Some of the aims of the mobilization that unites trade unionists, environmental activists, academics, artists and people concerned about the subject, are to strengthen labor rights, to create sustainable jobs and to preserve the Blair mountain, threatened by mining.

Blair mountain is the place where the march is heading to as part of mobilizations that also include a protest and a day of action. According to the organizers of the event hundreds of people participate and they expect a larger turnout as they approach the mountain.

The day of the march is not merely coincidental: it is the day of the 90th anniversary of the “Battle of Blair Mountain” in 1912. That year, there was a big uprising of 10,000 coal mine workers against their employers to fight for their right to a decent work and life.

Today, Chuck Keeney, one of the grandchildren of Frank Keeney – mining trade union leader who led the historical protest – is among the organizers of the mobilization, which seeks to oppose to business plans to exploit minerals in the Appalachians that would destroy the mountains.

“Ninety years ago, Blair Mountain epitomized the struggle of working men everywhere who sought a better quality of life,” said Chuck Keeney, “Today, Blair Mountain’s meaning is very similar, for we march to honor the past and provide a vision for a better quality of life for both mountaineers and all Americans.” said Keeney.

Photo: http://marchonblairmountain.org/