Welcome to the MAAV March Newsletter!

Spring has Sprung here at MAAV!

MAAV Celebrates Women’s History Month & International Women’s Day

The month of March ushers in Women’s History Month, a time to reflect on the ways women have impacted the world through unseen labor or overlooked contributions. MAAV took this opportunity to spotlight our amazing leadership team and the work they do behind the scenes. A huge thank you to our leaders Emily, Katy, Lauren, Sarah, Amber, and Meranda! MAAV wishes a happy International Women’s Day to all women and celebrates the work they do. You are seen and appreciated.

Save the Date: Blue Ridge Montañitas Festival

For this month, MAAV wants to highlight one of our round 1 funded projects, Montañitas Reimagined, lead by Amy Azano and Estela Knot. The Montañitas Reimagined project is comprised of three parts: the Blue Ridge Montañitas Festival, a community curriculum, and a digital album by the Lua Project. These three distinct parts come together to share untold stories of the Latine Appalachian experience. The flyer you see here is highlighting their music festival held on September 28, 2024 11 am - 7 pm in Luray at the VFW. Montañitas Reimagined is a project in partnership with the Virginia Tech Center for Rural Education, Lua Project, and VFW Comer-Jones Post 621 in Luray, Virginia.

Upcoming Events

Check out some notable events to consider attending

• Spring Powwow, April 4th, 12-4 p.m., VT Graduate Life Center (GLC) lawn, Blacksburg, VA.

• Blacksburg Square Dance, April 6th, 7:30 p.m. at Old Fellows Hall, Blacksburg, VA.

• Horticulture Plant Sale, April 18-19th, Hahn Horticulture Garden, Blacksburg , VA.

Intern Insights

When I graduate this May, I will have been with Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia for a little over a year. Aside from a summer stint as a communications intern, most of that time has been spent working as the forest botanicals intern with Dr. Shannon Bell’s planned project in Norton, VA. I’ve been working with Dr. Bell for almost two years. I took Appalachian Community Research with her my junior year. Dr Bell’s work with the monument in Norton is part of her wider work trying to learn about and empower Appalachian wild harvesters. The Appalachian forest is one of the most biodiverse regions in the country…

KEEP UPDATED

Follow us on social media to stay up to date on our announcements and events!