Interview with Roy Silver, August 15, 2019

Partial Transcript: This is an oral history interview with Roy Silver. Today is August 15th, 2019.

Segment Synopsis: Silver introduces himself by discussing his education history and teaching career.

Keywords: Education; Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC); Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College (Cumberland, Ky.); Teaching

Subjects: College teachers.; College teaching.; Education, Higher; Education, Higher--Kentucky; Educators; Universities and colleges--Faculty.; Universities and colleges.

Partial Transcript: Would you talk a little bit about, um, rural and urban sociology just to--uh, and, and its--

Segment Synopsis: Silver discusses his opinions on rural and sociology in Kentucky. He also speaks on how he feels like Kentucky encompasses a sense of community.

Keywords: Appalachian Studies Association; Community; Eastern Kentucky; Kentucky; Rural; Rural sociology; Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College (Cumberland, Ky.); Union College; Urban; Urban sociology

Subjects: Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.; Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College

Partial Transcript: Would you mind telling a little bit more about the other--the, um, ways that the community is, is--the other barri--factors that are kind of assaulting the community?

Segment Synopsis: Silver discusses what factors he thinks are causing challenges for the people of Kentucky. He discusses drug abuse in particular.

Keywords: Economy; Kentucky; Opioids; Population declines; Prescription drug abuse; Prescription drugs

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Drug abuse; Drug addiction; Kentucky--Economic conditions; Kentucky--Social conditions; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.

Partial Transcript: Certainly another--an economic factor that's happened is that, you know, if you look at this broad sweep of history starting at the end of World War II to the present, I mention the population decline.

Segment Synopsis: Silver discusses how the mechanization of mines has damaged coal mining jobs.

Keywords: Bankruptcy; Blackjewel coal company; Capitalism; Capitalists; Coal restrictions; Mechanization of mines; Population decline; Protesting; Railroad blockages; Revelation; Strip mining

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Careers.; Coal miners; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Kentucky--Economic conditions; Kentucky--Social conditions; Occupations.; Professions.; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.; Technological innovations

Partial Transcript: Well that's a good segue to the activism question.

Segment Synopsis: In this segment, Silver discusses his involvement in KFTC and activism.

Keywords: Activism; Amend; Broad form deeds; Constitutional amendments; Deep mining; Eastern Kentucky; Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC); Kentucky Fair Tax Coalition; Kentucky Supreme Court; Land ownership; Mineral rights; Save the Homeplace; Strip mining; Taxes; Unmined minerals tax; Western Kentucky

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Coal miners; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Kentucky--Economic conditions; Kentucky--Social conditions; Protest movements; Social movements.; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.

Partial Transcript: The next sort of big thing that we were involved in through--that KFTC played a major role, was, uh, again it sort of, you know, the network connecting, uh, KFTC we had just, uh, at the college we had just opened this building, the Appalachian Center.

Segment Synopsis: Silver discusses his activism to save Black Mountain, and other activism against coal companies.

Keywords: Activism; Appalachia; Black Mountain; Coal; Coal companies; Deep mining; Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC); Mine maps; Mountain top removal; Natural Resources Environmental Cabinet; Rural; Rural education; Strip mining

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Coal miners; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Environmental protection; Environmental protection--Kentucky; Environmentalism.; Kentucky--Social conditions; Protest movements; Social movements.; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.

Partial Transcript: We filed a, uh, what's called a "lands unsuitable for mining petition" which we were allowed to do.

Segment Synopsis: Silver discusses the Lands Unsuitable for Mining petition.

Keywords: Bell County (Ky.); Black Mountain; Endangered species; Fiscal court; Harlan County (Ky.); Historic districts; Kenny Rosenbob; Petitions; State negotiations

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Coal miners; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Environmental protection; Environmental protection--Kentucky; Environmentalism.; Kentucky--Social conditions; Protest movements; Social movements.; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.

Partial Transcript: Uh, I mentioned the, uh, the grade school kids at, uh, Wallins Elementary, Judy Bryson was the teacher there.

Segment Synopsis: Silver reflects on the help KFTC offered to his plight on Black Mountain. He discusses children's assistance in helping Black Mountain.

Keywords: 8th graders; Animals; Black Mountain; Blowback; Blowing up; Children; Class projects; Explosive; False accusations; James Bickford; Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC); Schools; Secretary of Environment; Struggles; Tom Fitzgerald

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Coal miners; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Environmental protection; Environmental protection--Kentucky; Environmentalism.; Kentucky--Social conditions; Protest movements; Social movements.; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.; Youth movements.

Partial Transcript: Later on, the next sort of, uh, big environmental issue was, uh, at, at, at the time, you know--mentioned Robert Gipe who was involved in the early parts of Black Mountain.

Segment Synopsis: In this section, Silver discusses his involvement with the contamination of the water supply at Benham, Kentucky and the big environmental issues that coal companies have brought to the region.

Keywords: 2009 Recession; Benny Massey; Blackjewel coal company; Karl Schupe; Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC); Lands Unsuitable for Mining Petition; Looney Creek; Lynch (Ky.); Pine Mountain Settlement School; Pine Mt. Settlement School; Revelation; U.S. Steel

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Benham (Ky.); Coal miners; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Environmental protection; Environmental protection--Kentucky; Environmentalism.; Kentucky--Social conditions; Protest movements; Social movements.; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.

Partial Transcript: I live in Benham. I used to be chair of the Benham Power Board.

Segment Synopsis: In this section, Silver discusses his involvement with bringing wind power to Benham, Kentucky and complications with Arch Coal over shared space.

Keywords: Arch Coal; Black Mountain; Common territory; Commons; Shared space; Wind power

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Benham (Ky.); Coal miners; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Environmental protection; Environmental protection--Kentucky; Environmentalism.; Kentucky--Social conditions; Land use, Rural--Kentucky; Protest movements; Social movements.; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.

Partial Transcript: Well, one, one question I have is you talked about in the--having--you know, how you kind of approach contentious situations.

Segment Synopsis: In this section, Roy Silver discusses the contentious nature of engaging with coal companies and how to approach them.

Keywords: Berea (Ky.); Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC); Mountain Association for Community and Economic Development (MACED); Solar power

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Benham (Ky.); Coal miners; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky; Environmental protection; Environmental protection--Kentucky; Environmentalism.; Kentucky--Social conditions; Land use, Rural--Kentucky; Protest movements; Social movements.; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.

Partial Transcript: Um, w--uh, w--do you consider yourself an activist?

Segment Synopsis: Silver discusses his approach to activism and how that role is defined by leadership of directly impacted and support of indirectly impacted.

Keywords: 1977 Eastern Kentucky Flood; 1977 Flood; Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC); Toxic ants

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Environmental protection; Environmental protection--Kentucky; Environmentalism.; Kentucky--Social conditions; Protest movements; Social movements.; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.

Partial Transcript: So, I, I was wondering how maybe the activism and soci--uh, scholarship kind of inform each other.

Segment Synopsis: Silver discusses how his activism and scholarship affect one another.

Keywords: Eastern Kentucky; Economic development; Green New Deal; Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC); Participatory Action Research

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; College teachers.; College teaching.; Education, Higher; Education, Higher--Kentucky; Educators; Environmental protection; Environmental protection--Kentucky; Environmentalism.; Kentucky--Social conditions; Protest movements; Social movements.; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.; Universities and colleges--Faculty.; Universities and colleges.

Partial Transcript: Um, what do you feel the most passionate about or the most, um--what is the, um, issue that you feel like...

Segment Synopsis: Silver discusses the most important aspects of his work in activism and the future of Eastern Kentucky.

Keywords: Economic development; Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC); Sustainable community

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Environmental protection; Environmental protection--Kentucky; Environmentalism.; Kentucky--Social conditions; Protest movements; Social movements.; Sociology, Rural.; Sociology.