The future of the church - Reverend Leroy Cain interview by Joshua Outsey - And supporting Appalshop

The video below came from Joshua Outsey of Appalshop. I cannot recommend supporting Appalshop enough. This is real talk right here, and Appalshop is where you can go to hear more real talk and real music. Appalshop also sponsors WMMT, my favorite radio station.

In a support-raising e-mail Mr. Outsey says the following:

Black churches are central to our communities and cultures here in Appalachia. Some of these churches even predate the Civil War. Through digitally recorded oral histories, photographs and moving images, my goal is to tell their stories--including those of the black coal miner--and through those stories bring more visibility to black Appalachian history.

At age 36, I have spent the last 20 years of my life living and working throughout Central Appalachia. I am an activist, and cultural organizer. Being a Black Appalachian is something I take pride in because that identity challenges what most people think of when they hear “Appalachia.” I intend to use my work to alter the narrative and bridge cultural gaps that exist throughout our region.

I value faith, family, community, diversity and inclusion. My goal is to spread awareness of the similarities and differences that Black Appalachians may share with each other and Appalachian people as a whole. Working with Black faith based communities energizes me. I love learning and sharing historical details of information about these specific people and their lives.

The existence of Black communities in Central Appalachia has largely been ignored and erased from the mainstream narrative.

Now, I do not agree with Mr. Outsey's views on capitalism expressed in his interview with Rev. Leroy Cain. I can see that people struggling with planned underdevelopment and economic and political abandonment, a situation faced by many Black communities, might gain from capitalist development in the short-run. I can't see capitalism as a long-term solution to anyone's problems. But I also think that both Mr. Outsey and Rev. Cain hit some major points on faith, community, and history. There is an urgency to their conversation that we all need to hear and take to heart and put into action.

Don't forget---Please support Appalshop!