Coal miners -- Labor unions

Scope and Contents This is an oral history interview conducted by Gordon L. Swartz III featuring Karl Kafton, a West Virginia coal miner and active member of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) union. Kafton shares his parents’ story of immigrating to the United States from Ukraine in the early 20th century and his father's experiences working in coal mines in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He describes his childhood in a predominantly immigrant mining community, his experiences in grade school, and...

Scope and Contents Activist documents from the Mountain Community Union (MCA) and the Commission on Religion in Appalachia (CORA). The MCA letter reports on the work to create an Appalachian Citizens' Energy Plan through a major conference and the formulation of a Miners Support Committee. The reports from the Commission on Religion in Appalachia outline the roots of economic inequities by listing the myths of capitalism and by listing the churches, by denomination, and their various contributions...