Hip Hop And Black Lung, Inside Appalachia

One of America’s greatest contributions to world culture … is hip hop. A new compilation documents what it sounds like across Appalachia. 

Also people in the region love their local water springs, but in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, they take that dedication to another level.

And, congressional Republicans are trying to freeze funding for new mine safety rules. Advocates are concerned. 

In This Episode

  • “No Options” Explores Hip-Hop in Appalachia
  • The Watery Allure Of Berkeley Springs
  • The Continuing Battle Over Black Lung

“No Options” Explores Hip-Hop in Appalachia

Rapper Monstalung is one of the artists featured in “No Options,” a CD collection of Appalachian hip hop. Courtesy

Hip hop has been in Appalachia for about as long as the genre has been around, about 50 years. A new compilation from June Appal Recordings, “No Options: Hip-Hop in Appalachia” 24 tracks from across the region. Mason Adams spoke with executive producer JK Turner, and rapper Eric Jordan, also known as Monstalung. 

The Watery Allure Of Berkeley Springs

Fans of spring water come from all over to collect water from Berkeley Springs.
Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

There are natural springs all over Appalachia. Before indoor plumbing, that’s where most folks got their fresh water. In Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, people still fill jugs with spring water to lug back home. In 2022, Folkways reporter Zack Harold visited the springs and brought us this story.

The Continuing Battle Over Black Lung

Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson moderates a panel on Black Lung and MSHA’s new silica dust rule.

As Appalachian miners cut into increasingly thinner seams of coal, they’re encountering more silica dust from rock. The dust contributes to an advanced form of black lung disease. Coal miners and advocates have spent decades negotiating with the federal government to add safety rules. When a new rule was finalized in April, advocates celebrated, but before it could take full effect, opponents threw up another roadblock.

Emily Rice reported.

——

Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Joshua Outsey, Monstalung, Tim and Dave Bing, Deep Jackson and Dinosaur Burps.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from folkways editor Chris Julin. You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @InAppalachia.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Sign-up for the Inside Appalachia Newsletter!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Step Dancing At WVSU And Radioactive Brine, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, step shows are a tradition at many historically Black universities, including schools in Appalachia. We hear about one that’s part of West Virginia State University’s annual homecoming celebration. And, abandoned industrial sites have long been a magnet for people to explore and turn into not-at-all-legal hangout spots, but some come with hidden dangers. We learn about the danger at Fairmont Brine, a site in West Virginia that processed liquid used in hydraulic fracking.

Step shows are a tradition at many historically Black universities, including schools in Appalachia. We hear about one that’s part of West Virginia State University’s annual homecoming celebration. 

Abandoned industrial sites have long been a magnet for people to explore and turn into not-at-all-legal hangout spots, but some come with hidden dangers. We learn about the danger at Fairmont Brine, a site in West Virginia that processed liquid used in hydraulic fracking.  

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:


Steppin’ Up At West Virginia State University

Members of Delta Sigma Theta at WVSU’s homecoming. The sorority was part of the annual step show at the university.

Photo Credit: WVSU’s Alpha Delta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Fraternities and sororities at West Virginia State University (WVSU), one of the state’s two historically Black universities, introduced step dancing at the school decades ago. They made it part of the school’s annual homecoming celebration.

Folkways Reporter Traci Phillips has been attending step shows since she was a kid. Last fall, she brought along her 11-year-old daughter Jayli. They brought us the story.

Teaching Soul Food

Xavier Oglesby cuts onions for a macaroni salad he is cooking inside Manna House Ministries’ kitchen. A pot of boiling water is behind him, cooking the pasta for the dish.

Photo Credit: Vanessa Peña/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

The Appalachian table is complex and varied. Along with biscuits and gravy, it includes things like collard greens, extra cheesy mac and cheese and fried chicken feet — soul food. 

Soul food is associated with southern Black communities, but it’s also traditional to Appalachia, too.

Folkways Fellow Vanessa Peña visited with Xavier Oglesby, a master artist in soul food cooking from Beckley, West Virginia.

Radioactive And Dangerous

Fairmont Brine has fallen into disrepair since it was abandoned.

Photo Credit: Justin Nobel

Starting in the late 2000s, parts of Appalachia saw a natural gas boom from hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. But, some of that faded and in some places, the oil and gas industry has left behind dangerous industrial sites — like Fairmont Brine in Marion County, West Virginia. 

Left alone, the abandoned site became a popular hangout spot for unsuspecting young folks. 

Justin Nobel, an investigative reporter, wrote about the issue for Truthdig. The story is titled “Inside West Virginia’s Chernobyl: A highly radioactive oil and gas facility has become a party spot in Marion County.” 

Mason Adams spoke with Nobel about his investigation. 

Sugar Syrup Season In Central Appalachia

Valerie Lowry offers samples to visitors at the Highland County Maple Syrup Festival.

Photo Credit: Clara Haizlett/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Highland County, Virginia and its neighbors in West Virginia are some of the southernmost places in the U.S. to make maple syrup.

Generations of people in these communities have turned tapping trees for syrup into a longstanding tradition — but modern producers are experimenting with new syrups while adapting to changing demands, and a changing climate.

Folkways Reporter Clara Haizlett brought us the story.

——

Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Jeff Ellis, Tyler Childers, Amethyst Kiah, Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood and Frank George.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Sign-up for the Inside Appalachia Newsletter!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Folkways Highlights Of 2023, Inside Appalachia

Since 2019, Inside Appalachia has brought you stories from our Folkways Reporting Project. Folkways was created to boost awareness of Appalachian folk traditions and how they’re passed between people. In 2023, we added 25 stories to our growing archive that explore diverse arts, culture, food and people of Appalachia. This week, look back at some of the past year’s Folkways highlights.

Since 2019, Inside Appalachia has brought you stories from our Folkways Reporting Project

Folkways was created to boost awareness of Appalachian folk traditions and how they’re passed between people. In 2023, we added 25 stories to our growing archive that explore diverse arts, culture, food and people of Appalachia. 

This week, look back at some of the past year’s Folkways highlights. 

In This Episode:


Flat Five Studios Fame And Future

Flat Five merchandise hangs in the recording studio. Flat Five Studio in Virginia made a big splash in the 1990s. Now, it’s looking to the future and a new generation.

Credit: Mason Adams/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Flat Five Studio was a small recording studio in Salem, Virginia. For years, the studio thrived recording local bands and a lot of bluegrass acts. Then, the Dave Matthews Band in eastern Virginia began looking for a quiet place to record its first album.

Host Mason Adams brought us this story. 

Mushroom Hunting In VA And WV

A single, ancient chanterelle on the forest floor proved to be the only mushroom found the day of the hunt.

Credit: Wendy Welch/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Wild food foraging has been a staple of Appalachian folk culture for generations. In recent years, mushroom hunting has taken off with fungi enthusiasts heading to the woods to seek out their favorites.

Folkways Reporter Wendy Welch spent time with some of them in Virginia and West Virginia and brings us this story. 

Taxidermy In Yadkin County

Taxidermist Amy Ritchie is sharing the love of her craft with other enthusiasts.

Credit: Margaret McLeod Leef/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

A lot of people are fascinated by the results of taxidermy — whether it’s a stuffed skunk on display at a park’s visitor’s center, or a big buck on a friend’s wall. The preservation and mounting of dead animals have been around since at least the middle ages.

Folkways Reporter Margaret McLeod Leef has the story of one expert practitioner in Yadkin County, North Carolina.

A Family Connection To Face Jugs

You’ve probably seen pottery with a face on it somewhere. There are lots of examples of this type of art out there — from cheap souvenir shop knick-knacks to museum-quality pieces that can sell for millions of dollars.

Some are connected to African Face Jugs, an art that enslaved people brought with them to America.

Folkways Reporter Zack Harold traced the story of face jugs, beginning in the basement pottery studio of West Virginia artist Ed Klimek.    

African Face Jugs came to America through Slavery. Artist Jim McDowell uses the art form to speak about the African American experience.

Courtesy

——

Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by The Dirty River Boys, Noam Pikelny, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Carpenter Ants and Allan Cathead Johnston.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Sign-up for the Inside Appalachia Newsletter!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Celebrating A Tradition Of Poets And Discussing The Resurgence Of Black Lung, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, Rev. George Mills Dickerson of Tazewell, Virginia was born in the years after slavery ended. He’s remembered today through his poetry. And a new wave of black lung disease is ravaging Appalachia. We’ll hear more from a black lung town hall in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Coal miners have their own thoughts about black lung, too.

This week, Rev. George Mills Dickerson of Tazewell, Virginia was born in the years after slavery ended. He’s remembered today through his poetry.

And a new wave of black lung disease is ravaging Appalachia. We’ll hear more from a black lung town hall in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Coal miners have their own thoughts about black lung, too.

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:


Celebrating Poetry About 20th Century African American Life

Poetry has been a tradition in Jeanette Wilson’s family for generations. They’ve recited the poems of Wilson’s grandfather and her uncle George for nearly a century. Now, these poems about African American life in southwest Virginia are reaching a wider audience — and connecting the past to the present. 

Folkways Reporter Connie Kitts brings us this story.

The Voices Of Black Lung Miners

For years, it looked like black lung disease was on the decline, but a new epidemic has emerged. In 2018, NPR and the PBS program Frontline investigated a resurgence of advanced black lung among coal miners across Appalachia. They found that despite mounting evidence and a stream of warnings, federal regulators and mining companies failed to protect workers.

The result was that thousands of miners were afflicted with an advanced stage of black lung disease — known as Progressive Massive Fibrosis.

We bring this story from the miners themselves, as told to NPR’s Howard Berkes and Ohio Valley ReSource reporter Benny Becker. It was originally broadcast on NPR’s All Things Considered on Jan. 22, 2019. The full documentary Coal’s Deadly Dust is available on pbs.org.

Black Lung Town Hall Meeting In Kentucky

In July, the Appalachian Citizens Law Center hosted a black lung town hall in Whitesburg, Kentucky. The nonprofit law firm invited miners and their families to hear from experts about the current state of black lung disease in Appalachia. One of those experts is Kentucky radiologist James Brandon Crum, who first alerted federal researchers to what they later labeled an epidemic of complicated black lung. 

WMMT in Whitesburg recorded the meeting for its program Mountain Talk. What Dr. Crum has to say is eye-opening — especially if you’re not part of the coal mining community.

——

Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Jeff Ellis, Charlie McCoy, Southern Culture on the Skids, June Carter Cash, and Tim and Dave Bing

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Sign-up for the Inside Appalachia Newsletter!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Black Policy Day Returned To The Legislature

Black Policy Day returned to the West Virginia Legislature Wednesday for its second year to highlight the policy issues facing Black West Virginians.

Wednesday was Black Policy Day at the West Virginia Legislature. The event is in its second year and is an opportunity for advocates to highlight the policy issues facing Black West Virginians.

Katonya Hart, one of the day’s organizers, said she wants the legislative process to be open so that all can participate. This year, the day’s focus expanded to not only look at policy, but also to help community members learn about and engage with the process directly.

“It’s that diversity when everyone’s at the table,” Hart said. “Having an opportunity to put in that we become strong, that there is a ‘we’ and there’s no longer that separation, that we’re able to keep our identity while supporting and standing in solidarity with each other.”

She said the day’s focus is broad, bringing attention and action to issues facing all West Virginians. Hart is tracking more than 200 bills this session. However one bill, the CROWN Act, is of particular interest. Hart and many other activists around the rotunda wore crowns during the day as a symbol of support for the legislation.

“CROWN stands for, ‘creating a respectable and open world for natural hair and culturally relevant hairstyles,’” Hart said. 

“If I wake up in the morning and I wash my hair and I go to work and not straighten it, perm it, it’s okay,” she continued. “Nobody’s gonna say ‘That looks wild and unruly and unprofessional,’ and send me home and try to have me press it like another culture’s hair in order to file papers, to type a letter. What is the necessity of that? What is the reason for that? But so many people have found themselves in that situation, showing up for work and someone saying ‘Your Afro, your curly hair is just not professional.’”

Several municipalities, including Morgantown, Charleston and Beckley, have created their own ordinances to codify the CROWN Act’s protection locally, but advocates have been waiting to see it become state law for four years. 

Hart listed issues of funding for education, the regulating of women’s bodies and legislation targeted at the LGBTQ+ community as other areas of focus.

Kasha Snyder-McDonald, the president of the West Virginia Black Pride Foundation, echoed the importance of passing the CROWN Act. 

“People of color, we do have distinct hair, hair quality, something that Caucasian people have no understanding of,” she said. “Therefore it is no other body’s place to tell a person of color, what to do with their hair, how we wear our hair. Our hair is a sign of our glory.”

As an LGBTQ+ advocate, Snyder-McDonald also had her eye on several bills aimed at banning drag shows in the state, which she said is often a crucial source of income for people in the community.

“People are scared of what they do not understand or what they do not know. When it comes to the drag community, they do not know that some people that do drag, the majority of people that do drag, is because it is their livelihood, it is their way of employment,” Snyder-McDonald said. “There are so many doors that are close to the LGBTQ+ community, especially the LGBTQ+ community of color.”

“Here in West Virginia, we don’t have a lot of representation for the LGBTQ+ community, including within our own community,” she continued. “It’s very hard for us to get people to understand our vision and to see that we’re here and we’re just like everyone else. Each and every day is a struggle. We’re fighting just to be seen and just to be heard.”

Snyder-McDonald and Hart both expressed their excitement for the opportunity that Black Policy Day provides for Black West Virginians to organize and stand together for a better future.

African American Heritage Tour Funded For Oak Hill 

A Fayette County community will soon join in a digital tour that honors Black history. The African American Heritage Tour is part of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

A Fayette County community will soon join in a digital tour that honors Black history. The African American Heritage Tour is part of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

The National Coal Heritage Area Authority will develop a new section that will be a part of the digital Southern West Virginia African American Heritage Tour.

The tours can be accessed through the National Park Service’s apps for their respective parks. The project already visits historic communities such as Hinton, Winona and Nuttallburg to share stories of Black coal miners, railroad workers, and other community members that helped shape this region.

The Oak Hill project is part of several across the country funded by the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.

The funding will cover research and interpretation of Black coal mining and labor history in southern West Virginia.

Exit mobile version