Protesters at a Black Lives Matter March in Marion, Virginia in July 2020.
What are communities in Appalachia doing to address racism? The death of George Floyd and others at the hands of police sparked hundreds of demonstrations over the summer, and a national reckoning on police reform and systemic racism.
Those conversations are happening here in Appalachia, too. Many mountain people organized Black Lives Matter marches in small towns across the region. And they’re taking a hard look at laws and policies that treat people unfairly.
In this episode of
Inside Appalachia, we look at a community in Pittsburgh and its struggles with urban renewal. We’ll also hear about a community in West Virginia that is one of the few cities in the nation to establish an independent police review board. We’ll also learn more about how Black Lives Matter marches can turn tense as counter-protesters and marchers face off.