Christopher Dubon

Abstract:

Although most people are aware that there is poverty internationally, people are unaware that there is a massive poverty issue in the United States. In the region of Appalachia, West Virginia is a state where many people are below the poverty line due to the declining coal industry. West Virginia refuses to diversify their state’s economic production because the coal companies have penetrated West Virginia’s social and cultural identity. As a result of coal becoming obsolete in the United States, there is a pervasive sense of trauma amongst West Virginia’s citizens due to a lack of resources and a population decline.