For more information on the March, please visit:
www.friendsofblairmountain.org/march-on-blair-mountain/
March on Blair Mountain: Appalachia is Rising
JUNE 6-11, 2011
We march to preserve Blair Mountain, abolish mountaintop removal in Appalachia, strengthen labor rights, and invest in sustainable job creation for all Appalachian communities.
*Call to Action*
The March on Blair Mountain is a unifying rally involving labor unions, environmental organizations, scholars, artists, and other citizens and groups. The march commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921, when 10,000 coal miners rose against the rule of the coal operators and fought for the basic right to live and work in decent conditions. Currently, Blair Mountain is threatened with obliteration by mountaintop removal (MTR) mining, and it is here that a new generation of Appalachians takes a stand.
The event will consist of a five-day march from Marmet, WV, to Blair Mountain in Logan County, WV, beginning on June 6th, 2011. Participants will march 10 miles a day, and evenings will consist of workshops, cultural festivities, and music. On the sixth day, June 11th, a large rally will be held in Blair, followed by a march to the crest of Blair Mountain where culminating activities will occur.
In the spirit of the original march–which consisted of mountain folk, African-Americans, and immigrants from all over Europe–we call on a diversity of groups to march in solidarity for the workers, communities and mountains of Appalachia. If you stand with us, you are one of us — a true mountaineer.
*Purpose Statement*
Blair Mountain is where we stand in solidarity for labor and environmental justice! It is where we say ‘no more!’ No more Upper Big Branches, no more Kayford Mountains, Sagos, Buffalo Creeks, Farmingtons or Twilights. We support the right of all workers to form unions, the right to live in healthy environments, the right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions, the expansion of Black Lung benefits, the preservation of our mountains, and the enforcement of environmental and mining safety regulations.
‘Before the union, there were two types of people in the world, the rich and the poor, and it is fast becoming that way again.’ For over 30 years, America has seen a loss of manufacturing jobs, a decline in union membership, a drop in living standards, and an increase in corporate profits. MTR–which requires fewer workers than underground mining–is part of that process. It destroys jobs, mountains, and our health, all for more CEO profit.
We demand that MTR be stopped now, and that a large-scale clean jobs initiative be enacted so that Appalachian workers can lead the nation’s economic recovery. We call for an investment in clean energy development, as well as responsible unionized underground coal mining, as part of a just transition to sustainable energy sources. We all need good jobs and clean air and water, so we must work together as we move toward a clean energy future. Appalachia is Rising, and is leading the way for the prosperous and sustainable economy of the 21st century.