At the Appalachian Studies Association's thirty-first annual conference, in March, 2008, activist and author Silas House gave a thought-provoking keynote address. That Friday evening, on the Marshall University campus, in Huntington, West Virginia, not far from the coal fields of southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, Silas offered some reasons Appalachians are often reluctant to speak out against mountaintop removal even though they oppose it. His speech called for Appalachians to take pride in who they are and speak out for what they believe. In this article, the author responds to Silas's remarks and elaborates on some of the points that especially resonated with her. Some of Silas's observations are presented, followed by the author's response.