Cassie Chambers Armstrong (’16), Councilmember for Louisville, KY, penned an opinion for The Washington Post challenging author and Senate candidate J.D. Vance’s forsaking of Appalachia and advocates for elevating authentic voices of the community (“Opinion: When J.D. Vance Called Himself a Hillbilly, It Made Me Mad. Now, I’m Upset That He Stopped.” Nov. 1). “Like so many outsiders before him, Vance extracted the value from the mountains and never repaid the community for the things he took. That makes me angry. Eastern Kentucky is a place that has challenges. Poverty and unemployment are high. Educational and job opportunities are scarce. There are real struggles in the mountains. The least Vance could do is make sure people continue to see them. . . . We need folks to see the hope in the hills and feel inspired to invest in the people there.”