The Harlan Renaissance: Stories of Black Life in Appalachian Coal Towns [Hardcover]

The Harlan Renaissanceis an intimate remembrance of kinship and community in eastern Kentuckys coal towns written by one of the luminaries of Appalachian studies, William Turner. Turner reconstructs Black life in the company towns in and around Harlan County during coals final postwar boom years, which built toward an enduring bust as the children of Black miners, like the author, left the region in search of better opportunities.

The Harlan Renaissanceinvites readers into what might be an unfamiliar Appalachia: one studded by large and vibrant Black communities, where families took the pulse of the nation through magazines likeJetandEbonyand through the news that traveled within Black churches, schools, and restaurants. Difficult choices for the future were made as parents considered the unpredictable nature of Appalachias economic realities alongside the unpredictable nature of a national movement toward civil rights.

Unfolding through layers of sociological insight and oral history,The Harlan Renaissancecenters the sympathetic perspectives and critical eye of a master narrator of Black life.

William H. Turner is a sociologist now based near Houston, Texas. He received a lifetime of service award from the Appalachian Studies Association in 2009, which joined other career highlights that include induction into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame.

Foreword by Loyal Jones

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Alex HaleyThe Taproot

2. Between Alex Haley, W. E. B. Du Bois, Ed Cabbell, and the Affrilachian Poets

3. Black Mountain Mantrips and Woman Trips

4. Whats in a Name?

5. Black Folk Done Lost Their Stuff

6. The Common Narrative of Black Appalachian Coal-Camp Families

7. Blacks Moving between Central Alabama and Central Appalachia

8. Close-Knit Central Appalachian Coal-Camp Black Communities

9. On Trash-Talking and Signifying allã