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By Dianne Anderson
What exactly do the Appalachia Mountains in the deep down rural coal-mining Kentucky town have in common with low-income Black city folks?
As it turns out, a lot more than either side can imagine.
An upcoming screening explores something that most Americans should be able to relate to by now, no matter their color--powerful energy companies trying to cut a profit and its impact on the poor.
While Appalachia struggles with coal as its primary energy resource, urban areas across America are also dealing with their own energy problems, such as high voltage lines strung across mostly low- income communities, which typically translate to mostly Black and Brown people.
On Tuesday, November 30, the Central Area Association and Long Beach Public Library is sponsoring this month’s screening of “Deep Down,” an exploration of what happens when big business wins favor over communities under the promise of jobs. The community cinema film screening will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the main library.
“It’s important to come out and gain an awareness of how our energy companies are making a profit on our backs,” said Danyel Johnson, who sits on the board with the Central Area Association.
For both whites and Blacks in low income areas, the number one concern lately is scraping by with the basics in life, like food and housing. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to fight the power or the power companies. There’s no time to think about how it impacts them directly.
Johnson is hoping that local African Americans will get out for the documentary, a mind opening experience, and see that energy is more than flipping a switch. In the coming months, several films are planned to cover high impact social issues in the community.
“It all boils down to profit,” Johnson said. “That is all a corporation is set up to do, and you would like to think that they care about the residents of a particular area.”
Specifically, the film looks at a coal mining corporation and its influence in the largely white Appalachian Kentucky town, and a resulting split between those who need jobs and those who see the company trying to destroy the environment. That community also stands concerned about the subsequent rise of PCB’s levels in city water.
“For the Black community, for all communities, it’s being aware of not just the benefit that you get today by going along with desire for profit, but understanding the long term ramifications,” Johnson adds.
As America runs out of energy resources and jobs, coal mining coming into a place like the Appalachians with the promise of jobs and security sounds great, but at a high price.
She sees a strong correlation today in local communities of color, where there is heavy presence of high voltage power lines along with more traffic into the port of Long Beach that generates more pollution. That, in turn, brings on more asthma and related illness.
“It’s not that far of a leap from Appalachia to low-income southern California,” she said. “Despite what all the hate mongers want to say, this country is based on profit corporations, rich people and poor people.”
Evidence mounts with a variety of studies around the health impact of high voltage lines. Some say the towering power lines are linked to childhood leukemia and other cancers, while some studies are viewed as inconclusive. At least one study draws a correlation between electromagnetic fields and breast cancer.
John Malveaux, president of the Central Area Association, said the film is an important examination of power and money-based struggles that exist from the poorest white rural areas down to the poorest communities of color.
The film highlights the age-old problem of how big companies come in bringing hope of more jobs to poor people, at the same time gaining a foothold to the purchase of land and carry out their mission of exploitation.
“Electrical [power] lines are often located in minority community,” he said. “It speaks to community civic engagement, what a community can do to combat the outside influences of money and power over a community.”
By Dianne Anderson, Long Beach Leader
What exactly do the Appalachia Mountains in the deep down rural coal-mining Kentucky town have in common with low-income Black city folks?
As it turns out, a lot more than either side can imagine.
An upcoming screening explores something that most Americans should be able to relate to by now, no matter their color--powerful energy companies trying to cut a profit and its impact on the poor.
While Appalachia struggles with coal as its primary energy resource, urban areas across America are also dealing with their own energy problems, such as high voltage lines strung across mostly low- income communities, which typically translate to mostly Black and Brown people.
On Tuesday, November 30, the Central Area Association and Long Beach Public Library is sponsoring this month’s screening of “Deep Down,” an exploration of what happens when big business wins favor over communities under the promise of jobs. The community cinema film screening will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the main library.
“It’s important to come out and gain an awareness of how our energy companies are making a profit on our backs,” said Danyel Johnson, who sits on the board with the Central Area Association.
For both whites and Blacks in low income areas, the number one concern lately is scraping by with the basics in life, like food and housing. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to fight the power or the power companies.
There’s no time to think about how it impacts them directly.
Johnson is hoping that local African Americans will get out for the documentary, a mind opening experience, and see that energy is more than flipping a switch. In the coming months, several films are planned to cover high impact social issues in the community.
“It all boils down to profit,” Johnson said. “That is all a corporation is set up to do, and you would like to think that they care about the residents of a particular area.”
Specifically, the film looks at a coal mining corporation and its influence in the largely white Appalachian Kentucky town, and a resulting split between those who need jobs and those who see the company trying to destroy the environment. That community also stands concerned about the subsequent rise of PCB’s levels in city water.
“For the Black community, for all communities, it’s being aware of not just the benefit that you get today by going along with desire for profit, but understanding the long term ramifications,” Johnson adds.
As America runs out of energy resources and jobs, coal mining coming into a place like the Appalachians with the promise of jobs and security sounds great, but at a high price.
She sees a strong correlation today in local communities of color, where there is heavy presence of high voltage power lines along with more traffic into the port of Long Beach that generates more pollution. That, in turn, brings on more asthma and related illness.
“It’s not that far of a leap from Appalachia to low-income southern California,” she said. “Despite what all the hate mongers want to say, this country is based on profit corporations, rich people and poor people.”
Evidence mounts with a variety of studies around the health impact of high voltage lines. Some say the towering power lines are linked to childhood leukemia and other cancers, while some studies are viewed as inconclusive. At least one study draws a correlation between electromagnetic fields and breast cancer.
John Malveaux, president of the Central Area Association, said the film is an important examination of power and money-based struggles that exist from the poorest white rural areas down to the poorest communities of color.
The film highlights the age-old problem of how big companies come in bringing hope of more jobs to poor people, at the same time gaining a foothold to the purchase of land and carry out their mission of exploitation.
“Electrical [power] lines are often located in minority community,” he said. “It speaks to community civic engagement, what a community can do to combat the outside influences of money and power over a community.”
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News & Screenings
Welcome to the blog for Deep Down. This is where we post announcements, screening information, and updates about our film, as well as articles and news about related issues. Check out the full list of upcoming screenings and special events. If you're interested in hosting your own screening, see our host a screening page and please contact us so we can post your screening information here. To stay connected or get involved, join our newsletter (at right).
The Environmental Protection Agency's action taken last week to revoke Arch Coal's "Spruce No. 1 mine" permit in Logan County, West Virginia is an unprecedented move, and the result of multiple efforts to halt the destructive practice of mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia by citizens and organizations.
telegraph 21, the innovative platform for documentary filmmakers, is proud to announce a special week of programming and events to celebrate the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) Producers Institute for New Media Technologies' first-ever New York City Institute. From January 10th – 16th, telegraph21, an online video platform that features the best documentary films and art videos from around the world, will bring highlights from the Producers Institute to a global audience of students, filmmakers and media pros, co-host screenings and a panel discussion for workshop participants.
