Happy May Day friends!
On this, International Workers’ Day, I’m sharing an opportunity to honor the labor of our Appalachian friends and neighbors through a song! Specifically, I’m inviting you to support coal miners and their families who are now dealing with the pain and medical costs of black lung disease.
We’re often taught to think of black lung (or miner’s pneumoconiosis) as a thing of the past, but in fact thousands of Appalachian miners and their families are affected by the disease, largely because federal regulators and mining companies have repeatedly failed to protect miners for decades.
But today you can show your solidarity with these men and women by buying my song, “Breathing as Best We Can,” an organizing song in tribute to black lung miners. For the month of May, 75% of whatever you give for this song will go to the Southwest Virginia Black Lung Association. The Association exists to help miners with black lung navigate the process of filing a claim for black lung disability benefits, and to advocate for the prevention and treatment of black lung disease.
Click here, listen, and pay it forward for the mining families of Appalachia!
Here is the full link: https://sarolyncht.bandcamp.com/track/breathing-as-best-we-can
*I also welcome sharing this information and link with others. I know many of you spend each day giving your energy and funds to many other causes, so spreading the word to other folks would by itself be a big boost!*
Resources to learn more about black lung in Appalachia: