Down in the valley, up on the ridge
An Appalachian people offers a timely parable of the nuanced history of race in America
HEAD into Sneedville from the Clinch river, turn left at the courthouse and crawl up Newman’s Ridge. Do not be distracted by the driveways meandering into the woods, the views across the Appalachians or the shadows of the birds of prey; heed the warnings locals may have issued about the steepness and the switchbacks. If the pass seems challenging, consider how inaccessible it must have been in the moonshining days before motor cars.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Down in the valley, up on the ridge”
From the August 27th 2016 edition
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