Abandoned small towns throughout the Southeastern Appalachian region of Ohio share roots deep within the mining industry. These towns are commonly called “Little Cities of Black Diamonds,” honoring their historical ties to coal, industrialization, and once flourishing economies. 

 Perry County, Ohio, is among these Little Cities of Black Diamonds. Once an industrial hub consisting of multiple coal boomtowns, Perry County and its residents have faced economic declines since the mid-1900s.…

West Virginia is known for its natural beauty and remote communities, nestled in the Appalachian mountains and valleys. Minden, West Virginia is located in the center of the state, lodged between two peaks, and is home to 250 dying residents. 

In Minden, nearly 36% of residents have been diagnosed with a form of cancer. …

One of the most infamous catalysts for the modern environmental justice movement is the Warren County PCB Protests that unfolded in Afton, North Carolina throughout the mid-1980s. These protests defined contemporary modes of environmental justice, highlighting intersections of race and economic status to every human’s right to safe and habitable land.…