Harlan County, made famous by a violent labor upheaval in the 1930s that earned it the name “Bloody Harlan,” remains one of the country’s most productive coal mining regions. Although thousands of tons are removed each year, more than 30 percent of the county’s residents live below the poverty level.
Last spring, 11 Boston University Alternative Spring Break volunteers journeyed there to build a roof over a wheelchair ramp and enclose a bathroom at Cranks Holiness Church in Harlan County. The majority of the students had never even hammered a nail — let alone installed a bathroom ceiling — but they learned, not only about construction but about a way of life that’s far different from what they enjoy at BU.
