Weaving Social Change: Berea College, Fireside Industries and Reform in Appalachia
Sarah Stopenhagen Broomfield
The Appalachian subculture of America is well known for its tradition of handcrafts. Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, U. S. has played a seminal role in promoting that tradition throughout its 150- year history. This study looks at the first five decades of Berea College's renowned handweaving program, the beginning of what is know today as their Student Craft Program. It explores the connection between Berea College alumnae and the settlement school movement that promoted social change in Appalachia, specifically the contribution of Berea College's Appalachian Crafts Revival to reform in Appalachia. The focus of this paper will be on documenting the involvement of Berea College alumnae who returned to work and teach in the mountain settlement schools and on the social change initiatives that the settlement schools implemented in the Appalachian communities they served. The aspects of marketing hand-woven textiles and other crafts that were predominately produced by women from the southern highlands, and Berea College's commitment to this economic development project is a major focus of this research. The story of Fireside Industries of Berea College shares a place in history with today's Fair Trade movement for marketing traditional indigenous world crafts in ways that bring economic justice to communities in need around the globe.