WEST VIRGINIA WONDER WOMEN
“I want girls to shoot for their dreams. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it and try hard enough.” allyssa kern west
about ways we can make a larger impact beyond Matewan, how we can branch out and continue working with people in southern West Virginia communities to make their voices heard.”DL THE PROTECTOR ALLYSSA KERN WEST, VIENNA Patrolman and first female police officer for the Vienna Police Department THE INSPIRATION “My interest in criminal justice stemmed from watching TV shows like Cops . I watched with my grandma, and I knew I wanted to do that. I loved the aspect of never knowing what I was going to walk into. I didn’t want a traditional office job with spreadsheets all day, every day. I wanted to go into work not knowing what life’s going to throw at me. You have to be a fast thinker and a problem solver.” THE MOTIVATION “I wanted to help people. Even if it’s just helping someone carry a bag at the grocery store to their car, I want to help, and I saw being a police officer as a way to help.” GOING FIRST “To be the first female officer at Vienna, it felt good to be able to accomplish something of that nature. I like to be that role model for girls who don’t think they have the confidence to do something, just because no other girls have before. It warmed my heart when someone would want a picture with me, or when someone would say, My daughter looks up to you. I want girls to shoot for their dreams. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it and try hard enough.”WH
COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER MACKENZIE NEWWALKER, MATEWAN Executive director at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum A FAMILY HISTORY “I grew up in Cub Creek, a small holler in Wyoming County. My dad, grandfather, and great- grandfathers were all union coal miners. I grew up hearing their stories about my family sitting on the front porch or at family reunions.That was part of what drew me to the museum—seeing similar stories being told through their voices and the voices of families like mine. It gave them agency they hadn’t had before, since their stories are so often told from an outsiders-looking-in perspective.” THE LEGACY “One thing I keep close to my heart is that I am carrying on my family’s legacy, but also building a future. I get to honor the work of my papaw and my great- grandfathers, which is a powerful thing. It’s a chance to flip the negative stereotypes that our people so often get. I get to help instill pride in the local communities and preserve our working-class history, and uplift voices that are kept out of historical narratives. That kind of work keeps me going.” BEYOND MATEWAN “We’re coming up on the Blair Mountain Centennial commemoration, and the whole planning process has been incredible, including building a community around this history and creating new narratives about our state and its people. We are always thinking
76 wvliving.com • fall 2021
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