For over twenty-five years KFTC members have been working for environmental, social and economic justice.  Often the struggle has been against something – trying to stop ‘bad stuff,’ like abusing broad form deeds, destroying headwater streams or taxing lower income people more than others.  Part of the wisdom that seems to have come down from the veterans – those who have worked in KFTC trenches for many years – is that it’s not enough to know what we’re against, we also need to think about and work toward creating the kind of world we want.

That’s part of what I find exciting about the High Road Initiative.  Its whole thrust is to ask what kind of Kentucky do we want.  What kind of economy will provide opportunity for people and communities to enjoy a high quality of life – all Kentuckians, not just well placed special interests. What kind of Kentucky do we want and how can we get there? How can we move from where we are now to an economy based on respect for the people and places that are Kentucky?  That’s what I see the High Road Initiative trying to reach toward.

                -Steve Boyce, Madison County

Background

It is well known that Kentucky continues to rank at or near the bottom on important indicators of education, poverty and household income, environmental quality, and health. For the past 34 years Kentucky has ranked 42nd in per capita personal income and in 2004 Kentucky’s poverty rate rose to 17.7%. Compared to other states, Kentucky ranks 42nd in high school attainment, 46th in college attainment and 50th in per capita spending on education.  Kentuckians’ death rate is 18% higher than the national average with the highest rate of lung cancer deaths in the nation and the second highest rate of death from any form of cancer.

These problems are particularly severe in eastern Kentucky, where the economy has been long dependant on a fluctuating natural resources based economic monoculture; in fact, eight of Kentucky’s eastern counties are among the 20 poorest in the nation.  As a result, many communities are searching for economic options that can provide a better future and preserve the region’s unique culture and quality of life.

In 1997 Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) and several other organizations teamed up to form the Kentucky Economic Justice Alliance (KEJA) look at how the state was using tax incentives for economic development. KFTC’s Canary Project addresses mining, energy and economic issues and has been the launching pad for our involvement in the High Road Initiative. KFTC members have been begun by participating in a “visioning” process that looks at what members consider to be the positive attributes of their communities as well as areas in need of improvement and the barriers to improvement. Click here to read excerpts from members’ visions.

A collaborative effort

The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) and KFTC are spearheading an effort to transform Kentucky’s approach to economic development.  “The High Road Initiative” utilizes the two organizations’ combined 55 years of experience working for policy change and improvements in the quality of life in Appalachian Kentucky.  It is a new effort to build a broad based network of organizations, businesses and people working together to build a strong economy across Kentucky. Visit “The High Road Initiative” for more information.