Rural America Exhibit in Alden library through March 10, 2017.
by Mercedes Lewis ’19
The Wealth and Poverty Theme’s Rural America exhibition, curated by Araba Dawson-Andoh, Africana Librarian, and Dr. Rachel Terman, Assistant Professor of Sociology, is located on the fourth floor of Alden Library. It features multiple different items that focus on the past and present of Rural America.
These items show the history of rural America and how society in these areas has changed over time, especially regarding what is talked about and reported about. Those factors come into play when looking at what was affecting, and at times, harming big portions of America.
An interesting category of items are the newspaper articles, including some featuring race discrimination in 1974 and others about the rise of painkiller overdoses that resulted in women’s deaths in 2013. Both of these topics are very relatable to people in today’s society.
Many people are at the receiving end of discrimination, but seeing these newspaper clippings gives perspective to being a black farmer in the 1970s and what that meant when it came to their place in rural areas. Many times, it meant not being able to make a living.
The second group of clippings regarding painkillers is something that many families struggle with, making it relatable not only because of the time, which is not far in the past, but also because it hits close to home for many.
Both of these topics can easily be researched in more depth, but this exhibit gives a quick glimpse into the history and the issues in rural areas.
Although the newspaper clippings were just what captured my interest in the exhibit, there are multiple other items that can hold your attention.
There are maps and graphs that go into detail about what areas constitute the Appalachian region, books that go into gender and class and how it affects rural spaces, as well as what kind of people are living in these areas and how they are being affected by rural life.
This exhibit runs until March 10, and I highly recommend that everyone who has an interest in history of rural areas and how they’re affected today make time to visit Alden.
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