Living Democracy 2021

Through my articles, I feel like I’ve been able to give a pretty good accounting of my summer here in Roanoke. I’ve talked about the highs (and there have been a lot of those), the lows, and the lessons I’ve learned about rural democracy and community engagement. The only thing that I really haven’t talked about has been arguably the most central issue of the summer—the community’s hospital vote.

One of the most innovative avenues through which Roanoke tries to provide these opportunities is Handley High School’s Outdoor Education Center, an outdoor learning facility that boasts fruit and vegetable patches, a chicken coop, fish hatcheries, bee-keeping facilities, and more. The OEC shows Roanoke is a town that is willing to think outside the box and implement original ideas in order to position itself on the cutting-edge. 

When I began my summer in Roanoke, I never imagined that my Living Democracy experience would involve a stint in court. Thankfully, my vantage point was from the attorney’s table rather than the defendant’s seat. I’ve met so many interesting, kind, and generous people during my summer in Roanoke, and local attorney Kesa Johnston Dunn has been one of my favorites.