Elon J.

I am a writer, filmmaker, and storyteller born in Pikeville, KY. I am currently a Master's student in the Comparative Media Studies program at MIT, where I study counter-narratives in the Appalachian region and have incubated my own documentary storytelling project, The Appalachian Retelling Project (theappalachianretellingproject.com). 

I think that my upbringing in Appalachia has had an enormous influence on me, even as I have spent most of my adult years outside the region. The sense of community and support ingrained in Appalachian culture is unrivaled, I would argue, anywhere else in the world. Generally, people want to work hard and take care of one another. It's a shame that Appalachia has been so denigrated in the media for over a century, often for the purpose of someone else's political or personal gain. I don't deny the issues that you often see portrayed in the media, but Appalachians are too often dehumanized, either made into villains or helpless victims, and never given agency in their own stories.

I think change is absolutely needed in Appalachians' own self perceptions. I think as a culture we have started to believe too much about what the media tells us about ourselves. Many people I know personally are afraid of being judged by "outsiders" or don't have much belief in what they can accomplish so they don't try. I think if we start to have a more empowering view of ourselves, we can gain momentum in solving the problems we face in the region.

I believe that to challenge stereotypes we have to confront them head on. The way to challenge images of Appalachia as impoverished and uneducated isn't to just start putting out images of upper-middle class and educated people, because the fact is that poverty and poor education exist. Instead, we need to give people who are often stereotyped in the media the chance to tell their own stories and become whole, three-dimensional people. Then, people might start to understand what Appalachia is really like - not just the bad, but what makes it beautiful, too.

I study Appalachia for a living, so you could definitely say it has inspired me! Being Appalachian is a huge part of my identity. It taught me to value family and friendships and to always be there when one of "your people" needs support. It taught me to root for the underdog and to never underestimate the little guy. And it taught me to always make enough food to share. Appalachia inspires me to do work that many "outsiders" don't understand the importance of, and to keep fighting for my people every day.