A Facebook page titled Mamaw’s Porch 'n Politics has garnered recent support for its liberal perspective in Appalachia, a historically conservative area of the country. The creator, Lisa Parker, posts political commentary videos on pressing national and state issues under the name Mamaw, from her porch in Ray, Ohio.
Parker's firm belief in liberal values came early on from being raised alongside her brother by a single mother in Appalachia. Her mother, a social worker, implemented liberal values, with her work often taking the family all across the country, primarily ending up in either Jackson County or Vinton County.
Kim Milliken, the former mayor of Coalton, Ohio, has been a friend of Parker since 2007 and commented on her role as a political advocate.
“She doesn't ask you what your religion is, what your creed is; she doesn't care,“ Milliken said. "She will work for you, and she does."
Parker has been interested in politics her whole life, spending eight years as the chair of the Jackson County Democratic Party. During her time as chair, Parker noticed social media as a common way people are getting involved in politics. Parker then attempted to use social media to draw people to rallies.
“No matter what we did or what we tried to do, we just had a hard ceiling that we couldn't break,” Parker said. “So I started posting videos to try to get people to show up to things.”
Parker left her position as chair in July, believing that the state and national Democratic Party were not effectively tapping into media platforms as well as the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement did in 2016. Parker then pursued social media on her own, creating Mamaw’s Porch 'n Politics.
“I had two Facebook pages, my YouTube page and I started a TikTok page,” Parker said. “From there, I've been astounded at how this has grown in just a short period of time.”
The Facebook page of over 800 followers has grown popular with many locals, but has also reached other parts of the world, with some followers from Australia, Southern California, New Orleans and New England.
Parker stated it is important to bring her perspective to people across the country after noticing there were political commentators geared toward progressives in different age ranges and demographics across the country yet excluding Appalachia and rural citizens.
“I just saw this big gap in hearing from someone that you think, by all means, should be this Redneck,” Parker said.
Thomas Hodson, director emeritus of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, is a follower of the Facebook page and commented on why Parker’s representation as an Appalachian woman is important for the liberal movement.
“She is a voice of a strong Appalachian woman ... a group that is often ignored by fly-over journalists and politicians,” Hodson said in an email. “Therefore, it is important that we listen to her perspectives on current issues.”
A big factor in Parker’s videos on social media is her thick Appalachian accent.
“I can remember taking theater voice lessons at OU to get rid of my accent, and I still have one,” Parker said. “I mean, I'm not ashamed of it anymore.”
Hodson mentioned that people with accents like Parker’s are usually stereotyped as unintelligent.
“I believe people have a bias against an Appalachian accent or dialect and equate a different way of talking with being uneducated,” Hodson wrote in an email. “Nothing could be further from the truth. An Appalachian accent is just a regional way of talking. It is like a New York accent or a Boston accent or a Southern accent.”
Parker has worked in government positions and is a veteran of the Ohio National Guard, becoming the first woman to be named a cadet company commander at OU ROTC. She brings these experiences to the page, touching on issues from voting rights to government corruption.
Parker said she believes voting rights to protect from gerrymandering are of the utmost concern, expressing her disappointment with Sen. Joe Manchin and Sen. Kirsten Sinema for protecting the filibuster. She continued to discuss state term limits as a prevalent issue.
“We have a lot of terrific younger people waiting in the wings and they're not getting those opportunities,” Parker said. “The same with Congress, the fact that somebody can serve 60 years in Congress, that was not the intention of our founding fathers.”
Parker is also an advocate for women's rights, expressing her frustration with women who support President Trump. She reminds women that in her time, they could not get a loan or birth control without spousal or parental approval, emphasizing the hard work women went through to earn.
“They're taking all this for granted and cruising around with their Trump flags out there, not realizing the Pete Hegseths of the world and the ultra-conservative Christian MAGA movement of the world want to take all of these rights away from you,” Parker said.
Milliken, who is focused on women’s rights issues across the country, commented on Parker’s outspoken views regarding women's rights, agreeing that women need to think and vote for themselves and their best interests.
“For me, the women's rights, just the whole gamut of what she has to say hits home for me,” Milliken said. “But of course, I'm an old girl, I'm 71, so that's a big to-do for me, I fought that fight, her mother fought that fight.”
Parker expressed her surprise at the growth of her channel, stating she has been invited to speak at events in Idaho, North Carolina and across Ohio. Parker expressed her goals for what she hopes to inspire in all those listening to her.
“I want people to use their outdoor voice,“ Parker said. "I want them to know that there's no bogeyman around the bushes. You step forward, you use your voice and we can turn this around, but staying home and sitting out of the election is not the answer. Your vote does matter.”
