Since the fall of the steel industry in this country, the majority of Appalachia's metallurgical coal reserves have been going overseas. Some goes to Europe…
Continue reading → The Love-Hate Relationship of Exporting Appalachian Coal
Why did Kentucky legislators have to take away from teacher pensions? Why is there not enough money to make their pensions sustainable? Is it because…
Continue reading → Standing in Solidarity with Kentucky’s Teachers
The boom and bust cycles of coal markets have always worked to the advantage of coal companies more than Appalachian communities. In some of Central…
Continue reading → The Only Way Out for Appalachia’s Coalfields
Since I left the mines and joined the ranks of people fighting for justice in our world, I've met many people who I consider to…
When I attended Clintwood High School throughout the mid-90s, there was an amazing lack of ethnic diversity. Our school was 99.8% white. It goes without…
Since the last presidential election, I’ve witnessed a near constant stream of ridicule against Appalachian people who voted for Trump, “They are getting what they…
Continue reading → Appalachia’s Coalfields Weren’t Always Red
Anyone who has worked in a coal mine knows that only loyalty to the company bottom line could raise someone from the ranks of a…
Trump won the vote in Appalachia because people are tired of being looked down upon. Considering the work of powerful industry interests, a century’s worth…
Continue reading → Stereotyping Appalachians Feeds Only the Coal Industry
I do not subscribe to the labels being thrown out these days. I do not consider myself an environmentalist, a liberal, nor do I consider…
The following is an excerpt from a reflection I wrote December 2015. It was a warm afternoon when we arrived in Holly Springs, Mississippi.…
