About

It is time to reclaim our roots.
We come from a people who used their power to unlock liberty.
We are standing on the shoulders of those who proclaimed,
“There ain’t no way they can ever keep us down.”

This movement exists because you do.
You exist.
It is your time to become a part of the story of an Appalachia that is just.
An Appalachia that is vibrant.
An Appalachia known for welcoming all people.

The beauty in the Appalachian legacy of storytelling is that the story does not end.
So we are not rising above our raising—
We are embracing the call embedded in our bones
To build an Appalachia that has always existed, but has never been fully realized.

Because we shouldn’t need to fight like hell for the basics.
But we do.
Our representatives should be representing all of us.
But they don’t.

So we fight.

We harness the power of community through art, science, research and advocacy
To bring about the real change that is possible when diversity of thought is grounded in truth.
We honor the champions who paved our way
By bringing the next generation of Appalachians a space to center justice, equity, resilience and sustainability in our region.

History doesn’t define our region.
We define our region.
Our moment is now—
Disrupt the story.