Mountain Justice Blacksburg

Mountaintop removal coal mining has buried nearly 2000 miles of headwater streams with mining waste in Appalachia; demolished thousands of acres of hardwood forest; and flattened over 480 Appalachian mountain peaks.  And more permits have been approved.

Join us May 30 from 1 to 5 at the Lyric Theatre, located at  135 College Avenue in downtown Blacksburg for a double feature of documentary films on environmental justice:  Catherine Pancake’s Black Diamonds and David Novack’s Burning the Future.

Black Diamonds interweaves the story of citizens fighting mountaintop removal with the perspectives of government officials, activists, and scientists creating a “riveting portrait of … [a] region…caught between the grinding wheels of the national appetite for cheap energy and an enduring sense of Appalachian culture, pride, and natural beauty.”  The film includes music by the likes of Kentucky’s  Sarah Ogan Gunning and Roscoe Holcomb and North Carolina’s Ola Belle Reed, as well as contemporary artists such as Jack Rose and Susan Alcorn.

Burning the  Future focuses on a group of West Virginians fighting the despoiling of their land and the poisoning of their water and includes the story of Maria Gunnoe, a waitress turned eloquent activist for the mountains who won the 2009 Goldman Prize for North America, dubbed the “Nobel Prize for environmentalists.”

Tickets are $10 and all proceeds benefit  Concerned Citizens of Giles County, Mountain Justice Summer, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and Energy Justice Network, all small shoestring operations of all or mostly all volunteers.

And if you cannot attend you can still help sponsor the program ($10 for individuals and $20 for small businesses and non-profits.)  For more information contact Beth Wellington at beth@energyjustice.net.  You can view the facebook invite at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=99368830707

Panel of Coalfield Activists: Sharing Stories of Resistance in the Coalfields
8 PM, Surge 109

Lorelei Scarbro has lived in the Coal River Valley of West Virginia all of her life. Coal has always been part of Lorelei’s life; she is the daughter and wife of coal miners.  Lorelei has become active against mountaintop removal, as she has witnessed the destruction of her land, culture and community.  She is focused on finding economic alternatives to coal that will sustain her community and Appalachian culture.  Lorelei has been a key part of the Coal River Wind campaign, which seeks to place wind turbines on Coal River Mountain instead of the proposed strip mine, which is now looming over her community.

Voices for Appalachia Portrait-Story Project
10am-1pm and 6pm to 8pm, Swoop House Gallery - 512 Progress Street

The Voices for Appalachia Portrait-Story Project is a mobile, networked and volunteer art-media-social phenomenon whose primary purpose is to bring and co-generate an aesthetic and practice of media solidarity to the self-determination of communities and individuals connected to the land they live on.  Hundreds of individuals who live in Appalachia have been sketched and their voices, or stories, are told through their narrative which the individuals themselves hand-write on their portrait.  The  Portrait-Story Project will be in Blacksburg from April 20th to 25th, seeking more stories to be told and individuals to be sketched.  The artwork - hundreds of portrait-stories - will be on display at the Swoop House Gallery located at 512 Progress Street from April 20th to 25th.  The gallery will be open from
10am to 1pm and 6pm to 8pm Mon. thru Fri, or by appointment.  To make an appointment, contact Joe Kelley at (540) 449-3309.

Mountain Top Removal Road Show with Dave Cooper
3:30 PM, Surge 104D

The Mountaintop Removal Road Show includes a stunning 20-minute slide show about the impacts of mountaintop removal on coalfield residents, communities and the environment, and features traditional Appalachian mountain music and shocking aerial photos of decapitated Appalachian Mountains.

On Monday, April 20th at 8pm, there will be an Opening Party and Reception at the Swoop House Gallery, with live music, food and drinks. (The Swoop House Gallery is at 512 Progress Street, the intersection of Progress and Turner St.)

Come out for a good time, and to support the Appalachia Portrait Story Project–a mobile, networked and volunteer art-media-social phenomenon. Its primary purpose is to bring and co-generate an aesthetic practice of media solidarity to the self-determination of communities and individuals connected to the land they live on.  Hundreds of individuals who live in Appalachia have been sketched and their voices are told through their narrative, which the individuals themselves hand-write on their portrait. Hundreds of the portrait-stories will be on display, mostly dealing with Appalachian culture and the resistance against strip-mining.

Come to the opening party to view the artwork, be sketched, and meet the artist! Or come view the art from April 20th to 25th. The gallery will be open from 10am to 1pm Mon. through Fri. (except Wed.) and from 6pm to 8pm Mon. through Fri, or by appointment.  To make an appointment, contact Joe Kelley at (540) 449-3309

This event is brought to you by Mountain Justice Blacksburg, and the Burning Book.

May 17 - 22  - The fifth annual Mountain Justice Summer Camp, in the beautiful mountains near Pipestem in southern West Virginia.  Workshops, great speakers like author Jeff Biggers (”United States of Appalachia”) and Dr. Chad Montrie (author “To Save the Land and People”), famous coalfield activists such as 2003 Goldman Prize winner Judy Bonds and Mountain Keeper Larry Gibson, Earth First! co-founder Mike Roselle, plus mountain music, bonfires, dancing, good food, skill-sharing, and action.  The cost is very reasonable (under $100) for a week of fun and camping with a great group of dedicated young people and experienced activists.  We would love to have you join us!

For a short video of Mountain Justice with scenes from last year’s camp, click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd4yqgXckVY

You can register on line here:

http://www.mountainjusticesummer.org/camp09/registration_form.php

And it only takes a few minutes to register.

A public screen of Mucked with guest speaker Jack Spadaro.

Coal field residents tell their own story from the July 8, 2001 flash floods.  As we search for the causes of the floods where entire communities were swept away, we see devastation of the environment by mountaintop removal coal mining and steep slope timbering.

Mine safety and health and environmental specialist Jack Spadaro has a 39 year career safeguarding people from environmental and safety hazards related to mining.  He continues to serve as an expert witness and consultant in environmental and mine health and safety litigation.

Torgerson 3100, Thursday, April 2, 7pm

This event is free and open to the public.