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<div>Black in Appalachia is raising funds for heating &amp; air in our field office, bookstore &amp; research room. It's hot in the summer &amp; cold in the winter. Our current set-up of space heaters &amp; timers makes our electric bills extremely high &amp; that is not sustainable. We hope to make our place just a little more comfortable through the winter for staff, visitors &amp; our water pipes. So! Please chip in what you can. We thank you!
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Help Black in Appalachia Stay Warm!

<div>Help Turn a Historic Church into a Home for Hope
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<div>In the small coal town of Keystone, West Virginia, an old brick church stands quietly — a beautiful piece of history waiting for a second chance.
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<div>The Whittico Memorial Presbyterian Church, named after Matthew Thomas Whittico (1866–1939), was once a cornerstone of faith and community. Whittico was a visionary leader who founded The McDowell Times, a groundbreaking newspaper dedicated to “the interest of the Negro Race — His Social and Political Rights.” His voice gave power to the people, bridging divides and inspiring generations.
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<div>Today, his church needs our help.
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<div>The building has been entrusted to We Are The Teachers, Inc. (WATT) — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on youth development and empowerment in McDowell County. Our dream is to restore the Whittico Church and transform it into a community and youth development center — a place where young people can learn, grow, and lead.
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<div>This center will provide:
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<div>After-school and leadership programs
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<div>Mentorship and skill-building workshops
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<div>Cultural and community events that bring people together
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<div>McDowell County’s youth deserve a safe place to dream and build their future — and we can make it happen together.
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<div>Your donation will help fund renovations, equipment, and programs that will bring life back to this historic space: every dollar, every share, every bit of support matters.
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<div>✨ Help us breathe new life into Whittico Memorial Church — where history inspires hope.
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<div>Donate today and be part of rebuilding something extraordinary for the youth of McDowell County.
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Restore a Church. Revive a Dream. Empower Our Youth.

<div>The Odd Fellow Cemetery in Elizabethton, TN, is one of Carter County's two largest public colored cemeteries and is in desperate need of cleanup, restoration and preservation. It is located at 219 Old Siam Rd. in the East Side Community in ELizabethton, Tennessee. It is the final resting place for many slaves and freed persons, including many prominent Negro citizens of Elizabethton, TN, until it was closed for burial in 1970. 
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<div>Some imporant names that one might find in local history books in Elizabethton, Carter County, TN, that are buried in this cemetery include: Rev. George Philips (1895), who was the second pastor of Phillippi Baptist Church which is on the State Historical Registry as the first colored church in Carter County, established in 1867, Rev. W.A.C. Breedlove, the fourth pastor at Phillippi Baptist Church, was also an educator and is recognized as the founder and principal of Douglas School for forty-two years.  Rev. Breedlove has been honored as one of the most prominent Negro citizens in Elizabethton, Alex Stover, a slave of Col. Daniel Stover and his wife, Mary Johnson, daughter of President Andrew Johnson, cared for President Johnson after he suffered a stroke and was by his side when he died in the Brown (Stover) home in 1875.
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<div>The cemetery is overgrown with trees and brush, many graves are sunken and headstones toppled. Trash and debris are scattered throughout. Erosion has destroyed the roadway that once led into the cemetery.
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<div>Volunteer cleanup efforts began in March, 2022. A small group of concerned citizens cleared an access pathway and cut several small trees but due to inclement weather and difficulty synchronizing individual schedules, not much progress has been made since. It didn't take us long to realize that it was going to take a lot more than a small group of unskilled workers on a Saturday to accomplish our goal.
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<div>Phase #1 of our plan, clean up, involves the cutting down and removal of several trees and brush and trash pickup.
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<div>Phase #2, restoration, will involve the filling in of sunken graves and the repair of headstones and markers.
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<div>Phase #3, preservation, will involve establishing and outlining the cemetery boundaries, creating an easy access roadway into the cemetery, placement of a state historical marker and identification of as many individuals buried there as possible.
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<div>We realize that this project is going to be a lot of planning and hard work as well as a very costly endeavor.  We have set a preliminary monetary goal of $20,000 to begin this project.  Unfortunately, there is not much recorded African American, Black History, in Carter County, TN.  This is a very important part of that history and must be preserved.
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<div>Thank you for your generous contribution!
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Restoration of Odd Fellow Cemetery

<div>I attended the National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS) 2 years ago. It opened my eyes to the traditions of oral storytelling that existed all around me. I heard poetry, stories and music that expanded my knowledge of what storytelling can be. I met Black storytellers of all ages and styles from all across the United States. However, there were not many tellers from Appalachia like me. I left with the desire to bring more Black Appalachian tellers to the conference. 
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<div>This has been my work for the last three years. My goal is to organize Black tellers in Appalachia. I have produced storytelling concerts with local tellers in Tennessee Appalachia. This year, I would like to bring the tellers that I have worked with to the national stage. I believe it will motivate them to organize at home, using the traditions and customs of NABS. 
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<div>The National Association of Black Storytellers are holding their annual conference in Buffalo, NY October 23-27, 2024. We are raising funds to bring Black Appalachian Storytellers to the conference. So far, we have raised $2500. These funds were used to pay for 7 flights for 7 tellers, including 1 youth teller. But we still have a way to go. The goal is to send 10 tellers, most who have never experienced the power of NABS.
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<div>10 tellers need flights (7 flights have been purchased so far.)
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<div>10 tellers need lodging
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<div>10 tellers need bus passes for local travel
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<div>10 tellers need NABS Conference registration at about $360 each.
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<div>Your support will help our independent group of tellers travel to the conference. We are artists working in Appalachia. This trip will offer a rich cultural experience that will add to our professional development as storytellers. 
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