I should probably become more comfortable with not knowing what to say, because this question is among a number of things encountered in my first day of service that left me unsure of how to proceed. This one came from Carl, a local resident who I met during the course of a project. He is only a few years older than me, and he sees a Harlan that is broken and struggling, and has been for as long as he can remember. His full time job puts him in the minority, but his dark outlook for the area is a little more common. I could see why - in recent years, floods and the decline of the coal industry have led to mass exodus from the area, leaving a fragmented economy and many people stuck at an apparent dead-end.
But I'm not looking back on today and seeing darkness, and instead I've had the opportunity to see Carl's sentiments in a broader context.
Sam is older, a baseball coach and an active community member, among many other things. We met him later on in the day, on the baseball field where he and his former little-league teammates now watch their own kids play. Family connections run deep, and there is a strong feeling that everybody knows everybody, and everybody knows Harlan. Sam shared some of the same unfortunate facts and stories as Carl had observed, but there was a sense that his perspective can see back behind what Harlan is today, and also forward to what it could become. His stories of the population and economic decline shared the same close-to-home sadness as Carl's, but Sam's experience also revealed a hope and faith in the resilience of his home community. It takes a lot to tear apart a community where "you can call up the family down the street and tell them that Junior's outside smoking a cigarette, and then in the same phone call ask for a cup of sugar." Where there are these connections, there is community, and where there is community (and baseball), there is strength.
Finally, we met Matt, whose memory goes farther back than Carl's or Sam's. Like both of them, Matt grew up in Harlan and has either stayed here or returned here. Like both of them, his recounting of the history of the area is full of difficult times and boom times which have settled into today's slump. Like Sam, Matt loves Harlan and coached baseball. In fact, Matt was Sam's coach. Sam encouraged us to be open and aware, and to be prepared to let Harlan surprise us. Hope, pride, resilience, community and history are all deeply connected here. There are a contentedness and joy concentrated among some members of this community that is as inspiring as it is surprising, and I have to work not to take it for granted. The beauty of this mixture, and my goal for the rest of the week, was perhaps best summed up by Matt -
"I love this place, and I hope that you will see why."
In a way, I already do. And I'll also try to take to heart his advice-
"Don't just try to do good, try to do the right thing. No matter what you do, even if it's nothing, there will be consequences. The people who succeed are the ones who take ownership of that."
(The names of characters in this story have been changed because it kind of seemed like a good idea, and also because it makes me feel cool.)
-Chris
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