Writers often portray residents of Appalachia as fatalistic and passive, prone to be victims, but unwilling to stand up against their oppressors. The history of the region reveals a different story. Appalachia is home to countless local and regional reform organizations which have sought--and continue to seek--social justice and a better life for inhabitants of the region.

Browse our Suggested Reading List for books of interest.

Bumpass Cove-Embreeville Collection
Records (1971-81) relate to the work of the Bumpass Cove Citizens Group against hazardous waster dumping in the community, which straddles Washington and Unicoi counties, Tenn. Included are articles of incorporation, by-laws, correspondence, reports, and newspaper clippings.

Coal Employment Project Collection
Contains records of organization active in support of women employed in coal mining, and relates to such issues as mine safety, miners' health, sexual discrimination and harassment, and the training of women miners.

Congress for Appalachian Development/Gordon Ebersole Collection
Organized in 1966, the group's purpose was "to restore self-government and natural resources of the region for the common benefit of all the people" of the region. Included are materials related to such issues as Appalachian economic development, public utilities and rural electrification, pollution and reclamation, land use, and mining safety.

Council on Appalachian Women Collection
Council was 1976 to promote education for women, and research on women's needs. The collection includes correspondence, minutes, position papers, financial statements, grant proposals, publications, newspaper clippings, photographs, and audiotapes related to the council's work. Such topics as abortion, child development, conjual violence, and economic development are covered.

Human Economic Appalachian Development Corporation Collection
Organized as a coalition of church-related self-help groups in central Kentucky in 1974, the corporation's goal was to reverse poverty and outmigration from the region by promoting community-based economic and housing development. Papers reflect activities from 1974-79 and include charter of incorporation, by-laws, newsletters, and photographs.

Jonesboro Woman's Christian Temperance Union Collection
Consists of a ledger containing the group's minutes (1895-99) and newspaper clippings.

Model Valley Economic Development Corporation Collection
Organized in 1970, the non profit corporation sought to improve economic conditions and promote social services in the Clear Fork valley of Tennessee Materials include organizational documents, newspaper clippings, other printed matter, and photographs.

David Morris Collection
Contains correspondence, memoranda, notes, publications, posters, and pamphlets describing protest movements in the United States, South America, and Europe during the 1960's. Especially examined are the American Civil rights movement and the Vietnam War protest. Some materials relate to the South and Appalachia.

Jeanne M. Rasmussen Collection
Includes Rasmussen's photographs and essays on the coal mining industry, the United Mine Workers of America, and the economic and social conditions of those living the coal camps of Appalachia.

June M. Rostan Papers
Contains correspondence, recordings, photographs, scrapbooks, and other material documenting Rostan's involvement with Coal Employment Project, other grassroots organizations, and her union organizing activities.

Southern Empowerment Project Records
Includes documentation on the activities of Southern Empowerment, an organization made up of regional self-help groups, among them the Community Farm Alliance, Charlotte Organizing Committee, and Save our Cumberland Mountains.

Tennessee Against Chemical Hazards
Consists of subject and geographical files of the non-profit organization concerned with chemical hazards in the environment. Topics covered include the Clinch River Breeder Reactor, Bumpass Cove waste disposal, and the Sullivan County Concerned Citizens group.

Urban Appalachian Council Collection
Formed in 1974, the council sought to increase programs for Appalachian migrants, especially in Cincinnati. Materials include publications, reports, and other printed matter related to issues involving migrants from Appalachia living in urban settings.

Appalachian Publications Vertical Files

Includes issues of Southern Exposure and Highlander Reports

Appalachian Vertical Files

Included are the following topics:

University Publications Vertical Files

Now & Then Magazine includes "Activism in Appalachia" (Fall 1990) and"Family and Community in Appalachia" (Summer 1991).

Suggested Reading from Special Collections

The following is a list of selected titles relating to activism and activist organizations. For a more complete listing, please consult Sherrod Library Online Catalog.

Caudill, Harry M. My land is Dying. 1971. TN291.C37

Drumright, William. "The Appalachian in Their Minds: The Highlander Research and Education Center and the Congress of Appalachian Development, 1962-1982." M.A. Thesis, East Tennessee State University, 1996. LC5301.M65 D78 1996

Fisher, Stephen L., ed. Fighting Back in Appalachia: Traditions of Resistance and Change. 1993. HN79.A127 F54

Gaventa, John. Power and Powerlessness: Quiescence and Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley. 1980. HC107.A127 G38

Gaventa, John, Barbara Ellen Smith, and Alex Willingham, eds. Communities in Economic Crisis. HC107.A127 C65 1990

Glen, John M. Highlander, No. Ordinary School, 1932-1962. 1988. LC5301.M65 G55

Glen, Max E. Appalachia in Transition. 1970. HN79.A13 G56

Hinsdale, Mary Ann, Helen Lewis, and S. Maxine Waller. It Comes From the People: Community Development and Local Theology. HN79.V83 C645 1995

Horton Aimee Isgrig. The Highlander Folk School: A History of its' Major Programs, 1932-1961. 1989. LC5301.M65 H67

Horton, Myles. The Long Haul: An Autobiography. 1990 LC5301. M65

Taylor, A. Elizabeth. The Woman Suffrage Movement in Tennessee. 1978. JR1911.T2 T36

Whisnant, David E. Modernizing the Mountaineer: People, Power, and Planning in Appalachia. 1981. HC107.A127W48