Coal Employment Project
The Coal Employment Project (CEP) was a non-profit women's organization in the United States from 1977–1996 with the goal of women gaining employment as miners. With local support groups in both the eastern and western coalfields, CEP also advocated for women on issues such as sexual harassment, mine safety, equal access to training and promotions, parental leave, and wages. Originally headquartered in Jacksboro, TN, CEP moved to Oak Ridge and added field offices in Hazard, KY, Westernport, MD, and Denver, CO, as well as regional support teams. Its last headquarters were in Knoxville, TN. Founding Women working in the coal mining industry is not recent nor rare. Hundreds of male coal miners brought their wives with them to coal mining camps in the early 1900s. Just because the female sex was not allowed in the mines themselves did not mean they did not help. Living in tents while raising children, cooking, cleaning, and taking part in strikes that demanded better pay and labor conditions for their husbands were only some of the events they participated in. It was only natural that they demanded a larger role in the coal mining workplace. Moreover, during the mid-to-late 1900s, coal mining jobs were