Black in Appalachia

It's the Halloween episode of the Black in Appalachia podcast. Enkeshi & Pumpkin dig into truly macabre tales of Black labor in the coalfields of West Virginia and specifically the digging of Hawk's Nest Tunnel in Nicholas County. Featuring photojournalist Raymond Thompson Jr. and his work to uncover this protracted tragedy.

Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin talks with the Godfather of Blacks in Appalachia, Dr. William H. Turner about his new book, "The Harlan Renaissance: Stories of Black Life in Appalachian Coal Towns."  The Harlan Renaissance  invites readers into what might be an unfamiliar Appalachia: one studded by large and vibrant Black communities. Difficult choices for the future were made as parents considered the unpred...

In this episode we're talking about the history of confederate monuments, their removal and impact on our educational landscape with C.J. Hunt the director of Neutral Ground. Neutral Ground documents New Orleans’ fight over monuments and America’s troubled romance with the Lost Cause.

Black in Appalachia was invited to speak at ArtsBuild Chattanooga’s Equity in the Arts Conference held on September 10, 2021. This episode is a live recording where Enkeshi and Alona discuss shifting the power in equity conversation from funders to cultural workers and artists. We center the communities as those with the power and highlight how their creative and cultural practices transform the w...

Black in Appalachia is talking Black life in West Virginia coal camps, the Mine Wars and the struggles for Black political power and workers’ rights, with excerpts from our visit to The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, retired coal miners and the one and only Dr. Joe Trotter, Jr.

In this episode Black Excellence from the Steel City comes to life as the Black in Appalachia crew headed to Pittsburgh for a live episode at the August Wilson Cultural Center. Special guests include Marimba Milliones of the Hill District CDC, National Student Poet Anthony Wiles, and Artist Darrell Kinsel.

Affralachian Poet Crystal Wilkinson shares her thoughts on growing up in Appalachia and reads from her new collection Perfect Black.

Enkeshi and Alona explore the interesting history of Berea College and it’s legacy for Appalachia.

Enkeshi, Angela and Alona discuss guns and gun culture in Appalachia. We talk with David Yamane a sociologist at Wake Forrest who is an expert on American Gun Culture and hear from Jered Croom on why he is a member of the NRA - begrudgingly.

On this episode of Black in Appalachia we have a discussion with singer-songwriter Walter DeBarr about growing up Black in West Virginia. Debarr was the only bi-racial person in his extended family AND his hometown. His feeling of cultural separation from those around him accompanied by significant life events led him in the direction of active addiction. All the while music played a saving role.

Enkeshi and Pumpkin talk with Drag Queens about the ups, downs and being Black in the Appalachian Scene

On this episode of the Black in Appalachia Podcast Enkeshi and special guest host Joe Tolbert talk Black church life, community, sex, identity and much much more with Deesha Phliyaw, acclaimed author of The Secret LIves of Church Ladies.

It’s Christmas in Appalachia and the crew is exploring Black holiday traditions from Pennington Gap, VA, London, KY and Birmingham,AL. Join in and hear talks about food, chittlins, rabbit hunting, Kwanzaa and more! 

Discover the history of Appalachia as Enkeshi and Angela talk about Mulungeon identity in the region and hear from author and descendant, Wayne Winkler. 

In this Thanksgiving episode Enkeshi and Angela explore the relations between black folks and the Cherokee nation. Listen as they talk to Marilyn Van, President of the Descendants of Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes Association and dig deeper into the indigenous history. 

As Enkeshi and Angela embrace the centering of Black women,  this episode features the award winning legendary poet, author and civil rights legend Nikki Giovanni as she joins them for an exclusive interview. Listen as she talks Appalachian history and family stories in true Nikki fashion.

It’s Halloween in Appalachia and Enkeshi and Angela host special guest activists on this hour long special episode exploring historic homes and the spooky ghosts of untold and forgotten Black History.  

It's election season and Black women are on the rise in Appalachian politics. In this episode Enkeshi and Angela talk about Amelia Parker, Black women and the historic elections that have shaped the political climate in the region.

In the wake of uprisings, Asheville, NC has been in the media and at the center of reparations talk in the region. Will Black Appalachians finally get their 40 acres and a mule? Find out as Enkeshi and Angela explore the truth behind the city's Reparations resolution and dig into what's happening on the ground in Asheville.

In this episode of Black in Appalachia, Enkeshi and Angela discuss The Great Migration and the role that Appalachian coal miners played in it. With the rise of coal industry, thousands of Black laborers were recruited from the deep South to the coal fields of Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. Black people, seeking living wages and to escape from racial terror settled in Appalachia coal towns...

In 21st century America, there are people actively working to track down Nazis. Daryle Lamont Jenkins explains modern Nazi Hunting, why this is even a thing & the special skill set he's developed for exposing those that may prefer to stay hidden.

"Sundown Towns" explores the existence of these no-go places for Black folks and the navigation of the checkerboard that is Appalachia.

Its Emancipation Day in Appalachia, but what has that meant through Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the current uprisings for justice. We'll talk though being Free-ish in 2020 with scholars, activists and community members.

Having long been in this region, Black Appalachians have remained mostly invisible while dominant narratives of Appalachia depict whiteness. The Black in Appalachia Podcast challenges misconceptions by highlighting how Black people have shaped and have been shaped by Appalachia. Through historical and contemporary stories of Black people, places and experiences hosts Enkeshi El-Amin and Angela Den...