Remembering Darlene Wilson: teacher, organizer and academic powerhouse of Appalachia

“Women are the place-keepers. Men roam. They want to go hunting and roaming and shooting things. Being one of those place-keepers [is the hardest thing about being an Appalachian woman].”

– Darlene Wilson, College Professor, Founder of Appalnet Listserv; Wise County, Virginia

In honor of Darlene Wilson who passed on July 7th,  Appalshop remembers her contributions as the “web-spinning granny” of the mountains, Wise, VA native, Appalachian academic and organizer, and deeply influential to the work of fighting for Appalachia tooth and nail. 

An early advocate of digital literacy and activism, Darlene Wilson founded an online listserv community called Appalnet, one of the first digital organizing tools used to connect Appalachian authors, academics, organizers, and community members to one another. The community is still active and vibrant to this day, showing the powerful legacy of Darlene's work. 

Darlene was beloved by many and was a formidable voice speaking loudly about Appalachia’s strengths and problems and the importance of listening to Appalachian women. 

In an interview with Humans of Central Appalachia in 2016, Darlene said of Appalnet “it’s the longest running listserv in the country of and about, Appalachia. It was created by a woman, and still maintained by mostly women, with the exception of Roy Silver. We have approximately just fewer than 600 subscribers. These are academic professionals, historians, artists, anthropologists, sociologists…you name it, and we’ve got a few of everything.” 

As a professor and academic, Darlene taught Appalachian history and spent much of her time documenting and educating others about the often overlooked experiences of Appalachian women.

Darlene’s impact on us all is wide and deep and perhaps silent in many ways, but it can be safely said that much of the work that we and our partners do is made possible by Darlene’s grit and determination throughout her life. 

Thank you, Darlene. You will be sorely missed, but may your memory guide us all. 

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Photo courtesy of Humans of Central Appalachia. You can read the full interview with Darlene by clicking here.