“I’m real proud of Stumptown, I know I’m a long way from Stumptown but I can’t forget, that’s my roots. That’s my roots.” – Sophie Dixon, Montford & Stumptown Stories Memory as medicine. The balm of remembering infuses the three new … Continue reading Memory as medicine
Embracing multiple truths is not easy in a culture that prefers binaries, that tends to simplify complex realities into good/bad, right/wrong, etc. Yet multiple truths exist. We find them woven throughout the story of the Montford Park Players and their … Continue reading Shakespeare and Stumptown
Hill Street was a historically Black neighborhood in Asheville. Have you heard of it? Likely not. Its story, like the homes which once stood there, has been lost. It’s a story I’ve been studying deeply, wanting to fill in as … Continue reading What happened to Hill Street?
My everything aches when I remember that, “by 1908, around 86 percent of forested acres in the Southern Appalachian Mountains was classified as recently harvested or in young regrowth stages of development” (Ecoforesters.org). The scope of this extraction astounds. And, … Continue reading Clear cutting and change
The onset of the pandemic and quarantine in 2020 inspired a deeper awareness of my relationship with my neighborhood, leading me to extensively research its history. On the land of the Anigiduwagi (Cherokee) is Asheville’s census tracts 2 and 3, … Continue reading Numbers vs. narratives
A few years ago, our friend Damion “DJ Supaman” Smith called to see if my sweetie Jason Krekel could take some boxes of records that were his father’s, Cleo “Mooseman” Shivers. He did not have room in his apartment, and … Continue reading Mooseman’s Records
When I last wrote, it was wonderings on water. Today, I am examining earth; specifically the patch of soil upon which I live. The rooted love I feel here. My spirit holds so many stories of this place, stories I’ve … Continue reading Montford & Stumptown Stories
This year I’ve spent a lot of time walking around my neighborhood crying. The more I research the history of the place where I live, the more pain and loss I uncover. Processing that pain has become a central part … Continue reading Grief and gratitude
Gratitude to those who are organizing these essential opportunities for remembrance. They are critical to creating a community where such violence and exploitation is impossible. Buncombe Community Remembrance Project Markers Installation “In order to move forward, we have to confront … Continue reading Remembrance, remembrance, remembrance
In 1998, I made a decision that would greatly shape my life – I bought a small bungalow in the Montford neighborhood. Fast forward to 2021 where I am writing this in that same house, my home for literally half … Continue reading History, accountability, and home
Ami Worthen 