Interview with Joe T. Begley, June 4, 1991

Interview Summary

Joe T. Begley, a grocer, was raised in Floyd County, Kentucky near Prestonsburg. He attended high school but did not graduate. After working for a gas company and at several odd jobs, he continued his education in vocational school. Begley explains that he emphasized the importance of education to his own children, and all four attended college.

Begley and his wife lived in West Virginia until the death of his father-in-law in 1966. They returned to Blackey, Kentucky to run the family general store. Begley soon became involved with the Appalachian Volunteers (AVs) and other community activities including strip mining protests. He explains that his business became a center for political discussion and an informal clearinghouse for information about how to get everything from legal help to medical services. His activities gave him the opportunity to meet many activists including members of the Black Panthers, various Native American tribes, as well as philosophers and scholars like Miles Horton. Begley describes his involvement in stopping the construction of a dam along the north fork of the Kentucky River, and his participation in strip mining protests through the Citizen's League to Protect Surface Rights.

Begley feels that the best work of the Appalachian Volunteers was educating people about their legal rights, and helping them to use the legal system. He recalls going to Washington for committee meetings and visiting Jimmy Carter to testify about local problems. Begley describes the results of the changes brought by the social welfare programs, which began during the War on Poverty. Even at age 72 he was still very concerned about political corruption and the powerlessness of people in the mountains.

Interview Keyword

anti-poverty organizations Appalachian Volunteers Carl Perkins educational background John Rosenberg Lyndon Johnson Miles Horton War On Poverty

Interview LC Subject

Appalachian Region Appalachian Region--Economic conditions Begley, Joe T. Begley, Joe T.--Interviews Economic assistance

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