Black Writers and Poets Are Upending Stereotypes About Appalachia Kentucky poet Frank X Walker in 2013. Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” to upend assumptions about who is part of Appalachia. Photo by Victoria Smith / eyevine / Redux Affrilachian artistry and identity allows Appalachia to be fully seen as the diverse and culturally rich region that it is. Open a dictionary and you’ll see “Appalachian” described as a “native or inhabitant of Appalachia, especially one of predominantly Scotch-Irish, English, or German ancestry.” Read J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy and you’ll enter a world that’s White, poor, and uncultured, with few, if any, people of color.