Trina Smith Thomas News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

there you go. ♪ >> bob marley said it best. stolen from africa, gentrified in harlem. american black folks keep losing our connection to the places we come from. so i'm headed to central appalachia, a place many folks don't realize black folks still live, to hunt, eat, farm, and harmonize on the harmonica with the folks that fight to keep this place known as one of the homes of black folks. this is black appalachia. >> again! yes! ♪ >> nice! ♪ ♪ when i say appalachia, you probably picture something like this, or this. harmful stereotypes of poor white folks. we'll have to tak...

keep losing our connection to the places we come from. i am headed to central appalachia, a place many folks don't realize black folk still live, to hunt, eat, farm, and harmonize on the harmonica with the folks that fight to keep this place known as one of the homes of black folks. this is black appalachia. >> yeah. nice. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> when i say appalachia, you probably picture something like this, or this. harmful stereotypes of poor white folks. we will have to take those on another day. what you probably do not picture is this. a history of black folks here runs as deep as ...

To tell their story. >> worked in the coal mine for 13 years. my dad didn't work in the mines, but when they started women coal miner, there was an opportunity. >> reporter: trina smith thomas is a former coal minor. claire clemens is a teacher. imagish owns a local restaurant. >> they wasn't hiring women. >> women didn't work in the coal mines. >> it was bad luck, they said. >> well, you can't argue with science like that. what was it like being among the first women to work the coal mine? >> well, you had some men that tried to basically get you to quit. >> yeah. >> but hey, i'm a strong wom...

>> trina smith thomas is a former coalminer. claire clemens is a teacher. you artie know crystal and dr. turner. >> when you said they started to hire women. >> they were not hiring women. women didn't work in coal mines. >> you can't argue with science like that. >> what was it like being among the first women to work the coal mine? >> well, some tried to get you to quit. i'm a strong woman. >> i imagine there is talk about physically you could not do the work. it's like, shoveling up on the bell. >> that's why i have these guns, right here. >> i was going to say something. was it hard on you...