By Toni Milbourne, The Journal
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — A packed house turned out Thursday evening at the Frank Arts Center in Shepherdstown to enjoy the final program in the American Conservation Series presented by the Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications.
The forum welcomed U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., to share the stage with moderator Hoppy Kercheval, MetroNews Talkline host. The three were there to discuss “Beyond Pepperoni Rolls: Who We Are as West Virginians.”
The event was delayed for a short while due to the arrival of some protestors there to lash out against Manchin for some of his political activities, but the group was soon removed, and the discussion of what it means to the senators to be West Virginians began.
Capito mentioned first and foremost that she believes a deep faith is something that defines West Virginians, as well as their deep strength in times of adversity. She spoke to the founding of the state and how its creation came about at one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult time, in the state’s history.
“I think it’s sort of in us. We know we are fighting for what we consider is good,” she said. “There is a toughness about us that I see and I’m very proud of.”
Both Capito and Manchin told tales of growing up in West Virginia — she in the Northern Panhandle and he in mid-central West Virginia. Discussions of family played a big part in the conversation, especially as the trio looked at how family dynamics have changed over time. In the past, it was, for the most part, two parents raising children, and now, it is much different, not only with single-parent households but with many children being raised by grandparents.
