The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Enter our Valentine Contest




Go to our Facebook page for announcements and pictures posted after each event, www.facebook.com/pages/ Hemphill-Community-Center.

On Feb. 6 we will announce the winner of our Valentine Contest. To enter our contest go to:

(1) www.facebook.com/ Hemphillblacksheep

(2) Scroll down to find the contest

(3) Like the post

(4) Share with three Facebook friends

The winner will enjoy dinner for two. A pizza, two salads, two drinks, and dessert.

I was honored to accompany Quintessa Peak of Fleming Neon, Kimberly Williams of Jenkins, and Ben Fink of Hartford, Conn., to Beaufort S.C. from Thursday through Sunday for a dialogue about racial tensions and prejudice. The project is called Bridge4Unity and is an effort to bridge the racial polarities in our society. It was hard work with hard questions that needed to be addressed. There was lots of time for sharing in this group made up of folks from many racial and ethnic backgrounds. In the end the concerns of each respective group were common.

It all boiled down to questions of “How do we provide for those we love and take care of the young and the aged?” “How do we make sure our children have access to education?” “How do we stop the theft of cultural assets such as our food, our music, and our traditions for the profit of outsiders with capital to create profits from the exploitation?” As well, there are, within our own culture, those with money and power who steal ideas and take away resources from places right here that operate from a place of scarcity.

Case in point: Hemphill Community Center. We strive not to step on the toes of others doing things to raise funds in our area but that is not always reciprocated with those within this county who have the power and connections we do not have to raise huge amounts of money. If you run into me we can discuss these things. It is something akin to “Theft of intellectual property.”

For me it all boils down to an unspoken “class system” where the “haves and the have nots” are never on equal footing for grant funding nor are they on equal footing for anything else. Hemphill folk have always been treated like work horses. When we act out we are chastised. We perceive there are those who think we have no right to raise our eyes to them as we are only the working class and are just supposed to keep our heads down and keep working while they, who perceive themselves the “deserving” in this county, exploit our ideas and capitalize in the form of grants and duplication of services we do and have been offering for a long time. They capitalize, as has always been, on our outreach, our hard work, and even our family recipes. I hereby call you out. You know who you are and so does everyone else. You try every imaginable way to keep us from having a seat at the table to discuss how to rebuild our crumbled economy. Shame on you!

On a lighter note: Those of us who traveled to South Carolina were given a charge for action. We will be holding a series of meetings on racial and class divides in Letcher County. Southeast Community College has graciously offered to host the meetings. Quintessa Peak and Kimberly Williams will be officiating with the help of Nell Fields, Ben Fink, myself, and other community leaders. More on that later . . . dates and times to be announced.

On Friday Feb. 8, bring your loves or come stag to the Honkytonk Valentine Dance. The Country Troubadours have generously waived the cover charge at the door.

The Black Sheep will have the best pizza and cheese sticks, as well as fresh salads, cinnamon rolls, etc. for purchase. Come out for a great time. There is no finer family-oriented atmosphere anywhere and no finer band than this one.

You have an open invitation to come and hang out with us at the Center when you can. We have Wifi now so kids and adults are better satisfied not being cut off from their electronic devices. We also have a playground and a walking track so bring the whole family for a visit.

It’s a hate free zone and you are invited! Come and linger among friends!

Weekly quote: “Again we have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that Capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifice. The fact is that Capitalism was built on the exploitation and suffering of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor — both black and white, both here and abroad.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Schedule of Events:

Jan 30: Bakery open 4:30 – 9 p.m.

Jan. 31: Bakery open 4:30 – 9 p.m.

Feb. 1: Bakery open 4:30-9 p.m., and Friday Nite Pickin’ w. Will Caudill and Rt. 7

Feb. 5: Senior Fellowship 10 a.m., and John Ng’s Martial Arts 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 6: Bakery open 4:30 – 9 p.m.

Feb. 7: Bakery open 4:30 – 9 p.m., and Drum Circle 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Feb. 8: Bakery open 4:30 – 9 p.m., and Friday Nite Pickin’ Honkytonk Valentine Dance with The Country Troubadours 7:30 p.m., no cover charge. Friday Nite Pickin’: Children get in free when accompanied by an adult. Open mic at intermission. Family friendly environment. Inclement weather policy: Check our Facebook page for cancellations. Cancellations will be posted at least two hours before any scheduled events.

For more information on events and catering: (606) 671-7023, (606) 821-8723.

Hemphill Community Center is located at the old Hemphill Grade School building at 2514 Hwy. 317, Jackhorn, KY 41825.

Friday Nite Pickin’: Children get in free when accompanied by an adult. Open mic at intermission. Family friendly environment. Inclement weather policy: Check our Facebook page for cancellations. Cancellations will be posted at least two hours before any scheduled events.

For more info on events and catering: (606) 671-7023, (606) 821-8723.

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:21-23

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