The Rural Red (Republican Party) has been plaguing the Democratic Party for decades now.

I have heard from many people that they would move into rural areas if they weren’t so Red. But they don’t become Blue unless we move there and turn them Blue. Nobody wants to be the first one into a racist conservative area. There are other liberals here, but I’m declaring my home and my property as ground zero for the Rural Revolution. This is Towns County, GA, on the border with North Carolina. My property is south of Hiawassee. We’re going to take it from the 3^rd most Republican district in the country to a Democratic district. I haven’t met up with the Democratic Party here, but I plan to do so.

Scott and Doug at Down the Road Tree Service (they happen to actually be down the road from me), were taking down a few diseased and lightning struck trees on our property, I asked them about racism. Scott said he didn’t think it was as bad as many think. He said he had served in the military and lived in the barrio, and knew that the confederate flag was offensive to Black people, but they weren’t sure why. Of course, that’s Scott’s perspective as a white man. And we all know that proximity to the global majority does not mean you are an anti-racist. Scott rattled off the names of several of his Black friends and said they’ve never mentioned a problem. If Scott’s friends feel like commenting, I’d appreciate it, but as a white woman, I’m certainly not asking black me to do labor without pay. Until people of the global majority visit here we won’t know for sure. And if I’m wrong, I’m putting their safety on the line.

What I’m going to do is talk to business owner in the area and ask how they feel about people of the global majority, and people with disabilities, then find out if they would be willing to train their staff on how to appropriately react to racism in their establishments. I also want to determine how handicapped accessible they are. There are some great Mexican restaurants here, Mixt in Murphy, and Anejo in Hayesville. My family visited why they were her and they’re from Austin and Ciudad de Mexico so they know what they’re talking about. The Copper Door is a splurgy restaurant we’ve been going to for years; they’re just over the border in Hayesville, NC. We just in the last few years got pizza delivery to our house. Now Marco’s delivers and we like their pizza. Before that we would meet them at the Enotah church parking lot to exchange pizza for a signature in what I’m sure looked like a drug deal.

Now here is where I need my community to give advice. This is essentially a plan for gentrification. I’ve been trying to think of ways to mitigate this effect. Brasstown, NC is home to the John C Campbell Folk School designed to teach about Appalachian Folk Ways. Their classes are 25% off for residents of the area.

I’ve also considered how we might honor the Cherokee, who lived on this land prior to the Trail of Tears. This is the area from which Cherokee people were force marched West in 1831. We should always honor that horrific time. I’m going to contact the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina, and refer to Academic Aunty and DiamondDog, both of whom I follow. They are experts on Indigenous issues and no doubt would give good advice on Land Back and other ways to honor the Cherokee.

This is ground zero for the Rural Revolution. Come join me!