Breaking Stereotypes Through Storytelling: Lessons From Coalfield Communities

This week’s Faculty in Focus is Lou Martin, Professor of History at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 
​

For his Spring 2024 course, Oral History and Coalfield Communities, Professor Martin partnered with the Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ) and the West Virginia Regional History Center to connect students with coal industry workers and their historices, fostering dialogue across geographic and cultural divides. 

The Center for Coalfield Justice, originally founded as an advocacy group focused on the environmental impact of coal mining, has since expanded its mission to include collaborating with communities in southwestern Pennsylvania affected by the decline of the mining industry. As part of the course, CCJ paired students with local residents who had worked as miners or held other roles in the coal industry. Through interviews, students captured personal narratives that were then added to CCJ’s historical archive and the West Virginia Regional History Center’s collection, preserving these diverse voices for future generations. 

---

A lecture on deliberative dialogue encouraged students to critically examine how coalfield communities are represented in public discourse, prompting them to reflect on how their interviewees’ lived experiences offered from media portrays. This process deepened students’ understanding of the complexities of rural life, fostering empathy and breaking down preconceived notions. 

Reflecting on the course’s impact, Martin wrote, “What was most important to me as instructor of this course was that students come to appreciate and respect the experiences of coal miners and their families regardless of how we all might see things very differently. Accomplishing that meant instilling in students a desire to understand rather than to judge and to appreciate that the people we interviewed were socialized into communities that usually had very different histories than our own.”

Student reflections revealed the success of this goal, with one student noting, “Allowing people to feel proud of their background and their life is the best way to let them open up to you and feel comfortable.”

Beyond developing practical skills in interviewing and oral history project design, students gained firsthand insight into the power of storytelling as a tool for building connections. By engaging with individuals from different backgrounds, they learned that listening with empathy can bridge divides, challenge stereotypes, and foster mutual understanding - a lesson that extends far beyond the classroom.