Author: Crystal Good

Crystal Good is hard to put in just one box. She prefers: artist, advocate and entrepreneur. She is a member of the Affrilachian (African American Appalachian) Poets, a group of writers and artists whose creations and existence combat the erasure of African American identity in the Appalachian region, an Irene McKinney Scholar, and the author of Valley Girl. She is the founder and CEO of Mixxed Media , a government relations consulting firm that leverages social & media engagement strategies for mission-driven organizations. Crystal holds the completely made up but totally real office of "Social Media Senator" for the Digital District Of West Virginia whose platform encourages digital and political literacy. Artist::Advocate:: crystalgood.net Entrepreneur:: themixxedmedia.com

Braces, Abortion, and Oprah 

Crystal Good

The story of a West Virginia girl who missed her moment, survived the silence, and found her smile.  Trigger Warning:This essay contains references to childhood sexual abuse, reproductive health, and survival. Please take care while reading. At 50 years old, I got braces.  To reshape something as simple — and Read more

My Good Name

Crystal Good

“Except my name. I’ll give up all that other stuff, but only if I get to keep my name. I’ve worked too hard for it, your honor.” ~ Tina Turner My mother married Ron Good when I was in kindergarten. Shortly thereafter, he started sexually abusing me. In the second Read more