The Census Bureau defines rural as “any population, housing, or territory not in an urban area.” In other words, the people and places of rural America have been marked as “everything else.”
Partners for Rural Transformation are gathering and sharing the faces, voices, stories, and struggles of those of us who are challenging that declaration of abandonment.
Everything Else: Stories From Rural America is an ongoing project exposing and exploring the sustained, intentional disinvestment that continues to create fallout in the lives and spaces of rural Americans.
This project exists to create sustained visibility by providing space for these people to tell their stories and break down assumptions that divide our nation based on race, class, and geography.
We believe that sharing these personal stories has the power to disrupt attitudes that drive policy and investment, and ultimately affect widespread positive change.
Everywhere Else: Stories From Rural America, much like our country, is a work in progress. We intend to continue to fill this site with the dynamic stories of rural people, families, and communities as they celebrate and struggle in the places they call home.