For more than two centuries, Black families have lived, worked, and built community across Appalachia, forming an essential part of the region’s cultural and historical foundation. Their stories are not footnotes. They are central to understanding the Mountain South. Through his work with Black In Appalachia, William Isom III has dedicated himself to making those histories visible and understood as an essential part of the region’s past and present.

Isom’s journey began with his own family. “My family has been [in Appalachia] for a little over 200 years, maybe 260 years. Both free and enslaved,” he explained. Yet he quickly discovered that this long legacy was absent from local archives. Curiosity became motivation as he turned to genealogy, studying old photographs, oral histories, and public records.  

“People often assume that because of the legacy of slavery, there isn’t much history to find,” he said. “But I think folks would be surprised how much is out there if you look.”  

As Isom’s research broadened, individual narratives intertwined with broader community histories. Family names connected to schools, churches, migration routes, labor systems, and long‑standing traditions. By pairing archival research with community knowledge, Isom revealed a region defined not by a single story, but by many overlapping ones that challenged simplified assumptions about the Appalachian region and the people who call it home.  

This expanding work led to the creation of Black In Appalachia, an organization dedicated to documenting, preserving, and celebrating the lives and contributions of African-Americans in the development of the Mountain South and its culture. The nonprofit serves Appalachian residents and families with roots in the region through collaboration with public media, local residents, universities, libraries, and archives.  

“There were boxes of community history sitting in basements, including funeral programs, photos, yearbooks, newspaper clippings,” Isom said. “We realized this work needed infrastructure, care, and sustainability. That’s what Black In Appalachia has become: a way to preserve, validate, and share histories that have always been here.”

He noted that misconceptions persist, including the belief that Black people were never part of Appalachia or that their experiences are all the same. In reality, Black Appalachian communities are diverse and shaped by a wide range of economic and cultural landscapes.  

“You’ve got Black folks in western North Carolina who’ve lived and worked in tourism-based economies. Where I’m at, what I call the industrialized river valley, it’s agriculture and factories,” he explained. “Then you go just up the road and you’re in what used to be the coal fields of Eastern Kentucky and southwest Virginia which is a whole different economy and a whole different culture.”

Isom emphasized that even within states, communities varied widely. Some centered on logging, others on farming, manufacturing, or mining. “Once people get their heads around the idea that there are Black folks in Appalachia, they also have to understand the diversity of Black Appalachian communities and narratives.” Despite differences in geography or economics, these communities have remained interconnected for generations.

In the end, preserving Black Appalachian history is an act of affirmation. It affirms presence where erasure was once assumed and offers younger generations a sense of belonging rooted in place. By documenting resilience, labor, faith, family, and community, Isom and Black In Appalachia ensure that these histories are recognized as vital threads in the broader Appalachian story.