THREAD

The history of Appalachia in the past century or so is one of ordinary people standing up against a powerful elite. No politician or election has ever had the kind of staying power that social and labor movement have had in this region. Here are 10 examples:

1. The Mine Wars (1912-1921). When miners with the @MineWorkers and @SPofUSA couldn’t unionize b/c of the bosses’ repression, they took up arms in the largest insurrection in US history since the Civil War.

2. The Elizabethton Strike (1929). Textile manufacturers in TN took advantage of the growing industrialization of the region to drive down wages, but female organizers at the factories started a strike wave that spread across the town.

3. Bloody Harlan (1931-1932). Like the WV Mine Wars, organized miners in Harlan County took on police, politicians, and bosses for the right to unionize in some of the lowest paid and most dangerous mines in North America.

4. The Highlander Folk Center (1932). Started by activist Myles Horton, the @HighlanderCtr trained some of the most prominent leaders of the labor and civil rights movement from the 1930s-1960s.

5. Black Lung Association (1968). Although the UMWA knew about Black Lung in 1942, they didn’t push for it as an issue in the mines until everyday miners and activists formed the BLA in response to intransigent leadership after a major mine disaster.

6. Pittston Coal Strike (1989-1990). One of the most expansive mining strike in the latter half of the 20th century, the Pittston strike spread across 4 states. The miners fought for union benefits using militant tactics like occupations and destroying company property.

7. Occupy Wall St (2011-2012). While major cities had Occupy settlements too, Appalachia’s Occupy movement relied on the community spirit of togetherness and mutual aid to break the power of banks with the aid of labor groups.

8. #55Strong Strike. Organized independently of union leadership by rank and file education workers, WV educators went on a wildcat after Gov Justice agreed to a bad faith deal w/union leaders. This spurred the formation of @CaucusWv.

9. Environmental Protests (current). From the mountain valley pipeline to Rockwool to MTR, environmental groups have used a range of tactics to block the extractive industry from destroying the environment and polluting rivers, taking the fight to politicians taking their $, too.

10. Queer Appalachia (current). Bryn Kelly, an HIV-positive trans woman, writer and musician, had a dream to create a space where queerness and Appalachian identity could be reimagined. @QueerAppalachia’s creation of the “Electric Dirt” zine is the child of Kelly’s dreams.