Founding Director of Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center Stephen Sanders Dies

Stephen Sanders, the founding director of the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, died Jan. 12 in Lexington. He was 74. Sanders’s death removes a long-standing legal advocate for eastern Kentucky coal miners at a time when many families in Perry County and across the region continue to seek compensation and safety protections tied to the coal economy.

Born in Cincinnati, Sanders spent the bulk of his career in eastern Kentucky. He practiced with AppalReD Legal Aid for 25 years before serving 17 years as director of the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, an organization based initially in Prestonsburg. Under his leadership a small legal staff concentrated on representing coal miners in cases tied to mine safety and disability claims related to black lung disease.

Sanders and the center gained regional recognition in 2018 when the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center won an East Kentucky Leadership award, an event at which Sanders was interviewed on WYMT. His work focused on legal avenues that could secure medical benefits and protections for miners and their families, a role that has direct bearing on household finances and public health in Perry County, where generations of residents have worked in the mines.

For local residents the immediate impacts are practical and organizational. The Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center has been a steady source of legal help for individuals navigating complex claims and regulatory processes. Sanders’s departure creates a leadership gap that the center will need to fill to maintain continuity on ongoing cases and new filings. Many clients rely on sustained legal representation to preserve disability benefits and pursue mine safety claims that affect workplace standards and long-term health outcomes.

Sanders spent his last months battling brain cancer. His obituary and funeral arrangements have been posted. He leaves behind a legacy of legal advocacy that altered outcomes for miners and families throughout the region.

The broader economic context underscores the importance of institutions like the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center. As coal employment has changed over recent decades, the legal and medical consequences of mining work - including claims related to black lung - have remained present in household budgets and community health. For Perry County residents, that means watching how the law center manages its transition and ensuring access to legal help remains uninterrupted.

What comes next for readers is practical: monitor announcements from the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center about leadership and case continuity, and check posted obituary and funeral information if you wish to pay respects. The community’s need for experienced legal advocacy on mine safety and disability claims will persist, and the center’s next steps will matter for many local families.