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Without the Union…
I had been raised union and knew the benefits that came with it, but in its absence, I ended up joining thousands of other young men naive enough…
4 min read
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Searching for Justice in Appalachia
Since leaving the mining industry six years ago, I’ve gone in search of justice for Appalachia. It has been a hard journey coping with the deepening realities of…
4 min read
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Coal is not what raised me…
A few years ago, I had a few family members tell me “Coal is what raised you!” It was a phrase I’d also heard from the angry wives…
4 min read
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On “In the Black” by Gary Bentley
In January, I came across the first of a new series on the Daily Yonder titled “In the Black.” It is an accurate and gritty portrayal of coal…
4 min read
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The Scotia Mine Disaster – 40 years later
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Scotia Mine Disaster that took the lives of 15 miners on March 9th, 1976, and a second explosion that took the…
4 min read
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Broken Promises
There is an unspoken promise that has been made by politicians and coal companies in Appalachia. It states that if people fight against the “War on Coal” companies…
4 min read
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Blood on the Mountain
If you haven’t heard about the new documentary Blood on the Mountain—you should. No other film has taken such a broad view of the political corruption and exploitative…
4 min read
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Mining, Diesel Particulate Matter, & Cancer
We didn’t have rail at Alpha Natural Resources’ Paramont Deep Mine 26, even though it was Southwest Virginia’s second largest mine at the time. Entry in and out…
4 min read
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The Problem with Environmental Activism in Appalachia
June 5, 2025: I wrote this not longer after defending my undergraduate thesis on negative environmentalist stereotypes in Appalachia. I later continued this course of study at Virginia…
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Christmas at the Mines
Right after Thanksgiving, everyone at the mines would start getting into the Christmas spirit. Even though we knew it was a month away, we couldn’t wait for the…
4 min read