Interviews and oral histories

Residents have deep expertise on the impacts of coal dust pollution in Southeast Newport News and Lambert's Point, organizing in resistance, and priorities around solutions and visions for the future. Several themes emerge in these interviews and oral histories, including life in the now-demolished Harbor Homes public housing complex, effects of coal dust on property, home value, and household finances, and the prevalence of health impacts on residents, especially respiratory illness.

Oral Histories 2023–2025

All interviews below collected by Adrian Wood with the Repair Lab.

Name	Date	Type	Notes	Audio	Transcript
Faith Harris	10/1/23	Government figure	Studio interview with co-founder of the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice and leader of Virginia Interfaith Power and Light.	Faith Harris Audio	Faith Harris Transcript
Renee Hoyos	5/4/2023	Government figure	Phone interview with former director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's Environmental Justice department (now defunct).	Renee Hoyos Audio	Renee Hoyos Transcript
Malcolm Jones, Lathaniel Kirts and Billy Mercury	5/30/2023	Repair Lab team member	3-way studio interview with Lathaniel and Malcolm, 2 practitioners-in-residence with the Repair Lab, and their lifelong friend Billy Mercury about growing up in Park Place adjacent to the Lambert's Point Norfolk Southern coal terminal and seeing gentrification unfold.	Malcolm, Lathaniel and Billy Audio
Yugonda Sample-Jones	6/30/2023	Repair Lab team member	Walking interview with East End Newport News resident and leader of EmPower All about the Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) development project and the effects of coal dust on new and existing residents.	Yugonda Sample-Jones Audio (1 of 3)	Yugonda Sample-Jones Transcript (1 of 3)
Yugonda Sample-Jones	2/27/2024	Repair Lab team member	Driving tour exploring CSX's Dominion Terminal and the whole Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) redevelopment in East End Newport News. Also discusses TAME and gentrification.	Yugonda Sample-Jones Audio (2 of 3)	Yugonda Sample-Jones Transcript (2 of 3)
Uneita Scott	4/20/2024	Resident	Media interview and testimonial from former East End Newport News resident whose sister had a lung amputated at 14 years old due to diagnosed miner's lung from living adjacent to Dominion Terminal in the 1970s-80s.	Uneita Scott Audio	Uneita Scott Transcript
Mr. Smiley	6/30/2023	Resident	Short interview and testimonial from East End Newport News shop owner whose business is adjacent to Dominion Terminal.	Mr. Smiley Audio	Mr. Smiley Transcript
Patricia Taylor	11/2/2024	Resident	Porch interview with East End Newport News neighborhood matriarch about what it takes to make systemic change.	Patricia Taylor Audio	Patricia Taylor Transcript
Lawrence Turner	7/7/2023	Resident	One-on-one interview with East End Newport News resident and football coach about East End history, growing up in Harbor Homes, gentrification, and TAME.	Lawrence Turner Audio	Lawrence Turner Transcript
Frankie Williams	2/27/2024	Resident	Short street testimonial from East End Newport News resident about the coal dust and its effects.	Frankie Williams Audio	Frankie Williams Transcript
Anonymous 2	4/20/2024	Resident	Testimonial from a couple who regret buying their house in East End Newport News due to the coal dust.	Anonymous 2 Audio	Anonymous 2 Transcript
Anonymous	4/20/2024	Resident	Testimonial from an East End Newport News resident about his experiences growing up in Southwest Virginia, his memories of community defense against polluters there, and comparisons to the present in Newport News.	Anonymous Audio	Anonymous Transcript
Millie Taylor and Raymond Wazeeradin with Yugonda Sample-Jones	6/30/2023	Resident	Porch conversation with lifelong East End Newport News residents touching on East End's Black history, renaming projects, the Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) and gentrification, as well as the history of CSX and coal dust as a nuisance.	Millie Taylor and Raymond Wazeeradin Audio	Millie Taylor and Raymond Wazeeradin Transcript
Donquitta Clements	6/28/2023	Resident	One-on-one with lifelong East End Newport News resident that narrates health issues, nuisance and mental health problems caused by coal dust. Also discusses gentrification due to Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) and Tidewater Air Monitoring Evaluation (TAME).	Donquitta Clements Audio	Donquitta Clements Transcript

Media featuring resident interviews

• Council Gets Air Pollution Control Plan, Daily Press, December 18, 1956
• Dust Covered Apartments (Continued from Page 1), Daily Press, May 5, 1984
• Vogelsong, Virginia Will Begin Monitoring Air Pollution around Hampton Roads Coal Terminals: Residents of Newport News’ East End Say There’s Been Too Many Studies and Too Little Action, Virginia Mercury, April 19, 2022
• Janney, Study Aims to Test Effects of Coal Dust, but Residents are Skeptical Change Will Come, The Virginian Pilot, November 3, 2023
• Hollingsworth, Newport News Residents Voice Concerns about Coal Pollution, 3WTKR, January 23, 2024
• Saitta, Newport News Residents Say Coal Dust is the Source of Some Health Problems, WTKR, April 20, 2024