This post has the potential to turn into a political debate and that is not my intent at all. I just want to feature the culture I have been surrounded by during my time in Pikeville. The reason why the coal industry has been so interesting to me since I've been here dates all the way back to the 8th grade. I traveled to Louisa, KY which right on the boarder of Kentucky and West Virginia. Here the small town depended on coal for their livelihood. They lived and breathed coal and still many people in the area lived in poverty. I spent a week doing service work at various homes and store fronts helping them catch up on almost any project at all. After this trip I knew how important coal could be to some people, especially when it was all they had. Fast forward many years and I started my college career at NKU. The freshman class' common reading book was called Lost Mountain. This book is about the dangers of strip mining to the economy and wilderness. The picture it paints is a terrible one, however, in class I found myself playing devil's advocate. I still had the faces of the people who needed this source of income to survive ingrained in my mind. After the year was over and the topic on campus calmed down it was easier to put my stance on coal mining aside. I didn't like the danger it caused but I also didn't want to destroy hardworking peoples futures. This was still my position when I came to Pikeville.
Everywhere I looked there were "Friends of Coal" stickers, t-shirts, bracelets, license plates, etc. Even on the University of Pikeville's campus we are getting ready to name a new medical school building the "Coal Building." The common reading program at UPIKE supports Kentucky authors and focuses on the lives and history of eastern Kentucky when they make their decision on which book to choose. I've read most of them and enjoyed them (Gap Creek, Coal Tattoo, Clay's Quilt). One thing is for sure though, if anyone chose Lost Mountain as a book for the entire freshman class to read, they would lose their job in a heartbeat.
This is just a snip-it of where I was on the day I heard music down at the city park. I decided to walk down and see what was going on. From the very beginning I could see it was a Friends of Coal event because there were tshirt and signs everywhere! There were coal miners in their uniforms and families surrounding them. There was also a huge cook out set out as well as other free snacks. I didn't want to intrude though so I sat on a bench and observed, listening to music, and smiled as families walked by. One woman came up to me and said "Honey! The rally is about to start! Go get in line and get ya a tshirt and sign to hold on! Ask for a bracelet too! Run on now, hurry!" It must have been her southern charm but before I knew it I was armed with a Support Coal bracelet, a bumper sticker, and a poster. I heard the announcer say "Come on now y'all, get in closer now, we can't have a rally without any people! Scoot in!" Well, you all know how I like to follow the rules so there I went, third row, front and center! I was ready for the rally! I wasn't sure what I was rallying for at first but as the speakers came up one by one and the cheers grew louder I understood that the EPA was attempting to pass legislation that would hurt the coal industry. At some times I was laughing at myself for being caught in the middle of it all and at other times I was tearing up listening to those around fight to support their family members.
One of the speakers said it best, "We don't want to hurt anybody. We don't want to break any rules. We are good people. We want to do what is right. What is right is feeding my family. What is right is helping my local economy. All I want to do is work hard. There is a right and a wrong way to mine coal and I want to continue mining the right way because until the day I die I will be proud to say, 'I am a friend of coal." Some other great coal supporting lines I learned are: When the sun don't shine and the wind don't blow - coal keeps the lights on. Coal: It's a family tradition! If you don't like coal, don't use electricity! Coal: Ending poverty in America. Kentucky Coal = Energy for America. Got electricity? Thank a coal miner! And thank a coal miner, I must. After the rally there was a debate between the two sides and a few days later many people in the mining industry lost their jobs due to some of the decisions that were made. A lot of the students I have been working with have family members who have worked in the industry for as long as they can remember. I'm praying that a solution can be created to keep the environment healthy but also keep people employed as they try to support eastern Kentucky simply by doing old fashioned hard work.
As my supervisor said the next day, "Emily Romito is all jacked up on coal." and as I earned the "Most Likely to be a Friend of Coal" superlative at our end of the year dinner I hope everyone just remembers to look at both sides of an issue. It was easy for many students at NKU to believe coal is evil (me included) because of the one sided book we were required to read. College is a time for ideas to be explored and critical thinking to transpire. I'm glad I had an opportunity to explore more than ideas, I have been able to explore the stories, families, and lives that "keep our lights on."
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