Dixie: Evolution and its Effect on Rural Special Education:

Abstract While Dixie encompasses the Southeastern region of the United States, it is better defined by the state of mind of its residents than by its geographic boundaries. In The Nine Nations of North America, Garreau (1981) defined Dixie as a quilt, referring to its diversity across social, climactic, historical, political, topographical, and racial factors and declared that its boundaries were "defined more by emotion than any other nation" (p. 131). This has not changed in the past 25 years. Bordered by the Ohio River to the north, the Atlantic Low Country to the east, the Gulf Coast to the south, and the Mississippi River to the west, the region encompasses (a) the Appalachian Mountains running through Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee; (b) the Tidewater region of Virginia, the Outer Banks or North Carolina, and the Low Country of South Carolina and Georgia; (c) the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the Bluegrass of Kentucky; (d) the foothills of the Carolinas and Tennessee; (e) the cotton fields and Gulf Coast of Alabama and Mississippi; and (f) the riverboat country from Covington, KY, to New Orleans, LA. Each of the these areas of Southeastern United States has a distinct culture while still falling under the vast umbrella of Dixie, a region once defined by the Confederacy during the War Between the States (still referred to by some Southerners as the "War of Northern Aggression"). Through snapshots of events that have occurred in Dixie in the past 25 years, this article will attempt to illustrate a region that is experiencing vast changes in the 20th Century while attempting to cling to its Southern identity. These changes reflect economic, historical, and social evolution. It will conclude by focusing on the impact the evolution of the Dixie has had on education, with a particular focus on rural special education. The Evolution of Dixie Economic Evolution Labor force. One of the most obvious changes in the South is the emergence of women in the labor force. For example, the death of the mining industry caused many women in the Appalachian region of the South to become the primary supporters of their families after their husbands lost their jobs. As the men sat home waiting for the coal industry to bounce back, women joined the work force (O'Quinn & McCullough, 2006). An inspiring example can be found in the small community of Benham, KY, where a group of retired women nicknamed the "Petticoat Mafia" took positions on the formerly male-dominated city council and organized activities (e.g., bake sales, thrift shop, dance) to fund city vehicles and a park (McIntyre, 2007; Ward, 2001). With the loss of the traditional economic base, nontraditional students have returned to school to learn new trades. Because of this, community and technical college systems are booming (History of KCTCS, 2006) with the enrollment of non-traditional students who, although often unprepared for the rigors of higher education, see a college degree as the only means of improving their lifestyle. Poverty. Dixie is a reminder of how extreme the gap can be between wealth and poverty in the United States. Photographer Shelby Lee Adams has published a controversial collection of photographs taken in eastern Kentucky that are dominated by stark pictures of mountaineers living in poverty in mountain cabins that bring to mind the stereotypical "barefoot and pregnant" hillbilly (2005). In a number of photographs, snake handlers flaunt their faith for the camera. It is a collection of photographs of a culture that many people in the region would like to deny exists, but photographs do not lie. If the culture did not exist, it could not be photographed. Recently, the eyes of the nation have focused on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi where the plight of the poor has become a household discussion. It remains to be seen if this region of the Deep South will have the capability to recover from this disaster. …