Alliance for Appalachia

Dear Alliance for Appalachia supporters, 

As 2023 draws to a close, we at The Alliance for Appalachia look back at all we’ve accomplished this past year thanks to our supporters. From hosting multiple trainings around grassroots enforcement tactics to creating a seat at the table for our members to participate in critical decision-making processes about regional investments, your solidarity has made a real difference in the lives of the people we advocate for. This year we supported our members’ participation at various trainings, events, conferences, organizational partner visits, and funder meetings to build leadership and connection. We are working on building more coalitions here in Appalachia with an additional eye towards larger cohorts such as the Gulf South to Appalachia convening. We also hired a new Development Coordinator, Taysha DeVaughan, and will continue to evolve our coalition to meet the current moment with her support.

A4A member Joanne at the CJA member convening

We are very proud of our success but our work is far from over. Heading into 2024, we aim to take on even bigger tasks like reviving our federal working group, hosting part two of our community resilience network building webinar, and coordinating our next strategic planning gathering to build power in Appalachia. With your contribution before December 31st, you can provide crucial resources to energize our efforts in this important new year.

We greatly appreciate your role as a partner in this journey toward promoting a healthy, just Appalachia in communities impacted by destructive resource extraction. Your compassion and financial support allow us to center impacted voices from our communities. Please consider making an end-of-year gift today to carry this momentum into 2024. 

Every gift counts when it comes to transforming lives. With your help, we can make the upcoming year one of growth, progress, and positive change for the people relying on The Alliance for Appalachia. 

Thank you for your consideration. Donate here! 

On behalf of our entire coalition, we wish you and yours a happy holiday season. 

 

Taysha DeVaughan & Lyndsay Tarus

Alliance Coordinators

A4A member groups in Big Stone Gap, VA

There’s no better day than today- the first day of Native American Heritage Month- to announce and welcome Taysha DeVaughan, our new Development Coordinator to the Alliance for Appalachia! Please, send her some love!

A note from Taysha:

It is with a heart full of gratitude that I pen this note, reflecting on my journey and the new opportunity before me. I am deeply humbled and excited to step into the role of Development Coordinator for the Alliance for Appalachia. This role is not just a title, but a representation of our collective commitment and dedication to the mountains, people, and communities of Appalachia.

My path here has been carved through diligent work with the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, a core member of our Alliance, where together, we strived to amplify the voices calling for environmental justice in Appalachian Virginia rallied our communities to resist the destructive impacts of mountaintop removal mining and other forms of industrial exploitation, oppression, and extraction.

Through the platform the Alliance has generously provided our collective, I have been able to advocate for pivotal causes like the RECLAIM Act and the EJ for All Act. Vital initiatives that are intrinsically linked to the future well-being of our region and its people. It’s this advocacy that paved my way to my appointment as Chair of the Virginia Governor’s Council for Environmental Justice where I continue to serve. I am grateful to the Alliance’s investment in my leadership, and hope to repay this debt of gratitude by working diligently to ensure that the Alliance and its members and our frontline leaders are resourced and supported to the best of my capacity.

Moreover, I carry with me the pride of my heritage as a Caddo and Comanche woman. My traditions have taught me the importance of stewardship and the interconnectedness of all life. This knowledge drives my personal convictions and my belief Indigenous leaders have a rightful and crucial place in the movement for Appalachia. It is high time our insights, experiences, and traditions are integrated, centered, and respected especially in spaces advocating for environmental justice. I am proud that our Alliance continues to lead the region in it’s willingness to invest in leaders from frontline communities and identities like my own.

In this new chapter, I pledge to serve our communities with the same passion and determination that has fueled my journey thus far. Together, with the Alliance and the broader movement for Appalachia, I am confident we can continue our efforts to build a brighter, more just, and sustainable future for all.

In solidarity and thanks, Taysha

Thanks to Appalachian Voices for this original post and graphic.

Curious about the efforts to potentially site small modular nuclear reactors in Southwest Virginia? Join us next week at an open forum that will provide information and allow residents to voice any questions or concerns you may have about nuclear energy in our region.

Small Nuclear Reactor Forum
Norton Community Center

201 Park Ave., NE

Norton, Virginia

Wednesday, Oct. 25 from 6-7:30 p.m.

This event is sponsored by The Clinch Coalition, Alliance for Appalachia, Appalachian Peace Education Center, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and the Wise County Chapter of Virginia Organizing. We will be joining representatives from these groups on the panel. 

“This town hall will provide an opportunity for Southwest Virginians to collectively be heard,” says Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards President Terran Young. Attendees will also have a chance to hear from Terry Lodge, an environmental lawyer who represents citizen groups opposing nuclear power and its radioactive waste.

We hope to see you in Norton on Wednesday, Oct. 25!

Learn more about the proposed small modular nuclear reactor projects on the Clinch Coalition’s website.

September 19, 2023

Contact: Emily Posner, General Counsel, Voice of the Experienced

emily@voiceoftheexperienced.org, (225) 746-8820

Both the Trump and Biden Administrations sought to defund the construction of FCI Letcher.

Washington, D.C. – Today, more than 185 organizations delivered a letter to Congress urging legislators t o remove language – Section 219 – in the FY24 House appropriations bill that fast-tracks the construction of a new federal prison in Letcher County, Kentucky, costing taxpayers more than $505 million dollars. Section 219 would also allow the prison to bypass the federal environmental review process and make the prison and its operations nearly immune from judicial oversight.

“Today, we are making it known that more than 185 organizations across the country oppose the construction of a new, toxic prison in Eastern Kentucky that would be constructed on top of a toxic former mining site. We also vehemently oppose Section 219, which would remove a vital, federally-mandated environmental review process and set an incredibly dangerous precedent for federal oversight in prisons, both in Kentucky and across the country,” said Norris Henderson, Executive Director of VOTE (Voice of the Experienced).

Section 219 explicitly instructs the Attorney General and the Bureau of Prisons to bypass the federally mandated environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Both the Trump and Biden Administrations have requested that the original $505 million funding for the prison be rescinded. Even top officials at the Department of Justice have publicly stated this new construction is unnecessary due to a declining federal prison population.

“Building a prison and incarcerating people on a toxic former mining site, with no idea what the long term ramifications will be, is not just a potential environmental disaster, but a human rights issue,” said Julia Finch, Sierra Club Kentucky’s Chapter Director. “Prison construction should never be exempted from the National Environmental Policy Act review process. We continue to be inspired by the resilience of local community leaders working to stop this prison even as they rebuild after the deadly and devastating floods of 2022, and who have been exploited by the fossil fuel industry. Congress is attempting to forgo proper checks and balance and cannot mandate federal regulators throw caution to the wind – environmental laws are more than mere suggestions and should be adhered to.”

Section 219 would also exempt the Attorney General and Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons from being subject to judicial review, essentially shielding FCI Letcher from liability for any abuses committed there against incarcerated people or prison staff.

“If Section 219 is included in the FY24 House appropriations bill, FCI Letcher will be an island that is completely insulated from the protections of federal law,” states Deborah Golden, a DC-based civil rights attorney with a practice that focuses on the rights of people incarcerated in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. “For example, deaf incarcerated residents at FCI Letcher would not be able to sue for access to hearing aids and ASL interpretation, if FCI Letcher denies them these services. A Jewish or Muslim incarcerated person would not be able to sue for a kosher or halal diet. Prison staff would be unable to pursue challenges for things like sexual harassment, or employment discrimination.”

More than 185 organizations have signed the letter, including national organizations such as:

• –  Abolitionist Law Center
• –  American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• –  Center for Biological Diversity
• –  Center for Constitutional Rights
• –  Citizens United For Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE)
• –  Dream.Org
• –  Forward Justice
• –  Institute to End Mass Incarceration
• –  Natural Resources Defense Council
• –  The Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons
• –  The Sentencing Project
• –  Standing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ)
• –  Shriver Center on Poverty Law
• –  Vera Institute of Justice
• –  VISIONS Inc.
• –  Voice of the Experienced (VOTE)
• –  350.Org.

The full text of the letter can be found here.

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Building Community Not Prisons is a coalition of people who oppose the construction of FCI Letcher and demand better options for the people of Letcher County and the communities of color that are most impacted by mass incarceration.

The Alliance for Appalachia stands in deep solidarity with the Waymakers Collective, a radical grant-making group in Appalachia that empowers artists overlooked by traditional philanthropy. They’ve allocated over $1 million to uplift marginalized communities, with a focus on Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ, and immigrant individuals. Waymakers, who celebrate Appalachia’s diverse traditions, recently faced intimidation during a retreat in Harlan County, KY, where local individuals obstructed their activities, causing distress and safety concerns for Collective members.

No Hate in Our Holler! Y’all means ALL!

At the Alliance for Appalachia, we share core beliefs with the Waymakers Collective. Some of our members are also leaders and members of the Collective. We believe in the wisdom of our communities and in centering the voices of people most targeted for oppression. In fighting for our communities against the oppressive forces of extraction, we fight for all communities. We believe that by building power and connecting people of all backgrounds and identities that we grow in strength. We will not compromise on our values and we will stand by our friends when they are threatened or challenged. 

Read more about the events and how the Collective is responding in their statement. To show your support and solidarity, consider sharing their story and sending a donation. Make sure to include a designation to “Waymakers Collective.”

We’re Hiring! Alliance Development Coordinator

The Alliance for Appalachia promotes a healthy, just Appalachia by supporting our member organizations in communities impacted by destructive resource extraction. Members of the Alliance for Appalachia are some of the most respected environmental justice organizations and leaders in the region. We come together around shared goals, regional strategy and a love for Appalachia.

We are looking for someone to support the vision of Alliance member organizations, and to coordinate operations, fundraising and digital communications for our regional coalition. The Development Coordinator will work in close partnership with the Alliance Engagement Coordinator to build community and capacity across the coalition. Link to job description.

To apply: Submit your resume along with materials that tell us who you are and why you’re excited about this position; this can be in the form of a cover letter, brief video submission, or as samples of your previous work. Email all materials to hello@theallianceforappalachia.org with ‘Development Coordinator’ in the subject line by Sept. 4th. We look forward to hearing from you!