This was the first book to really take seriously the role, let alone the presence, of African-Americans in Appalachia. The late Ed Cabbell and Bill Turner transformed the consciousness of a generation with this book, and the current renaissance in Black Appalachian scholarship owes a largely acknowledged debt of gratitude to their work. The essays are all pretty much pertinent today. Ed Cabbell grew up in Mercer County, West Virginia and held a masters in Appalachian Studies from Appalachian State. He was the founder of the John Henry Memorial Foundation. Bill Turner grew up in Harlan County, Kentucky, and was a Vice President at the University of Kentucky and an Interim President at Kentucky State.
Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1985. 277 pages with a Foreword by Nell Irvin Painter, a Selected Bibliography, a Resource Guide, and tables.