* I went to Powell Valley High School until it was consolidated with Appalachia High School during my sophomore year. Like in a lot of communities in Appalachia, Powell Valley’s high school building was old and needed repair. There wasn’t enough money to build a new one, so they merged the two high schools to save money.
It was a huge change for our community and meant a longer drive for many students. My mom grew up here. The Mitchell family actually goes back eight generations here in Big Stone Gap.
Some of my aunts and uncles relocated to Maryland, Detroit, and Atlanta, but my mom stayed here. My dad is from Birmingham, Alabama, and they met during their first year at Berea College, in Kentucky. When they got married, they came back here.
I think it was a lot for my dad, moving to a place like this, after being at a college that was focused on social justice and in an atmosphere that was welcoming. My mom’s family is here, but in Birmingham my dad grew up around a lot more Black folks. He never did like it in Big Stone Gap.
It was a culture shock to him living in a town of mostly white people. When Wallens Ridge State Prison opened, my dad got a job there, but he was the only Black prison guard. The corrections officers were known to be awful to the prisoners, and my dad couldn’t do much about it as a Black person.
It’s not something he talked about much, but prisoners were beaten, and it was not good. It was a struggle for him, being a young Black man working in.
