Front Porch Culture & 1st Month of LFA Reflection

In late August with the sunset dancing over the mountain tops and a cool gentle breeze in the air, the residents of the small town of Pineville, Kentucky take to their porches to watch the sunset, talk with family, and engage with neighbors and those walking by. When one thinks of small-town America, a romanticized view often enters the mainstream reader’s mind, which is not entirely incorrect to some extent. I have been living in Pineville, a mini-metropolis in eastern Kentucky, for the past month, and it has been quite a culture shock for me.

Coming from near Richmond, Virginia I am used to maintaining smaller social circles despite the density of people in the area. The community dynamic is more selective. We rarely engage with neighbors right down the street from us unless they go to the neighborhood pool during the summer. The social dynamic is warmer, and everyone knows everyone since the area is so secluded and many have familial ties with one another. Deep connections and immensely social people utilizing their front porches to engage with their neighbors are foreign concepts to me.

The culture shock to Pineville was one thing, but the culture shock once I arrived at Red Bird Mission was a whole other ball game entirely. The people working at Red Bird were extremely excited to have me for the year. The Mission is overburdened, with many people working multiple jobs, doing their best to serve the rural Appalachian communities of Bell, Leslie, and Clay counties. The people within these counties have not had easy lives with many living paychecks to paycheck or completely reliant on government aid. Many struggle with addiction or recovering from said addiction. High levels of food insecurity are common with many coming to Red Bird for monthly Family 2 Family food boxes. Seeing vehicles using a spare tire instead of the main tire is a common sight due to the price of a new tire being prohibitive. In Kentucky, there are no state inspections so people can drive vehicles that may have missing windshields, smashed taillights, and other noticeable damaged parts. One cannot possibly ignore the poverty presented every single day.

The poverty is generational with many proudly scrapping by in ‘hollers’ (hollows) for decades. Survival is a badge of pride with many not looking for “charity” or refusing to modernize. The older generation is particularly stubborn regarding technology which has presented itself as one of the more unique challenges for me. Many older folks are uncomfortable with using any technology that does not predate 1975 and they are determined to die before the technology becomes an absolute necessity. Utilizing their children and grandchildren as guides, the older generation is heavily reliant on others to carry out any digital tasks they may have- such as emails, bank statements, and telehealth appointments. Attempting to connect and highlight the usefulness of technology is at times difficult, and often requires getting multiple in their cohort to invest in technology.

One woman, in particular, stuck out to me this month, she is a young mother to six children. She had her first at 15 which forced her to drop out of high school to care for her child and younger siblings due to a neglectful father. She never had the opportunity to be a child, rather caring for her family at 14, and education fell by the wayside to ensure everyone was fed. Now, she is married with six children and her mother lives with her. They come to Red Bird due to the increasing cost of living causing them to struggle to scrape by. When talking to them, she spoke of wanting to pursue her GED since she never finished but also wondering how she could even afford electricity next month. Currently, she is faced with the reality of dropping internet and Wi-Fi services to keep the electricity on. She wants the best for her children and understands the importance of the digital sphere but is prevented from utilizing it due to the prohibitive costs. The internet should be available to everyone, yet companies care more about financial gain than what can benefit their consumers. Learning the limitations everyone faces in this area is eye-opening, and I hope to take this knowledge into the broadband sphere.

As for targeting broadband and hosting a listening tour, I have been fairly successful. Investing in the community via attending Red Bird farmers markets on Saturdays and working towards hosting a digital literacy class in October. I am excited to see people interested in learning about technology, even if it is just the basics. The first step is always the biggest, and people recognizing they do not know something and want to change it is huge, especially in this culture. Additionally, I have begun a satellite library project which targets literacy and access to books for all ages in Clay County with the eventual goal of adding Wi-Fi hotspots to them. Working with the people of Red Bird has been encouraging and I look forward to continuing to develop my relationship with them. Despite the initial culture shock, I am making strides towards making an impact in the lives of the people of Eastern Kentucky beyond the scope of broadband.

I appreciate your support and encouragement. If you have any connections in the broadband field, Kentucky government, or internet companies please feel free to share them below.

Shelbi Henkle

2022 -23 Lead for America Fellow with AmeriCorps serving at Red Bird Mission in Eastern Kentucky