Global InformationAffrilachia information
Affrilachia is a term that focuses on the cultural contributions of African-American artists, writers, and musicians in the Appalachian region of the United States.[1] The term "Affrilachia" is attributed to Kentucky-based writer Frank X Walker, who began using it in the 1990s as a way to negate the stereotype of Appalachian culture,[1][2] which portrays Appalachians as predominantly white and living in small mountain communities.[3] Walker could be said to have made this word global.[4] The term Affrilachian stands for an African American who is a native or resident in the Appalachian region.[5] Affrilachia is also the title of Walker's 2000 book of poetry, published by Old Cove Press.[6]
Frank X Walker co-founded The Affrilachian Poets and in 2009, created The Affrilachian Journal of Arts and Culture.[5] Frank X Walker is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, currently serving as an associate professor in the UK Department of English.[7] Walker's partnership with the University of Kentucky allowed him to also create and teach an educational program on African-American and Africana studies, which further contributed to and raised awareness of Affrilachian art, culture, and history.[5] The word "Affrilachia" is included in the second edition of the Oxford American Dictionary.[8]
In 2011, Marie T. Cochran created the Affrilachian Artist Project with the goal of building a sustainable collaborative network among the region's artists and community organizers.[2] Today, the project has over 2,000 members and has organized several Affrilachian-themed art exhibitions.
- ^ a b Stasio, Dana Terry, Frank. "Finding Affrilachia". www.wunc.org. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "I Pledge Allegiance to Affrilachia". Rewire.News. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
- ^ "Naming Affrilachia: Toward Rhetorical Ecologies of Identity Performance in Appalachia | enculturation". enculturation.net. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
- ^ "Old Cove Press". Archived from the original on 2017-04-27.
- ^ a b c Spriggs, Bianca. "Frank X Walker: Exemplar of Affrilachia." Appalachian Heritage, vol. 39 no. 4, 2011, p. 21–25. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/aph.2011.0109.
- ^ Walker, Frank X. (2000). Affrilachia. Old Cove Press. ISBN 978-0-9675424-0-9.
- ^ "Behind the Blue: Poet Frank X Walker Reflects on Work as Writer, Professor". UKNow. 2016-10-13. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ Thompson, Aaron. "Stereotypes Of Appalachia Obscure A Diverse Picture". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-03-05.