Black Coal and Red Bandanas

Description

An Illustrated History of the West Virginia Mine Wars

By Raymond Tyler
Illustrated by Summer McClinton
Edited by Paul Buhle

In the early twentieth century, strikes and union battles were common in industrial centers throughout the US. But nothing compared to the class warfare of the West Virginia mine wars. The origins of this protracted rebellion were in the dictatorial rule of the coal companies over the proud, multiracial, immigrant and native-born miners of Appalachia.

Our illustrated history begins with Mary Harris “Mother” Jones’s arrival at the turn of the century. Whitehaired, matronly, and fiercely socialist, Jones became known as the “miners’ angel” and helped turn the fledgling United Mine Workers into the nation’s most powerful labor union. “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living” was her famous battle cry.

In 1912, miners led by stubborn Frank Keeney struck against harsh conditions in the work camps of Paint and Cabin Creeks. Coal operators responded by enlisting violent Baldwin-Felts guards. The ensuing battles and murderous events caused the governor to declare and execute martial law on a scale unprecedented in the US.

On May 19, 1920, in response to evictions by coal company agents, gunshots rang through the streets of a small town in “Bloody Mingo” county. In an event soon known as the “Matewan Massacre”; the pro-union, quick-draw chief of police Smilin’ Sid Hatfield became an unexpected celebrity—but also a marked man.

Events climax with the dramatic Battle of Blair Mountain that pitched the spontaneous Red Neck Army of ten thousand armed strikers against a paid army of gun thugs in the largest labor uprising in US history and the largest armed uprising since the American Civil War.

This graphic interpretation of people’s history features unforgettable main characters while also displaying the diverse rank and file workers who stood in solidarity during this struggle.

“If you want to get a first taste of the struggles of American workers, Black Coal and Red Bandanas is a great place to start. You’ll learn about the conditions that led coal miners to revolt, how they organized, and how they conducted one of the most militant struggles in labor history—all revealed through dramatic imagery and vivid storytelling.”—Jeremy Brecher, author of Strike!

“Black Coal and Red Bandanas vividly tells the story of the dramatic faceoff between American workers and the coal barons, along with their police forces, private detective provocateurs, and gun thugs. The West Virginia Mine Wars drew the lines clearly. Which side are you on?”—Susan Simensky Bietila, contributor to Wobblies! A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World

“I hope this detailed graphic treatment introduces a new audience to one of the most militant labor struggles in the history of the US. Highlighting the contribution of Black miners, and how workers teamed up to fight the bosses instead of each other, Black Coal and Red Bandanas might just be the graphic novel we need right now.”—Josh MacPhee, cofounder of Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative and Interference Archive

“This book opens up a visual portal into an otherwise inaccessible space and time—a portal that rich and powerful people have tried to seal shut for over a century. Black Coal and Red Bandanas is an accessible, exciting, and beautifully rendered celebration of one of the most suppressed and inspiring moments in US history.”—Sam Wallman, author of Our Members Be Unlimited: A Comic about Workers and Their Unions

“As their lamps were beacons of life underground, their bandanas became beacons of courage on the surface. Black Coal and Red Bandanas brings that tenacious spirit to life in this recounting of one of America’s fiercest and longest labor struggles. Coal companies tried to bury these two decades of struggle along with countless bodies, but thanks to this book they will live on.”—Mitch Troutman, author of The Bootleg Coal Rebellion