Mountain Women Rising shares the experiences of Appalachian women. The 45-60 minute presentation entertains audiences with poetry, prose, story and song and educates them on the Alliance’s quest for human rights, economic justice and safety for women and children. The performers come from various walks of life and bring their diverse ethnic and cultural experience together on stage to challenge stereotypes of Appalachian women.
Members of Mountain Women Rising are Gaye Johnson, a performer for over 30 years and a native of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains; Meredith Dean, a social activist from Southwest Virginia; Edna Gulley, a “welfare mother” from Clincho who developed and coordinated a community-based preschool program serving low-income children in her community for over 16 years; and Rema Keen, a writer, actor, activist and musician from Southwest Virginia.
The Appalachian Women’s Alliance is a movement of women and girls dedicated to taking action on social issues. Performance groups such as Mountain Women Rising educate, challenge and inspire women and men inside and outside of Appalachia to become allies against racism, violence against women and war.
3 comments:
First of all, I know this comment is politically incorrect. Waay so. But my first question about these "mountain women" would be, where was your grandfather from, to see if they are "really" mountain women or not. And yes, it does make a difference. I appreciate Adrianna, but her culture (as she rather freely writes about) is NOT mountain culture. Being on welfare does not make you from the mountain culture. Etc.
My second question is, what do these women do (or have EVER done) useful, practical, and without money from any government. At the end of the day, what is there that wasn't there at the beginning.
To offer an alternative, and an ideal, I rather subscribe to this model -- (which I ripped off from the Nearings) 1/3 time spent on bread labor (feeding yourself, clothing yourself, being practical), 1/3 of the time spent on you avocation, what you love (writing, art, music, whatever) -- UNPAID, what you do for love of it, 1/3 of time spent (again UNPAID, because it is a cost of being in community) on community and/or activism sorts of things.
But I'm contrary.
Very.
Although "politically incorrect", I have to agree with contrary goddess on this one. Having lived in the mountains for several years, does not make you a "mountain woman". If you don't have the generations to back you up, you're basically just play-acting and don't have a clue what it means.
These women were performing poetry and music last wednesday night at our local university. A few friends and I were going to see them, but we were all kept in by ice and snow.
Apparently you know who they are? I was merely looking for some kind of culture in a town absolutely thrilled by the opening of a new Applebees.
I have never heard of them before--merely trying to learn. I'm really glad I didn't title my blog "mountain mama" when I started it up. I'd have been chopped off at the knees. I was born in North Carolina, grew up in Tidewater, Virginia and most recently hail from Portland, Oregon.
Post a Comment