Movie Night at the HCA: Those Who Stayed

The documentary “Those Who Stayed” by Lucas Armbruster from Heidelberg University's Heidelberg Center for American Studies highlights the resilience, creativity, and determination of residents in a region often framed as emblematic of the socioeconomic collapse of Central Appalachia following the decline of the coal industry. Once known as “the heart of the nation's coal bin”, McDowell County now ranks as one of the poorest in the state. By giving space to local voices on rural post-coal development, “Those Who Stayed” seeks to counteract the one-sided narrative of decline and plight in southern West Virginia.