“…the way we move through time is by an accumulation of unexpected turns.” ~ Rivka Galchen
You first met my friend Bonita Parsons in 2013 when she brought her amazing newspaper sculptures to the DeLancy Park Pickin in the Park series. I ran into her today at the Appalachian Studies conference because her incredibly smart, compassionate daughter, Misty Skaggs, was on two panels about disaster relief. Misty is the mastermind behind East Kentucky Mutual Aid, a network of people in Eastern Kentucky who mean to help one another and anybody else that needs it. “Mutual aid is an idea and practice that is based on the principles of direct action, cooperation, mutual understanding, and solidarity. Mutual aid is not charity, but the building and continuing of new social relations where people give what they can and get what they need, outside of unjust systems of power.” EKY Mutual Aid raised and distributed over 75K just for the flood 2022 victims. They’re a perfect example of why giving locally will really impact the people who need it most rather than giving to large national charities with extreme overhead. Not every place has a mutual aid organization, but I know many people are grateful that EKY has one, and everybody is grateful to Misty for having the smarts and heart to make it work. She is a firey speaker and fierce advocate for Appalachia. Bonita is so proud of her, and so am I. It was so great to catch up with Bonita and hear Misty talk some truth. Sat made.
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