Great Migration of African Americans to the coal fields of WV

The Diversity in Appalachia Lecture Series continues at the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center on the campus of Fairmont State University with a presentation on the “Great Migration of African Americans to the coal fields of West Virginia.”  Between 1870 and 1930 African Americans left the Deep South to seek better economic and educational opportunities and to escape Jim Crow laws that denied them voting rights. The speakers are Dr. Connie Rice and Ms. Ilene Evans. The presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 8. The Diversity in Appalachia Lecture Series is supported by the West Virginia Humanities Council.  

Dr. Connie Rice, is a Lecturer in the History Department at West Virginia University and Assistant Editor of West Virginia History: A Journal of Regional Studies.She holds a Ph.D. in American History from West Virginia University. Dr. Rice has been a member of the Governor’s West Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission. She is the author of numerous articles and book chapters and recently completed work on two manuscripts, Don’t Flinch an Inch: The Life and Legacy of West Virginia Civil Rights Pioneer J.R. Cliffordand Women of the Mountain South:  Identity, Work, and Activism, an edited collection of essays.

Ms. Ilene Evans is an inspired storyteller, performer, and scholar who weaves music, poetry, dance and drama, to bring history alive. She has toured extensively across the US and internationally with her historical and original works. In 2009, Ms. Evans worked with staff from the US State Department to tour to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Columbia to share African American history and culture through arts, education, literature, and music. In 2015 she travelled to Ghana, and in 2018 to Marwa, Tanzania. Ms. Evans holds a master’s degree in storytelling from East Tennessee State University. 

Ms. Evans will be sharing some of her interviews with Ellis Ray Williams, 96-year-old Bluefield State Graduate, WVU graduate and now a retired school principle, civil rights worker, and educator. Mr. Williams’ story exemplifies the migration of African American families who came from South Carolina to the West Virginia Coalfields in the late 1920’s.

This project is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the West Virginia Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For additional information about the Diversity in Appalachia Lecture Series, contact the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center at 304-367-4403.  

Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center