The Coal Employment Project (CEP, Norman grantee 1983–1987) was founded in 1977 by Kentucky-born attorney Betty Jean Hall to fight deeply-rooted discrimination patterns that kept women out of one of the only well-paying industries in Appalachia. Hall documented that 99% of all coal miners were men and filed a landmark complaint in 1978 against 153 of the nation’s largest coal companies. By 1983, more than 3,000 women were working as underground miners, representing 8.6% of the mining workforce. CEP also fought for women’s dignity on the job, advocating for equal access to training, protections against sexual harassment, and parental leave — work that contributed to the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. A Norman grant helped CEP open a western office in Denver, CO, which extended its reach to women miners in the western coalfields. 

Media:

• Southern Exposure, Vol. 9, No. 4 article: Thanks to a legal, organizing and media strategy, coal mining jobs have been opened to women.
• New York Times article: Feminist group assails coal industry 

• Video: Coalmining Women