Women of coal

by Randall Norris

The history of women's roles in the coalfields and communities of Appalachia has been poorly documented. What has been recorded depicts Appalachian women as suppressed by a male-dominated culture. In Women of Coal, photographs and words of self-expression combine to challenge the stereotypes of mountain and coalfield women. Heirs to a rich tradition of protest that extends from the women who endured incredible hardships in the early coal camps, the women in this book do not see themselves as stereotypical. Concerned with the larger picture are women such as Linda Lester, a coal miner from Appalachia, Virginia; she helped form a Coal Employment Project for women, and the project now has members in Australia, Great Britain, and Germany. Attitudes are not weighed down by the past but rather embrace it to address issues in the present. Edith Crabtree, for example, is concerned with black lung benefits and medical coverage for workers. Edna Gulley's heart goes out to the poor who can't affo