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Be sure to read two original poems following the topic.

Understanding the Invisible Minority

Click to enlarge.Are you an Urban Appalachian? One out of every four Greater Cincinnatian has roots somewhere in Appalachia, the mountainous region that stretches through 13 states, from New York to Mississippi.

Why are Urban Appalachians known as the invisible minority? Because they face many of the same obstacles as other minority groups but may not be easy to identify. Please see a report on Appalachian Migration.

Since 1974, the Urban Appalachian Council (UAC) has worked with and for Appalachian migrants and their descendants, to dispel negative stereotypes and to help Urban Appalachians participate more fully in urban community life.

UAC strives to fulfill its mission by:

• Empowering Individuals
• Strengthening Families
• Developing Communities
• Reforming Systems

Turning Goals into Action

UAC works to empower individuals within Cincinnati's Appalachian communities in order to strengthen families, develop community resources and reform the systems which impact Urban Appalachians' lives.

By operating a wide range of programs, UAC can work toward reaching its overall goals in substantial and concrete ways:

• Community-based youth activities
• Education resources for schools
• Community-based adult education centers
• Employment readiness programs
• Neighborhood outreach/case management
• Environmental education and leadership development
• Cultural events and community festivals
• Community Recognition Events
• Family Connection program

Offering Resources and Opportunities

In addition to work within Cincinnati's Urban Appalachian neighborhoods, UAC offers resources to the public which promote understanding and appreciation of Appalachian people and culture.

• Consultation and cultural sensitivity training
• Appalachian artist referral services- for an artist referral or to schedule a training session, please call 251-0202.
• The Frank Foster Library- available for public use. Please make an appointment by calling 251-0202. Library hours are 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday, with appointment.
• Perceptions of Home: The Urban Appalachian Spirit, A Traveling Exhibit- to arrange to have Perceptions of Home displayed at your place of business, please call 251-0202. There is a shipping fee.

We Are

I am from old people, lots of food, gardens, tractors, pet pigs, high
sidewalks, fresh smell of trees, ticks, and chewing tobacco, coal dust
swept out every morning.

I am hills, no sun till noon,

fifty years a dweller in cities, now a cold cabin on top of Peach Mountain,
three cats, one dog,
and a stack of oak logs I need to cut with my new orange chain saw.

I am from concrete, blacktop, buildings and cars down River Road,

from several different schools and houses, bigger brother, visiting
Grandma's house, going to the Bingos, downtown with my Grandma.

I am from many sisters and few brothers,

from houses that creak and pop, noises that carry, not stop,
homes with things that are broken, places where words aren't spoken.

I am from a tiny house on Cambridge Avenue in Madison Place, two in a bed,
four in a room and no privacy,

from books lined up, stacked up, dog-eared, spines bent, paperback,
hardback, no back at all.

I am from the junk drawer in Rio Vista,

fried kibbe and tabouleh salad, soup beans, fried potatoes and corn bread, biscuits and gravy
and fried chicken on Sunday, from slinging chili to serving lamb.

I remember clothes my grandma wore and clothes she made me. One day she
killed a chicken in front of me, put it in chicken and dumplings and made
me eat it.

I am from two parents that I automatically loved. From my mother I was
given unconditional love. What I learned from my father- how to apply
prejudice at the snap of a finger. From strength deep inside myself,
stepping outside myself and ultimately finding me.

I am from babies crying and formula being made, my third birthday on the
Uncle Al Show,
kissing Mom at the door, in second grade with Sister Eulalia, then on to N.
College Hill High.

From raising a brood on my own, to finding my Savior Jesus through it all.

I'm back in school with my children and I've graduated to grandmotherhood.

"We Are" was written by students in Chatfield College/Lower Price Hill Community School's Appalachian Studies class in November 1994 during a workshop led by Appalachian writers George Ella Lyon and Aralee Strange. This workshop was part of an Appalachian Women Writer's Residency sponsored by the Urban Appalachian Council (UAC) with project support from the Ohio Arts Council, the Appalachian Community Development Association and the Fine Arts Fund, and operating support from the City of Cincinnati and the Ruth Mott Fund.

I am From

I am from Lower Price Hill

Where I'm from is where we all are from.
I am from houses to houses and state to state.
Lower Price Hill, that's where my family is from.
People on the corner, people in the park.
Mexicans, blacks, whites: we are all the same, but who are people to put us to blame.
If you don't like it, stay out of the mix.
I am from not wanting to be here.

I am from my house this morning.
I am from a caring mother and a not so caring father.
I am from potato salad and chicken, fried.
I am from mama's strength, anklets and saddle oxfords, and being a lady.
I am from a broken home that has been fixed.
Oh! Don't forget: I am from my mother's tummy fourteen years ago.

I am from a sheltered place where a smile is hard to appear on my face.
I am from look at me, don't look at me.
I am from never wanting to write again.
I am from buildings which stand high and tall and I hope never fall.
I've got up every time I fall.

I am from the sky, birds and fish--all in one, fishing my day away.
I am from not knowing who I am to understanding why I am.
We have been in slavery, I am free.

And that's where I'm from.

The creative writing exercise, "I Am From" has inspired countless poems since George Ella Lyon introduced it to UAC staff during this residency. "I Am From Lower Price Hill" is one example. It was written by members of UAC's Youth Environmental Project and performed as part of The Lower Price Hill Story Project. The LPH Story Project was funded by the Appalachian Community Development Association, Cincinnati Institute for Career Alternatives, Community Arts Fund, Ohio Appalachian Arts Initiative and WEST-C, through a grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. The Youth Environmental Project is funded through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. UAC's Cultural Program receives operating support from the City of Cincinnati, Ohio Arts Council and the Commission On Religion in Appalachia.