Appalachian African American Cultural Center
Pennington Gap, VA
Ron Carson, together with his late wife Jill Carson, founded the Appalachian African American Cultural Center (AAACC) in his hometown of Pennington Gap, VA, in 1987. The mission of the AAACC is to collect narratives, artifacts, and ephemera of African American life in Appalachia, and in doing so, preserve the history, heritage, and culture of Black people in far Southwest Virginia and the broader Appalachian region.
The Center is a one-room schoolhouse that served as Lee County’s only primary school for Black children from 1940 until 1965, when its doors were shuttered following state-mandated desegregation and consolidation. Rachel Scott, Ron’s great-great grandmother, provided the land and funding to Lee County to build the school in 1939, and Ron’s mother was among the first students in the building, while Ron himself was in the last group before integration in 1965. When Ron and Jill returned to Pennington Gap 1986, Lee County was planning to demolish the school and auction the land. Determined to save it, the Carsons sought legal assistance from the NAACP in Bristol and secured ownership from the county.
For more than thirty-five years, the Carsons have used the AAACC to preserve and celebrate Black history and heritage in Appalachia, hosting annual events like the 8th of August Celebration (Appalachia’s Juneteenth) in addition to anti-racism workshops. Ron told The Appalachian Voice in 2019: “We’re trying to heal the world, to get people to talk about [racism]. Because if you don’t reveal, you can’t heal.”
Ron is also a lifelong advocate for coal miners, and has been recognized by Congress for his work. He began the black lung treatment program at Stone Mountain Health Services in Southwest Virginia and is the owner and CEO of Carson Black Lung Education and Research Centers in VA and KY. He served as vice chair for the 400 Years of African-American History Commission. Jill was the first Black woman to serve on Pennington Gap town council, and was appointed vice mayor in 2019. She passed away in January, 2023, at the age of 77 and is dearly missed.
The AAACC received a Cultural Caretakers Grant in April 2023 from the Greater Bristol Folk Arts & Culture Team, supported by Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Traditions initiative. Meet Ron and learn about the Center in the Appalachian Traditions tent Saturday, October 14 and Sunday, October 15.
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