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Working together to better the community is better than going about it alone, especially for attorney Bernie Layne and community activist, author and radio personality Leeshia Lee. With both involved
This week on Inside Appalachia, can the internet rebuild Appalachia? We ask sci-fi novelist and tech writer Cory Doctorow. Also, fish fries have been a staple in Charleston, West Virginia’s Black community for generations. We learn more about them. And, hop on board the Cass Scenic Railroad for a visit with the people who keep the steam trains running.
Drive through Charleston, West Virginia any day of the week, and you’re bound to come across a sign advertising a local fish fry. Within Charleston’s Black community, fish fries have been a time-honored tradition for generations. Our Folkways Fellow Leeshia Lee grew up in Charleston. She says that it was common to see friends and neighbors hosting fish fries — they’d sell fish dinners as a way to raise money for different needs. In this special report, Lee shares her experiences with fish fries, and visits with one of Charleston’s best fish fryers.
On this West Virginia Morning, for many Black communities, music is an essential component of end-of-life rituals. When a loved one dies, families often call on a singer to perform at a funeral to offer comfort and healing. Inside Appalachia Folkways Reporter Leeshia Lee spoke with her cousin, Michelle Dyess, about being a funeral singer in Charleston.
For many Black communities throughout the country, music is an essential component of end-of-life rituals. When a loved one dies, families often call upon a skilled singer to perform at a funeral as a way to offer comfort and healing. In Charleston, West Virginia 41-year-old Michelle Dyess is one of the go-to singers that people request when it’s time to plan a funeral.