"When you see all these people with a social security check, you think that fell out of the sky? Thank a union!"

Full Interview Evan Papp discusses the largest armed insurrection in the U.S. since the Civil War with the American System Network. This was recorded in September 2021, shortly after Evan produced a series on the Battle of Blair Mountain for the 100 year anniversary. You can hear the original recording at American System here. Union Solidarity Forever! Additional Content About the Battle of Blair Mountain Voices from the Centennial March to Blair Mountain - Organized by the U

“So why did we want to recreate this March? Because we are bound and determined that the history of our forefathers will not be taken away from us by any rich person or any government.” Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) One hundred years ago, in a rural mountainous stretch in middle America, a violent labor uprising took place, a battle of good versus evil, rebellion against wage slavery, a fight for freedom against tyranny -- yet this hist

“There is another America. Remember it. Those miners died for you. You should at least know who they were. And then let's all follow in their footsteps. Long live the multiracial uprising in the hills of Appalachia in 1921. Long live the Battle of Blair Mountain.” David Rovics U.S. Labor Day weekend 2021 marks the 100 year anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain, which was part of the West Virginia Mine Wars. The battle was the largest armed insurrection in the U.S.

“So the idea was to recruit basically a third black miners, a third immigrant, and a third native white and cramp them all together and they'll fight amongst each other and that way they'll be less likely to unionize. "And it didn't work and the reason it didn't work, the miners themselves were able to actually overcome those barriers...and that helped foster an attitude in which people were able to put aside their differences...to at least overcome their prejudices enough to