They say a woman’s work is never done – they – in fact say a lot of things about women . Today on Radio-Gram - stories about women – women who are doing what needs to be done, in their communities and in their families. We’ll have those stories and more, after the Regional Roundup and the Coal Report.

There are many notable women activists and organizers in the history of Appalachia, but there are also many unsung women - who are making a difference every day in their communities. Community Correspondent, Alison Lehner has this profile of two of those women, Nell Fields and Edna Gulley.

Central Appalachia holds a great many women who are movers and shakers in their communities. Well-known activists Anne Barton, “Mother Jones”, Aunt Molly Jackson, and Ollie “Widow” Combs, have gone down in history as progressive women who have achieved great things for their communities and the region as a whole. These women, active in the mid 20th Century paved the way for Appalachian women to take the lead in all aspects of community, social, and political activism.
But not all women are written about or even noted for their contributions. Some women make progressive things happen on an everyday scale, and they may not even realize it themselves. It is this type of woman that has influenced Nell Fields of Cowan Community Center and Edna Gully of Appalachian Women’s Alliance to take on their positions as full time community workers.
Nell Fields has been doing community work in the Cowan Community of Letcher County since she was 16 years old. Her work began with a Neighborhood Youth Corps teen position that was intended to get young people active in their communities. Now she helps run and facilitate the various programs for children at the Cowan Community Center. When asked what influenced her to take a leadership role in her community, she talked about the various women who have been role models in her life:
For Nell, getting things done in the community has little to do with being a man or a woman. Even when I asked her if she has had unique struggles as an active woman in the community, her response did not focus on the particular situation of her gender. Instead, it’s the sense of obligation to pay attention to the needs of those around her that drives Nell and the women she has worked with to overcome the obstacles that they encounter in their work.
Nell hopes to pass the torch on to the young women of Cowan. She does this by letting other women figure out how they too can take action as individuals.
Edna Gully, another community activist, now runs the Appalachian Women’s Alliance Center in Clinchco, VA which serves as a support center for the women of Clinchco. They hold computer classes, writing workshops, make murals and t-shirts, as well as organize and encourage women to grow as leaders in the community.
Like Nell, Edna also finds that being a community activist has affected her personally in a way that continually draws her into her work.
However, Edna had a different path towards her work within the community. Born and raised in Dickenson County, VA, Edna has seen her share of discouraged women. I asked her if this sentiment has something to do with false perceptions and stereotypes of Appalachian women.
But Edna’s mother was influential in turning this way of thinking around, particularly in terms of being an activist for other women who may struggle to have a voice in the community.
Edna also works as an activist for her community while performing in Mountain Women Rising, an original theater piece made up of poems and writing by Central Appalachian women.
Edna and Nell were both surprised when I wanted to categorize them along with the great women activists of Central Appalachia.
These are just two of many women who put their hearts and strength into listening to and taking action to helping the people of their communities. Through women like them we are reminded of the power and influence of Central Appalachian women: the ones that have come before and the ones in our present who carry on the tradition of activism and support in their communities.

A growing number of grandparents nationwide are raising their grandchildren. In Kentucky the rate is above the national average. Debbie Baker has the story of one grandmother she knows.

Thanks for joining us for Radio-Gram. Todays Radio-Gram was produced by Mia Frederick with help from Pam Shingler, Rich Kirby, Alison Lehner, and Debbie Baker. As always you can hear this Radio-Gram and past shows on our website wmmtfm.org. And we want to hear from you – you can email us at radiogram.wmmt@gmail.com, or you can call us at 606 633-1208, and I dare you to write us a letter which you would then mail to Radio-Gram in care of WMMT at 91 Madison Ave, Whitesburg, KY 41858. We’ll be back next week with a new Radio-Gram, right here on the little giant in the mountains, WMMT - mountain community radio.