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By Madelin Shelton
Placed among the rolling hills of rural Owenton, Kentucky sits my family’s farm. Having lived there since I was born, my childhood was filled with activities typical of many country girls: splashing in the creek, going fishing, climbing trees, riding four wheelers, and galloping on horseback. The community I grew up in can be described in many ways: humble, small, conservative, supportive, traditional, and tight knit. One characteristic it does not possess is being “backward.”
Placed among the rolling hills of rural Owenton, Kentucky sits my family’s farm. Having lived there since I was born, my childhood was filled with activities typical of many country girls: splashing in the creek, going fishing, climbing trees, riding four wheelers, and galloping on horseback. The community I grew up in can be described in many ways: humble, small, conservative, supportive, traditional, and tight knit. One characteristic it does not possess is being “backward.”
Being thrust from a rural Kentucky town to the biggest city in the state brought with it many changes. Most became easier to deal with, such as heavier traffic, the loud noise, and being away from my family. One change that I will never get used to, that will always hit me in the stomach with the familiar pang of anger and frustration, is when my fellow Kentuckians describe rural Kentucky as “backward.”
City life is undoubtedly different than country life. In a small town, there is typically less opportunity, less diversity, and less resources. There is no shame in acknowledging this, however, what is shameful is degrading entire groups of people based on their geographical location and coinciding culture. And I am tired of it. I am tired of having to defend small town values. I am tired of the dismissiveness with which people talk about rural Kentucky. I am tired of self-righteous professors, who are placed in incredibly privileged positions, describing towns like mine as “backward.” To this I say, we are not backward.
We are not backward because we attend church on Sundays. We are not backward because we lack racial and ethnic diversity. We are not backward because we are traditional. We are not backward because our way of life differs from those in more metropolitan areas. We are not backward because we value close community.
While I love the city of Louisville, my hometown provided me with a support system that one cannot quite replicate in a more populous area. My family and I have faced our fair share of difficulty. In each circumstance, without fail, my small-town community helped put us back on our feet. When I was 11, my house caught on fire and burned to the ground. Unsurprisingly, news spread incredibly fast around my county. Immediately, neighbors, friends and family arrived on our property. They cried with us. In the following weeks, they clothed us, fed us, and housed us. When we were preparing to move into a temporary home, they cleaned and prepared it for us, taking the burden from our shoulders and placing it on theirs. When my father died in 2018, again, my community helped us carry the burden. Almost everyone knew my father and the Shelton family. As a result, they were able to help and care for us in ways you simply could not have in a city.
In many ways, one could argue that cities are more “advanced” than small towns. There is more industry, better access to education, better access to health care, and more job opportunities. However, this is rarely the fault of the town itself. In the case of Owenton, it has no interstate system, no large companies or businesses, and a very small tourism industry. It has limited ability to prosper in the same way as a metropolis. It is wrong to say that as a result of these and other factors, we are “backward.” Rural Kentucky, and especially eastern Kentucky, has a difficult enough time fighting the stereotypes perpetuated by those outside of the state. The last thing we need is our fellow Kentuckians, especially those chosen to educate students at one of the largest public universities in the state, perpetuating these stereotypes and dismissing an entire culture because it is not similar to theirs.
It is disappointing when I hear professors espousing this kind of rhetoric, especially when the same professors preach the message of tolerance, inclusivity, and sensitivity. This language is isolating and insulting. It is detrimental to helping rural Kentucky areas overcome challenges and negative perceptions. It is also the antithesis to what many universities say they value: it is intolerant, exclusive, insensitive. Whenever someone begins on this tangent, I feel as if I am to be ashamed: as if my town is not good enough, or developed enough, or educated enough. And to this I say, enough.
My hometown has created a culture of community, resilience, hard work, compassion, and helping one’s number. It has not instilled in me a culture of “backwardness.” All types of prejudice are now looked down upon and condemned, such as prejudice against racial minorities and different religious groups, and this condemnation is absolutely justified. Prejudice against those from rural backgrounds should be condemned all the same.
Madelin Shelton, of Owenton, Ky., is a member of the McConnell Scholar Class of 2022. She is studying political science, communications and Spanish at the University of Louisville.