Us & Them: Deanna, Tymel & Amarie

Sunday dinner is a big deal in Deanna McKinney’s family. Deanna’s a de facto mom to her three sisters and two brothers — when she moved to West Virginia from New York City, they came too.  These Sunday dinners are to remind the siblings that someone’s always got their back.

Deanna’s told the story of her son’s murder so many times, that she can recount it to me — a relative stranger with a microphone — while she picks out cornbread mix at the grocery store. His name was Tymel and his senseless death is an experience that has defined her life and informed who she is.

On this week’s episode of the “Us & Them” podcast: the first of a four-part series that focuses on the West Side of my hometown of Charleston, WV.  It’s a part of town that’s struggled economically in the past few decades. It’s got the two statistics that often go together — high poverty and high crime

From West Virginia Public Broadcasting and PRX, this is “Us & Them,” the podcast where we tell the stories about America’s cultural divides.

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