A Teachers union helps make a difference - McDowell County WV
This video is almost 15 minutes. It is important:
If you take the time to watch it, perhaps you will not need to read the rest of this post.
Last week saw the announcement of an important initiative. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, Senators Manchin and Rockefeller, Randi Weingarten and the AFT and over 40 partners from business, foundations, non-profits and labor announced that they will lead an effort to bring educational improvement and brighter economic prospects to McDowell County, WV, one of the poorest areas in Appalachia.
Yesterday, Laura Clawson had this brief front page story on this initiative. It deserved more attention.
I want to provide some context to the effort.
I have been through McDowell County 6 times in the past 3 Octobers, going to and from volunteering in free dental clinics at a Remote Area Medical - Mission of Mercy event in Grundy Virginia, in Buchanan County Virginia, just across the border. The two places are comparable, and I have written in the past about the poverty in Buchanan County. It is worse in McDowell County.
Please keep reading, so that you will see why this initiative is so important.