African Americans were crucial to the growth of West Virginia's coal industry. Black workers helped build railroads like the Chesapeake & Ohio, Norfolk & Western, and Virginian, and later worked in the coal mines. During World War I, more African Americans from the Deep South moved to West Virginia for mining jobs. By the early 1930s, they made up about 20-26% of the mining workforce in southern West Virginia, though fewer worked in the north. The Great Depression and World War II led to job losses, as machines replaced miners, and Black workers were often the first to lose their jobs. By the 1960s, racial discrimination was widespread, and by the late 20th century, fewer African Americans worked in coal mining. Today, Black miners make up less than 5% of the mining workforce.