Fighting for a Breath materials, c.1995
Sub-Series (ap.afc.07.18)
- Extent
- 74 Video cassettes
- 2 Boxes
- Part of
- Appalshop Films Collection, 1969-2015 > Series VII. Appalshop Films 1991-1999 > Fighting for a Breath materials, c.1995
- Scope and Contents
- Contains material related to the color documentary Fighting for a Breath, a 1995 release. The film examines pneumoconiosis, commonly know as black lung, a debilitating and often fatal lung disease caused by excessive exposure to coal dust. Explores the role of coal mining in causing black lung disease and the obstacles encountered by current victims of the disease in obtaining black lung benefits. Looks at the movement in the late 1960s, organized by Appalachian coal miners, their families, and a few doctors and politicians, to create a legal definition of black lung disease and gain compensation for its victims. Interviews include disabled miners seeking compensation, attorneys, historians, doctors and activists. Subjects include coal mining history, black lung, coal dust diseases, and rural health issues in the Appalachian region.
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