Interview with Loyal Jones, March 15, 1991

Interview Summary

This is a second interview with Loyal Jones, a native of North Carolina, who worked with the Council of the Southern Mountains. At the time of this interview, Jones was the director of the Appalachian Center at Berea College. Jones discusses the activities of the Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM) and the evolution of the Appalachian Volunteers (AVs). After the announcement of the War on Poverty, Jones remembers that the CSM recognized the chance to expand their activities in the area using Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) funds. The Council was granted federal money and began conducting "Community Action Workshops" with Berea College. Jones describes these workshops as training community leaders, or Community Action Technicians (CATs), who were to go to various communities, help them organize, and apply for governmental funding to start their own programs.

Jones also describes the Appalachian Talent Bank, another CSM effort. This bank attempted to place people who wanted to work in the mountains in touch with those who had specific needs. Jones states that the talent bank did not receive enough recognition to warrant further funding. However, Jones explains that federal funding did allow the CSM to get involved in low cost housing, health education, and editing and publishing. He describes their most significant undertaking as the editing and publishing of Jack Weller's Yesterday's People. The Council was also able to open branches in Cincinnati and Chicago to aid eastern Kentuckians who had moved to these cities. Jones describes the Appalachian Volunteers and expresses sympathy with their cause. He maintains that the AVs were doing what they believed was right, and that AV activities did benefit the mountaineers because the local people were more willing to take action on their own.

Interview Keyword

anti-poverty organizations War On Poverty

Interview LC Subject

Appalachian Region Appalachian Region--Economic conditions Economic assistance Jones, Loyal, 1928- Jones, Loyal, 1928- --Interviews

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.