MOVING FORWARD WITH THE PAST
In the early days of the Tennessee Valley Project (TVA), a dilapidated log homestead had to be abandoned to make room for a lake behind the dam. A new home on the hillside had already been erected for the cabin’s poor Appalachian family, but they refused to move into their beautiful new split-level ranch (“splanch,” as they called it). The day of the flooding arrived, but still the family refused to move. As the bulldozers were brought in, the Appalachian family brought out their shotguns. No amount of legal brandishings or bulldozer menacings would budge this family from their cabin. Then someone from the TVA decided to try one last-ditch effort to end the stalemate. They called in a social worker to talk with the family and find out what their problem was. “We ain’t goin’ anywhere,” the family announced to the social worker. “Nobody can make us. We’re not budging no matter how many threats you make or…
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