#appalshop

[radiodark]

Appalshop shared the other day that they have a documentary that touches on the subject from 1991 available on youtube. I haven’t watched the whole thing as of yet but I understand it starts with the Bhopal disaster as context and moves on to the much smaller but still awful gas leak a year later at the only UCC plant in the US that manufactured MIC in Institute, West Virginia, which sent nearly 200 people from the surrounding mostly Black community to seek medical treatment, unpacking the racism at play and the consequences with an Appalachian focus. (Cw: it starts with live footage of the Bhopal disaster aftermath)

[hillbillyoracle]

Give more rural folks access to film making. Rural horror and urban underdog stories are so damn tired. It's time for urban horror and rural underdog stories.

[1264doghouse]

Appalshop

[hessbynum]

Sue Massek Project - Blog #3 - Which Side Are You On and The Death of Harry Simms

“Well, that didn’t go how I thought it would,” is an apt statement to describe 2024. Back in October I started a multi-month cold, around the same time Sue lost someone very close to her, and the rest of the year felt like an uncontrolled tumble down a steep hill. With all that in mind, it’s not surprising I’ve felt a bit lost here lately. 

I’ve continued the work. Practicing, band rehearsals, dug out song lyrics, decided on new arrangements, etc. I haven’t done much songwriting, but it’s always never far from my mind. I’ve felt myself metaphorically grinding an axe, being deliberate in honing my craft, but to what end? What do I need to do? What *am* I doing? 

This past week I got a gentle reminder what it’s about for me. What I’m about. That I have a voice. And a banjo. I ain’t afraid to use ‘em. As we ramp up 2025, that work becomes critical. Right now, more than ever, folks are picking fights with each other. Folks don’t understand we’re all working class folks. Regardless of which side we choose, all we have are each other. 

I’m taking Cowan Creek Mountain Music School’s winter session, specifically “Songs of Kentucky” with Anna Roberts-Gevalt. This week, we got into some of the work of Aunt Molly Jackson and Jim Garland, specifically “The Death of Harry Simms,” also Florence Reece’s “Which Side Are You On?” and followed it up by watching a documentary on Sarah Ogan Gunning. Dreadful Memories, the story of Sarah Ogan Gunning by Mimi Pickering which I believe is available on YouTube through Appalshop. I had watched it fairly recently, but was ready for a rewatch and honestly, I could probably stand to watch it a few more times. 

It may be a little strange with this blog being about working with Sue, this coming up in Anna’s class, but Sue is my connection to the Garland family including Sarah Ogan Gunning, so it makes sense to me because I learned about so much of this from Sue. 

So let’s get to it. 

“Which Side Are You On?” warrants its own blog, but I think we can look more broadly at what was going on to create these songs which are painfully relevant today. Here’s a clip of Florence Reece talking about the song, writing it in 1931, and singing a little bit of it. J. H. Blair was the sheriff. 

For just the song as sung by Florence Reece, you can find that here.

“Which Side Are You On?” is one of the first songs I learned from Sue. She told us that Florence Reece’s house got shot up by gun thugs. While she was hiding under the bed, she pulled the calendar off the wall and wrote the song. 

Here are the lyrics as I learned them from Sue:

Come all of you good workers

Good news to you I’ll tell

Of how that good old union

Has come in here to dwell

Chorus:

Which side are you on? 

Which side are you on?

Which side are you on? 

Which side are you on? 

My daddy was a miner 

And I’m a miner’s son

And I’ll stick with the union

Till every battle’s won

They say in Harlan County

There are no neutrals there

You’ll either be a union man

Or a thug for J.H. Blair

Oh, workers can you stand it?

Oh, tell me how you can

Will you be a lousy scab

Or will you be a man?

Don’t scab for the bosses

Don’t listen to their lies

Us poor folks haven’t got a chance 

Unless we organize

You don’t have to search very hard to find modern artists performing this song with their own updated lyrics and I have no doubt it will get another face lift in 2025. In fact, I really like this version from Dawn Landes released in 2024 on her fantastic Liberated Woman’s Songbook album.

I couldn’t find a handy recording of Sue singing “Which Side are You On?” but here’s a clip of Sue performing Aunt Molly Jackson’s “I Am a Union Woman” which uses a similar melody. The video has it labeled as Join the NMU. This was part of a play Sue starred in about the life of Sarah Ogan Gunning. Her banjo treatment is just 🔥. 

Aunty Molly Jackson and Jim Garland wrote “The Death of Harry Simms” and the song was popularized by Pete Seeger, so I’m going to go ahead and link Seeger’s version if you want to listen before we get into it. 

So, what was happening to cause these songs? 

The University of Kentucky (UK) has a more detailed write up here about the mining strikes in Bell and Harlan County, Kentucky in general with some videos, but I will try to summarize a bit. You can access their page here though: https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/coal-strike/background-coal-strike 

In 1931-1932, when these songs were written, things were a mess for the coal miners in Kentucky. Back then, coal companies ran company towns. Folks who worked in the mines lived in company provided houses, so when the coal industry went bust with the Great Depression (started in 1929), folks lost everything including their homes. People were starving because there wasn’t any food (the Dust Bowl started in 1930) and the miners went on strike trying to improve conditions. Times were desperate. 

Meanwhile, the coal companies hired a private militia who were then deputized by the local sheriff’s office or authority. These are the “gun thugs” in the songs and they had three primary functions. 1) It was their job to protect the mines and the scabs to the work could continue. 2) Because the coal company owned the houses when someone was fired or otherwise let go, it was the gun thugs job to run people out of the housing. 3) They were there to intimidate folks and try and make the miners compliant, such as by shooting up Florence Reece’s house. The second video on the UK page points out that deputizing the thugs blurred the lines between the private and public sectors. The coal companies, the gun thugs, and the sheriff’s office were all on the same side.

The UK page explains that the miners and their families felt abandoned by the United Mine Workers of America (U.M.W.A.), which created an opportunity for the growing American Communist Party in the U.S. to send a representative of their own union, the National Miners Union or N.M.U. The song references recruiting people for the N.M.U. and getting volunteers for the Y.C.L., the Youth Communist League. So, the N.M.U. sent Harry Simms as a representative to try and help organize the miners. Simms stayed with Jim Garland who was active with the communist group. The UK pages point out that communism was viewed as a fresh idea and the Cold War hadn’t happened yet, which I think is important to remember. 

Things escalated considerably after Harry Simms arrived and Simms was killed by one of the deputized gun thugs. He was only 19 years old. 

Here is Jim Garland’s recording of the song with lyrics below.

Comrades listen to my story

Workers listen to my song

I'll tell you of a hero

Who’s now dead and gone

I'll tell you of a worker

Whose age was just nineteen

He was the strongest union man

That ever I have seen

Harry Simms he was a pal of mine

We labored side by side

Expecting to be shot on sight

Or taken for a ride

By a dirty capitalist gun thug

Who roam from town to town

To shoot and kill our comrades

Where e'er they may be found

Harry Simms and I was parted

At five o’clock that day

"Be careful, my dear comrade"

To Harry I did say

"Now I must do my duty"

Was his reply to me

“If I get killed by gun thugs

Please don't grieve after me"

Just remain a faithful worker, 

Dear comrades, do be wise

Remain a faithful worker, 

Dear comrades, do be wise

Help destroy this rotten system

Don’t fail to organize

He was walking up the railroad track

One bright sunshiny day

He was young and handsome

His steps was light and gay

He did not know the gun thugs

Was a waitin’ on the way

To take our dear young comrade’s life

That bright sunshiny day

Harry Simms was killed on Brush Creek

In nineteen and thirty-two

He organized the miners

In the good ol’ N.M.U.

He fought for the union

That was all that he could do

He died for the union,

Also for me and you.

Now comrades, we must vow today

That one thing we must do

We’ll organize all the miners

In the good ol’ N.M.U.

We’ll get a million volunteers for the Y.C.L.

And sink this rotten system 

In the deepest pits of hell

I can’t tell anyone how to feel about these songs, but I can tell you how I feel about them and what they mean to me.

I believe they're still incredibly powerful and there's so much going on today relevant to what happened back then. To me they’re a reminder of how quickly things can get bad. That whichever side we choose matters and that our actions have consequences. It’s a reminder that everyone has forgotten that we’re mostly all working class and should be on the same side despite our differences. But maybe I'm just an idealist. So, which side are you on? 

[antonio-velardo]

Antonio Velardo shares: After a Flood, Saving Appalachia’s History Piece by Piece by Remy Tumin

By Remy Tumin Appalshop, a cultural center in Kentucky, has recovered more than 13,500 items after a devastating flood a year ago. Many are being restored and digitized. Published: August 7, 2023 at 05:30AM from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/guqd6R9 via IFTTT

[protoslacker]

Appalshop

I was shocked to see this photo on Facebook this morning. Appalshop is a people’s  national treasure. “A Media, arts, education center & WMMT-FM producing & presenting work that celebrates the culture & voices the concerns of Appalachians & rural America.”

I somehow missed this when the flooding was happening late last week. Here’s an AP story from yesterday: Appalachian cultural center reeling from historic flooding. Appalshop’s executive director Alex Gibson is quoted in the piece:

“It’s gut-wrenching to see our beloved building overcome by floodwaters,“We will recover, but right now we are certainly mourning what’s been lost.”

On the Appalshop Facebook page there’s a photo of piles of recording tape and film that left me feeling a little sick. But it’s clear people made real efforts to secure as much as possible before the building was overcome. 

It’s a great time to find out about this marvelous center. Impacted as they are the Center is focused on their mission and the needs of the communities they serve. Help if you can: Appalachian Flood Support Resources

[golden-west]

[cricketpress]

Cricket Press had the privilege of designing this poster for an amazing upcoming event, "Hymns for the Holler" to raise some much-needed funds for Appalshop flood recovery efforts. I mean, look at his beautiful line-up of performers! 100% of proceeds will go toward Appalshop's recovery efforts after the devastating floods last week...including all sales of these posters at the event. Friday, August 12th at The Kentucky Center - Bomhard Theater in Louisville for a flood relief concert to benefit Appalshop, with performances from Joan Shelley, Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin Moore, Joe Manning, Randy Wilson, Heather Summers, and Affrilachian Poets: Asha French, Frank X Walker, Jeremy Paden, and Makalani Brandele. For half a century, Appalshop's vital work has celebrated the distinct and beautiful culture, people, and places of Eastern Kentucky and Central Appalachia. Let's help them build back even stronger!

Poster Details: 4 color screenprint 16″ x 20″ edition of 50 available at event

[rgf-wallsplus]

Amie Villiger Harris, Appalshop "Cumberland Dragon" Mural, Whitesburg, Kentucky. 12.5' x 55'. Info via IU | amievilligerharris.com 

[chuck-clenney]

[brandonraykirk]

Celebrating 50th anniversary at #Appalshop #whitesburg #ky #Appalachia #history #photos (at Appalshop) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3hmJUOHbTQtZCgIQ9Jm30DfR9eyawdCG-OuCg0/?igshid=kxg15ftx2p0r

[seedtimeonthecumberland]

Special Events at Seedtime

At Seedtime, you can come for the music and stay for the special events! On Friday, we’ll have documentary screenings from the Appalachian Media Institute, theater performances, and two galleries: “Tools of Culture Historical Instrument Gallery,” and “Warm Guns at the Gun Sew.” All of that is in addition to the music you’ve been hearing about all week on WMMT!

[kimzplace]

William R. “Pictureman” Mullins photographed black, white, indigenous, & immigrant Appalachians from 1935-55 — correcting the record of an Appalachia that's often whitewashed.

During American Archives Month, let's tell our WHOLE history.

📸Hollyfield family, Mullins, 1945, Appalshop Archive preserved

@kimzplace

[lightningskissed]

I grew up in rural Appalachia. I lived in a county that was hit so hard by drugs that it made national news a lot for a while. I saw families whose kids slept in lean to rooms with space heaters. You get multiple generations living together or near one another cause the oldest generation owns land that people just couldn't afford now. Education is nowhere where it needs to be, and when I was growing up, we lived in two counties that had education fund embezzling scandals. And solved shortfalls by cutting arts and school nurses in one case.

There are coal mining towns that art practically ghost towns because republican leaders want to heavily tax or otherwise discourage other industries that would be interested in setting up there. And they are very good at spinning this to the public who, as mentioned, doesn't always have access to good education.

These people deserve better. And if you want to change the world, it has to start with health care and education.

If you haven't heard of it before, check out Appalshop, an arts and culture center with a focus on Appalachia, education, community, arts, etc.

i hate when someone says “don’t make jokes about rednecks and hillbillies” and some white 21 year old trying to be ‘woke’ says “haha… go ahead and cry your white tears sweatie (:”

no one thinks it’s a racial issue against white people. that’s not why people say to stop that shit. it’s an issue of classism. because the truth is that the majority of y’all who think you’re amazing activists just REALLY fucking hate appalachian people, and i know that because y’all think it’s funny to say “karma’s a bitch!” when something bad happens to an appalachian state.

you don’t care about the poverty in the appalachia and you don’t care about queer people and/or people of color who live in the appalachia. you don’t care about education in the appalachia and you don’t care that these low rates of education mean higher rates of poverty and child poverty, which persist over the years. rural children are twice as likely to live in areas with persistent poverty. you care that poverty stricken children are statistically less likely to not have timely immunizations, have higher delinquency rates, and have lower academic achievement — but only when we’re talking about urban areas outside of the appalachia.

people in our region die earlier than most. mortality rates are higher in the appalachia, and they’re even higher for people of color that live in the appalachia. suicide rates are higher than anywhere else in the country by 17% — it’s 31% higher in central appalachia, and in rural areas within the appalachia, it’s 27% higher than metro appalachia. cancer morality rate is 10% higher, and it’s 15% higher in rural appalachia than metro appalachia. COPD mortality rate is 27% higher, and 55% higher in rural appalachia than metro appalachia. injury mortality rate is 33% higher, and it’s 47% higher in rural appalachia than in metro appalachia. stroke mortality rate is 14% higher — and you guessed it’s, these rates are higher in rural areas vs metro areas by 8%. the rate of Years of Potential Life Lost, which measures premmature mortality from all causes of death, is 25% higher in appalachia, and 40% higher in rural vs metro areas.

the appalachia has an opioid epidemic. in 2015, our rate of death with drugs was 65% higher than the national average. 69% of those drug deaths were from opioids. these deaths have a connection to our poverty and education rates. the poorer you are, and the less educated you are, the more likely you are to die from an opioid death.

when i say “don’t make jokes about rednecks and hillbillies”, that doesn’t mean i think you’re being racist against white people (and again — the majority of people who claim this also happen to be white 🙄). i say that because you are perpetuating extremely toxic rhetoric about our region, you are promoting stigma, you are encouraging blatant classism, and you are furthering the idea that we somehow “deserve” it because our elected officials vote republican. it’s not cute. stop acting like none of us have the right to call you out on your classist bullshit. like i’m sorry if this comes off as too aggressive but i am sooooo sick of y’all thinking it’s funny that our region is suffering.

and before anyone asks me for resources and links: google exists. i did my research and you can do it too.

EDIT: https://www.arc.gov/assets/research_reports/Health_Disparities_in_Appalachia_Trends_in_Appalachian_Health.pdf here, since y’all are too fucking obnoxiously incapable of taking 2.3 seconds google and instead want to claim I pulled random numbers from my asshole

also here https://www.arc.gov/assets/research_reports/Health_Disparities_in_Appalachia_August_2017.pdf

[appalachiananarchist]

Appalachian Flood Relief Resources

Last post update: August 5, 11:50pm

Eastern Kentucky has been affected by historic and devastating flooding this July. Somewhere between 35-40 people are dead. This post is designed to compile information for the relief efforts. It will be edited and updated as new information is made available to me, so if you see this post and want to reblog it, please click on my profile and reblog directly from my page in case I have edited or updated the post! Please message me with questions.

Monetary Donations:

Below is a compiled list of some donation funds for the 2022 Eastern KY flood relief efforts. Please look through these or look into any of these organizations to decide if you are comfortable donating.

Aspire Appalachia (website here)

Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky (website here)

EKY Flood Relief (KY state fund)

EKY Mutual Aid (Twitter here)

Appalachian Regional Healthcare flood relief fund

EKY Heritage Foundation here

Shop Local KY T shirt fundraiser here

Appalachian Apparel T shirt fundraise here and here

Volunteering:

If you are local to the area, please consider a donation of your time. There is a lot of work that needs done and a lot of people needed to do it. You will lose access to clean water, so bring your own. You will need to find your own accommodations if you stay overnight as we are housing many displaced residents already.

Hazard, KY is looking for volunteers to help clean out debris and houses daily. Crews are leaving from the Forum 101 Bulldog Lane at 8am, 10am, and 12pm. You must be over 18. This is physically demanding work. Just show up at the Forum before noon. Bring your own water and food. Long pants and boots required. Tetanus shot recommended. (And if you know a house that needs this service, contact:  606-268-0896)

Contact info for inquiries into volunteer roles in Breathitt county: (606) 233-3502

Perry County volunteer sign up here or call volunteering coordinator at (502) 693-6667

For rescue effort volunteering in Perry County, contact 606-216-6621

Letcher County Central High in Whitesburg is requesting volunteers from 8am to 7pm - simply show up by 8:15am.

Letcher County Central High Mercy Chefs volunteering information

Letcher County cleanup volunteering: contact (606) 733-5620

Kentucky Red Cross volunteer application. Search "disaster action team" to find positions that respond to natural disasters like the flood.

World Central Kitchen Volunteering form (scroll down until you see the entries for “KY Floods”). 301 Perry Cir Rd, Hazard, KY.

Appalshop archival recovery efforts volunteering form

Materials Donations:

If you want to donate items, one of the most desperately needed items in all counties right now is clean drinking water, followed by non-perishable food, cleaning supplies, diapers, formula, and personal hygeine products. Perry county specifically is requesting NO MORE CLOTHING donations. 

Google doc listing various drop off locations

Aspire Appalachia amazon wish list here

Shop Local KY Amazon wish list here

Updated drop off locations for Breathitt County materials donations at Aspire Appalachia's facebook (currently:  First Church of God, Breathitt County Hunger Alliance Panbowl Community Center, Jackson City School, and Vancleve Fire Dept.)

Updated Perry County flood response, including materials drop off locations, here. The ONLY major location accepting drop-offs in Hazard is  the old JC Penny’s building (278 Black Gold Blvd). Perry county water drop off info: contact 513-312-8631. Perry county food drop off info: contact 606-438-9109.

Letcher County: Letcher County Central High School (435 Cougar Drive, Whitesburg)

Letcher County: CANE Kitchen (38 College Drive, Whitesburg)

Letcher County: Pine Mountain Partnership; see link for various drop off/pick up locations and times. 

Further info on drop off information for Letcher, Knott, Floyd, and Pike counties here at Appalshop

Lexington drop off locations: Shop Local KY Warehouse in (1093 West High Street, Lexington, KY); Appalachian Regional Healthcare drop-off location at  2260 Executive Dr Lexington KY.

If you are part of an organization capable of medical supplies donations, please email vanbreedingmd@gmail.com with inquiries. There is an URGENT need for replacement medical supplies!

[bellshazes]

anyone who makes jokes or says the folks in EKY deserve the flooding today can die. straight up fuck you, fuck off, we did this in december with WKY and the tornadoes. I hope every one of these fucking jackass hoity toity high falutin goddamn piece of shit "liberals" goes to hell expediently. just because you hate my state bc mitch mcconnell lives here doesn't give you the right to gloat when children drown and people lose fucking everything. I keep seeing updates from appalshop and coming so close to bursting into tears