CLUW - Western Virginia Chapter

Happy father's day to all our union dads and to the mothers who have to be fathers as well. We salute you!

Join us on June 20 as we pay tribute to those who have lost their lives to silicosis and black lung and uplift the people who have fought for miners’ occupational safety and health.

We will also be hosting live music and roundtables with speakers who have been a part of the modern movement for black lung protection, benefits, and advocacy. This will be a part of a reception for the newest exhibit in our Solidarity Gallery, Entirely Preventable: The Toxic Legacy of Silica Dust from Hawks Nest to Black Lung.

Curated by Stacy Kranitz, Entirely Preventable explores the invisible but deadly legacy of silica dust exposure through the work of three artists (Kranitz, Earl Dotter, and Raymond Thompson Jr). Set against the backdrop of historic and contemporary labor activism, the exhibit traces a long arc of resistance from the 1930s Hawk’s Nest Tunnel disaster to the fight to implement federal silica regulations today. This exhibition is both a remembrance and a call to action. ⛏️

Come share stories and ideas with us at our next Commemorate Workshop! This one is in-person on June 27th in Cleveland, Virginia (Russell County). Apply to participate by June 5th.

More information here: https://www.moremountainstories.org/commemorate-workshops
Application here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoNcAplNb1_rJNnJT9tof4jn9UxzVNwYG97889no8judIlBA/viewform

Appalachian Studies at Virginia Tech Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Appalachian Voices Southwest Virginia Conservation Initiative Mellon Foundation