hopelessness, drug addiction, and a propensity for violence. Even contemporary narratives, as seen in books like JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy and Barbara Kingsolver’s recent novel Demon Copperhead, have further muddied — or confirmed — the prevailing stereotypes of local communities. To add to the challenges, Hemphill endured a devastating flood in July 2022, a once-in-a-lifetime catastrophe that destroyed homes, businesses, and claimed 45 lives. They have experienced an exodus and brain drain from the region as people migrated from places where they had lived for generations to find more stable economic opportunities. This added to the already negative growth rate in the wider Letcher County which saw a 12% population decline between 2010 and 2020.
Preserving Culture and Wisdom
From a cultural perspective, Hemphill, like much of Appalachia, boasts strong historic and active cultural attributes. This cultural richness is enhanced by the geographic isolation of these mountainous regions, where shared community interests, such as traditional agricultural practices and local art forms, contribute to their identities and serve as a counterbalance to harmful stereotypes. We learned of bluegrass traditions and the continued traditions of “Shape Note” singing, a form of singing using different shapes to convey different tones on sheet music, and “Hymn lining,” a form of call and response that is rooted in traditions brought over with Scots-Irish Immigrants. Over meals and conversations, the grandmothers revealed the unique mythologies and worldviews of a community which has had to depend on itself. Outsiders cannot meaningfully suggest pathways for development for individuals or the community.
At Grandmother Collective, we firmly believe in the proven approach of participatory development. We were reminded of an old saying by Lao Tzu: “Go to the people. Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. But with the best leaders, when the work is done, the task accomplished, the people will say ‘We have done this ourselves.’” For us, the most effective leaders in rebuilding community cohesion and resilience are the wise, practical, and resourceful grandmothers.
Arriving in Hemphill, we were well aware that stereotypes seldom reflect the full reality of any community. We knew that the wisdom and experiences of grandmothers and elders within the community might hold the key to understanding the genuine challenges facing the region. We met with 13 remarkable women, including retired teachers, police officers, small business owners, nurses, farmers, and community organizers. These women shared their stories of hardship and joy, drawing from the rich storytelling traditions that are the heart and soul of their culture. We discussed the roles older women had played and the roles they were currently embracing as they aged. We celebrated their strength and the sacrifices they had made with laughter and even song. Together, we cooked, shared coffee, and engaged in conversations that extended well beyond our official meeting hours.
Grandmother-Powered Solutions
The workshop focused on harnessing the existing assets within the community and then delving into solutions that could be realized primarily by tapping into the wisdom and experience of the women. We use a three part methodology focused on understanding the cultural roles of grandmother leaders and their inherent power. Then we discussed their leadership potential — the uniqueness of what they had to offer and what they could share. Finally we inspired them with roadmaps of other grandmother- powered initiatives from from around the world. We shared stories of grandmother-powered solutions from our network, such as the Friendship Bench in Zimbabwe, which trains grandmothers as mental health workers, and various programs recognizing grandmothers as mentors in the development of adolescent girls. Then the grandmothers discussed the challenges and solutions and began to plan.
What was amazing is that we really were there to hold the space for these grandmothers to tap into their wisdom and power. Our role was to trust the community and let them define their own solutions, drawing on their personal and local assets. What a privilege to learn from these community leaders.
We will treasure the week we spent there, especially the grandmothers’ generosity, including sharing delicious local recipes like fried bologna sandwiches, soup beans, chicken and dumplings, and of course, cornbread. And as we prepared to depart, some projects the grandmothers had developed during our training were already taking shape. Plans included installing a bench outside the community center, where grandmothers could provide a resource for emotional and mental health support. Additionally, a program was in the works for the grandmothers to recruit other older women to have lunch with 8th-grade girls at the local school, focusing on building relationships, marking rites of passage, and creating a foundation for life skills. The women wasted no time mobilizing support and resources, tackling these challenges as they have always done in this community, where financial resources may be scarce, but the wellspring of human resilience is boundless.
Do you want to work with The Grandmother Collective to do a similar workshop in your community? Email us at info@grandmothercollective.org
