A sixth-generation West Virginian, Crystal Dawn Good is the founder and editor of the state’s only Black newspaper — ‘Black By God: The West Virginian (BBG)’ — which she launched in 2020. She is also an entrepreneur, producer and poet. Her debut collection, ‘Valley Girl’, was published in 2012. She is a 2021 NewStart Fellow at the West Virginia University Reed College of Media.
Q > You once tried to buy a newspaper when you were a teen; tell us about this.
A > Yes. I tried to buy the last Black newspaper at age 16. I asked my Dad to broker the deal.
I wasn’t in the room when he asked but I imagine there were some chuckles at my ambition.
The paper wasn’t for sale but they did offer me a chance to sell ads. I said no. The paper folded some years later but today you can see BBG and my teenage ambition as just the “some other one” that editor IJK Wells spoke of: “The West Virginia Digest, the people’s paper, will no doubt appear infrequently because of labour shortage and help. It will not make its weekly schedule for some time Because you fail to see it every week, don’t think it’s dead. The cause for which it stands cannot die, and because there is a need for a newspaper, this one or some other one will spring up from time to time.”
Q > How does where you live influence/inspire your work and who you are?
A > Everything. My lens into and out of the world is Appalachia and West Virginia, the heart of Appalachia, specifically. Appalachia is a large region defined by the Appalachian mountains and the ARC (Appalachian Regional Commission) but in that definition forgets the soul of the place. I believe my mountains are magic, the Grandmother of the planet and in that, I feel a deep grounding here that is absent of the political narratives that surround and challenge us. I love looking for similarities all across the globe in Mountain people. By telling Appalachian stories I seek to find connections to other communities across the globe. Often centring a narrative on a small community like BBG has will open the door to a much larger narrative. As Muriel Rukeyser said, “The world is not made of atoms but stories!”
Q > What made you decide to establish a newspaper?
A > Black visibility in West Virginia. I just delivered 5,000 newspapers across [the state]. Black businesses are absent on main streets across West Virginia. I want BBG to showcase West Virginia’s Black culture in and out of the State. Also, I’m a storyteller and West Virginia is a treasure trove of stories waiting and wanting to be told. I feel a calling to do what I’m doing. You can’t run from a calling especially when it’s named Black By God. I moved BACK to my home place in West Virginia from LA to build BBG. Today I feel good about this. Yesterday I was like “WTF did you just do?” BBG is the work that I think most helps WV and in that helps America and in that the world.
Q > BBG appears both in print and online. Tell us about why being in both mediums is so important?
A > Print offers a different experience, it’s tactile and I think that makes a difference when you are trying to cut through a busty social media world. The print gives people a chance to sit with stories just like they were sitting on the porch hearing them. The next medium for BBG is something truly interactive. I’m working on a concept for a news-play integrating improv, theatre and news.
Everyone is online that’s a given but BBG is trying to build the online space that is essentially the neighbourhood restaurant everyone goes to. It’s going to take time. But if we keep serving delicious content and printing out our menus — I think we will get there sooner than people think!
Q > With the second print edition just out, what have been the biggest challenges and the greatest successes of the journey so far?
A > Funding. I hope BBG won’t fall into the tradition of Black newspapers in WV that die or have sporadic publications because they were never resourced or able to adapt to technology shifts.
Q > Challenging conversations, introspective moments, inspirational triggers, political views, social shifts: Which topics do you find yourself debating/discussing/reflecting on these days?
A > Trying to keep a straight face when white people ask me if they can read Black By God. If I could dedicate more time to writing and studying data rights, quadratic voting and digital democracy I would make that my BBG beat. My time is mostly spent trying to keep up with Joe Manchin while building a media platform.
Q > Which things would you like to include more in your life; what would you like less of.
A > More art! More live music! More meaningful conversations with other human beings. Less being resourceful and figuring things out. I want to be resourced.
Q > Looking ahead: Where would you like to see BBG five years from now?
A > Award winning Folk-Reporters program in every West Virginian county!
Celebrating the famous authors who got their first by lines with us at a big ole fun event where Nikole Hannah-Jones speaks.
BBG is the publisher of several products: newspaper, magazine, podcast, events, etc.
BBG has invested in over 100 media makers and content creators.
BBG has a working budget of $1m.
