James Owens

I'm originally from Harlan, Kentucky. So in Southeastern Kentucky, right on the border of Virginia. When I think of family, I

automatically think of my dad, he was a coal miner in Eastern Kentucky. He just recently passed away last March from black lung.

Yeah, I have my dad’s, I have his coal mining helmet up on my bookshelf. So it's a, you know, it's a black helmet. It's got a bunch of stickers, you know, all around on it. It's got his name Eddie on the back. It's got his light on the front. And it's got a lot of dings and dents.

Whenever I got it, I decided not to clean it up or anything. So it's still in the condition that he left it in.

James Owens | Family
Urban Appalachian Community Coalition

UACC fosters connection, community and collaboration by bringing people together through Appalachian and migration stories, relationships to place, cultural expression and diverse experiences.

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