Mountain News & World Report; Segments on Health Care and Black Poets

Health care reform is making headlines these days. One need only pick up a daily newspaper anywhere in the country to read the views of Hillary and Bill Clinton on the matter. Commentators in Kentucky are coolly debating the virtues of single payer systems and managed competition. But over a quarter of a century ago poor people in Floyd County Kentucky were picketing public officials demanding that health care be recognized as a right not a privilege. And millions of war on poverty dollars were at stake. Maxine Kenney has the story. In the late 1960s a group of poor people organized in Floyd County Kentucky inspired by the civil rights movement and angered by a war on poverty program which was directing money to local politicians. The new group called itself the eastern Kentucky Welfare Rights Organization or ex-pro acro fought for the right to survive with dignity in the mountains where coal was king. And poor people were the serfs by the early 1970s the organization embraced the buzzwords of the poverty program. Community control and tried to put that concept into action. They insisted that health care was a right not a

privilege and that poor people should control the federal money that was flooding into eastern Kentucky for health care. Aircrew was an organization of poor people many of them disabled coal miners but the leadership was decidedly female. And it was a welfare mother a hall who emerged as the group's charismatic spokeswoman and fearless leader. She led a movement to establish the Mud Creek clinic and challenge longtime congressman Carly Perkins and the federal government to bypass the county officials and channel poverty funds directly to Mud Creek a poverty stricken community of narrow twisting roads leading to small truck mines and deserted coal tipples. The federal government refused in response ecru appealed to the outside world for help to start their clinic. Today the Mud Creek clinic not only survives it is nationally recognized for quality care and for the fact that it serves everyone even those who cannot afford to pay. Congressman Perkins eventually became a believer. And

last year the Mud Creek clinic celebrated its 20th anniversary. Eula Hall continues to work as the director of the clinic social services program. Am I why you never take much out here on Times. No matter you could never get a card to this woman this is not his manners and you have to go places you thank you couldn't pick up a sick person. And now that no children his dad just married a mom to be a make that would like a John and three aboard ice the branch that every time they could they just didn't have the money to get a girl made with good with the home with them and want them back. Say that with the neighbors or just come in and ask for the papers. Oh my God this is ridiculous that people could make the base pay

bomber to serve for the length of our goods ever again. The brass is getting plenty of really. Played a great. Trick. That's right a basic. Right. Thank you. Has been one of the most dedicated people ever in on to try to stay on the job than birthing services in this country you know when the clinic

burned down here a year or so ago. If you was not a person with much trauma the first time your health services you're in Mud Creek. Would all be over when you were not alerted him or else service. But she had to draw in the know on wage dedicated. Everybody should receive health services and stayed on the job and did not surrender to anybody. She has done so much for this country. And we will work together in the future we'll over work to bring the good people in this field. Thank you. In the 60s we organized a will for rights organization. We knew there were a lot of people don't like US War on Poverty was a boom and they gave before Candy among. A million. Dollars a year for health care for the indigent people.

South wonder patients in order to get treatment you go to this outpost they take you name they put you model vehicles and how you to one of the local physicians and they'd line you have baby Allana put in Amanda the cheese distributor and prices and I they have food stamp office I'd line Yep and you'd be land at prep to that war you know to try to get into a doctor and you can imagine how much help cure you got. We started document now the problems with this federally funded program. And it was not reaching the people's need you know. So we finally got the office of the friars to listen to us and I defended approach. But we organized our own board right around application and tried to get refunded with the money they had been funding from this aren't what they do they want to give it gas and that's when we had to go on or we decide would do something our own and it's one which damaged my prick. Now he is one of the people that want him to meet me I'm a real

strong very outspoken a man if you made an alien. Who didn't have a car and didn't have money to our people today you just had to say you know when we were done. So I started with paperwork organize your way over a rock group. We actually made up and I have written just ever were different but I didn't you know meet up with different we don't know what we're going to do and what we need is really what we need. We painted the floor get a comprehensive health care program that was not meeting the needs of the people. We created our way out posters and I tried to run I worked with them with the rank I was they were Bradman and yeah I did make it into May and I do you know we have it. All right it's going to be the pay for play actor was a different kind of poor people is a different kind of organization of poor

people it was an organization of poor people which is different. They felt that their problems had attracted federal monies to the county and they wanted a hand in devising solutions with that money to their own problem and it really my big difference in eastern Kentucky the referendum tension really did the most quickly when Martin ran out on Welfare Rights Organization that you don't mind if you're not you know you don't have you won't sign a pledge time and they just flat tell you don't call it that and I don't ask you you name it how do you want what you did that you say you didn't grow up. Well a lot of people don't know any better when you do just come back home so that and so you think well. Same way but mostly they got there. I just signed them where they sat in the place they got there you know but you can't just sign there's no my if you get on Will far.

I do say if you would have to do it they played politics with. It in my DNA. John and their team kids a star peace effort. And I actually wrote a lot of disease in our community. Dr. George Archer. He was a mere Furstenberg at the time. And he would always say the M.D. after his name stood for mean Democrat and he was really involved in politics right. The whole medical system. He and some other doctors ran in the county. And. They just had a tight control of it from a comprehensive health program came in they saw that they had control of it. They didn't run very many new doctors unlike. Like supposed to just bring all the people under them. But the role of the doctor was very prominent in politics. I guess that's true. Yeah especially here. Yeah. Later get married I want Politics Nation and don't you know ever since my child. And they want to do this

news us you know it's poor people to make us new as they say do. Actually say they want a man who does the world. Know if you get in there I am sure they could do. A good live good ride good. And sit back and I could Niger cater to them a college or nothing. But their kids could. Which we will make our life a lot of people around this country want God. But they're good enough that they could make a stay if they couldn't get to save it. You see it just like that more minor got killed on the whole my 19 years old. And my aunt Jane. Said Minette. He was going to go to college he went to Bible John. I'm going to play for broke. And I couldn't come on the line he said that I will go for you after marking their way with you and you have. An agent how this will work in the mines and he works here or something then go. Back into the new year and to move. On you're. A good little guy but you know.

I was originally held in my son. We had seen the enemy early but not stage occasion. You know my staff today with all of our country. Nation in Turkey Day and the lady. In our constitution. But they didn't know how to go away. There was an fact a great deal of dependence built up around the poverty within the county that because people were poor and people were dependent upon welfare and other government programs. Local officials could benefit by administering those programs in such a way. I think what they they underestimated was the ability of people to organize and preserve and protect the services started with their efforts and in on their behalf for poor people to come to control of their own programs. In fact gave them their own political base to know Manlio will rot. He worked in my mind always we know a 42 year he worked and I.

Never got no social security never got nothing. Taking Saleem about I guess 10 months to live in March to the year he got a letter or so security by moment world said they found him able to work and he wouldn't doubt officials you're. Able Thirdly were. Coming were him not into yours. So we you that letter to read have never meet and other other opaque we know we don't know man right along with us. He stayed westerly that not thank you later to you but not he. But I get it. They'll have one decent meal a day because we don't live out if it wasn't for the determination and and the tenacity Luckily there wouldn't be any health services but it's not only just the whole service going within the clinic but it's the unemployment it's the reduced benefits all of these things in my creek and elsewhere have led to increases in infant mortality increases in hunger

very unhealthy conditions. People get sick from war and about you know I know they call me up and I say you know follows my state car and you know as I stop myself to secure your fate take math and dance. Well added We've had we had four suicide's in one week here. And you know the economy in the flush direction mines and I know you know I don't want to do this Gary. They know they know what your market and their family know why you and I know John but. You don't have to be an expert to see that you don't have to be a brain to know that you should let me rant here. If health care is a right it's still a right to be achieved and Mud Creek represented one step in one model in achieving that right. But more importantly it demonstrated what health care as a right would look like people providing not only health services but with an awareness of the context that promotes the wellbeing of an individual.

It gives us hope that health care as a right is is possible and I would it would make a difference is the personal planes that you know I see that people care and if we can help we always try to do that. And like we have call for you know people want to copy they just going to keep it and get it just you know their home. And they feel that they own part of it which they do and it's there's you know there was a lot of good accomplishments in the 60s and paper right forgot to pick right forgot how they got your back on benefits they forgot about how they got the law made they hain't forgot about how they got better lunches they forgot about have they got a measure of dry you should have seen them they and I know what it was the end I know what it is may have been a lot of battles won by M.. Battles won by the civil rights movement was being pretty much the same thing with the reference on the sash and I was on a good program and worn down. There was a lot of eyes opened and a lot of you know people made aware that you can loosen you know. People used to think there's nothing you can do I just

sit back you know especially women they thought they were just trapped for life and generation after generation just served their purpose and went on there you know but it's there for me and it's about organizing in work. This program was produced by Maxine Kenney. The historic material was drawn from an Apple shop headwaters video Mud Creek clinic produced by Ann Lewis Johnson. The voices you heard in the order of their appearance were Mud Creek clinic director of Social Services EULA hall eastern Kentucky Congressman the late Carl Perkins. Eco activist alley worker and. Professor of Leadership Studies at University of Richmond Virginia. Richard activist Jay Blevins retired coal miner and mountain preacher Jay Lee Hamilton. Vista volunteers Steve Brooks. This program was produced with funding from the Kentucky Humanities Council the Campaign for Human Development and the Commission on religion in Appalachia.

African-Americans are seldom mentioned in discussion about pledging the issues the bluegrass black arts consortium is a group of artist dedicated to ensuring that every American are going through out in Kentucky. Here Tom Henschel talks to the Appalachian poets a group that is part of the bluegrass arts consortium. The EFF are latching poets or circle of writers working to include blacks in the mix of Appalachian writing. They're part of the bluegrass black arts consortium a group of black

artists based in Lexington. Frank X. Walker is a writer and director of the bluegrass black arts consortium specially selected for African American rights organizations to strive really three Saudi private schools. Oh. We have several numbers with those in studio today and several artists visual singing and other art media and we thought about four together and operate just one large part to this. Through collaboration we can keep the arts alive. We're developing a very large productive artist community. My name is Crystal Wilkinson and I'm originally from Casey County Indian Creek Kentucky to be exact. And I was kind of a person that I kind of wrote in the closet and had all of my work piled up and nobody

ever got to hear it and I didn't share it with anyone and then someone introduced me to Frank and he kind of added me so to speak as far as my writing and I've kind of been a ham about it every since have found out that I love people sharing my work and not just writing it and putting it in a corner somewhere so it's kind of done that for me and the reason why I was never in really any other kind of writing group was because being bat black and being from Casey County there was never an avenue where I felt like I fit it in. And when Frank came up with that word after lation I mean that was me that word actually comes from a tidal pool. It was written in response to a point you read in the future. Some of the finest writers in Kentucky. It will tell ahead. James Baker was a lie. To name a few particular reading this. After

sitting there reading and going home and thinking about what I just experienced I realized that the best writing a Kentucky I had the word Appalachian attached to it. I looked up the dictionary with a definite appellation was. I had to describe it as as white residents of the mountainous regions and Kentucky West Virginia. I used to see this kind of shocking to think that even I became the best I could be I could be an Appalachian writer so I wrote as Paul Callan discuss it I did tell the Paul Findley became F or later it tried to define who I was as a Kentucky resident have been born and raised in Kentucky feeling very much like I should belong here even as a writer should there should be a category for me. You've been defined.

Let's use. Our. Project. For the physical and economic isolation coming. Back to back. This water which

spins his. Spirit insists. Never letting him sleep. She was

pretty quiet weather Burgundy. Ivory silk dresses that. Blacks like tattered Phil Gramm caressing the overalls this man patient is Raine married to the same moment for 67 years the same woman for 67 years 67. And I've looked and waited for an Irish man Mike's name for every Eagle Feather script reading a good book and I decided well we found out to be a lot of family. Countryside. Probably a few people's words. Did we create a safe space.

That's right. My name is Donna Johnson. I work at the right for conversations we have with each other. Let's talk about things to you. And before you know it we'll be reading somewhere and some ideas for this work came out of a conversation me and crystal head. And it's really beautiful because we're like Naturally each other and in a way that we really don't mean to do sometimes directly but I guess it's counted like a healing thing ourselves. Yeah. Artist community. I think that's something that the foundation of all of our creativity that expects us together when we go off and also protect us and create and I just want to be an artist that the flavor repeat itself. Yeah. The foundation has more to do with commercial value because families who raise kids in the ocean where they didn't spare the rod spoil the child. My family's personally played a

significant role with developing the kids as opposed to TV or television. I think all of us are close to our mothers all of us have special relationships either crazy or otherwise with a father that had family members a lot of trauma things happen and all of our lives but I think the bottom line that makes us used to connect with each other is the fact that I value systems. I'm Kelly else you're saying the same value base but we all kind of have our feet. You know one foot in the country and one foot in the city you know I think that's a lot of a cross on our return. It's sort of feel and sometimes like you're lost in these values that you grew up with were nurtured into. Aren't there anymore. And maybe sometimes the old ways are maybe the best ways that a lot of ways you know we're losing communities so fast we don't make

the tiles like we used to. We don't know African proverb that says it takes you know a whole village to raise a child. And we don't do that. Seems to me that those with values and those those kind of communities and communities like this. I think it was somewhat optimistic I think that all the environmental issues that increase every day a lot of people reclaim the land. So part of that reclamation music knowledge those grandparents roots was going back to those communities. It's not just from film but you've taken all the people back I think that's good. I'm not sure what it means but it seems to be part of us. Frank X. Walker Crystal Wilkinson and Kelly Ellis from the Afro-Latin poets group Afro-Latin is an original poem by

Frank Walker. Earth man is by Christa Wilkinson music for this piece was Eva reality and children play with Earth written and performed by Arrested Development. From out NEWS AND WORLD REPORT I'm Tom Hansen.