Dwight Billings, Professor of Sociology and Appalachian Studies, and Kate Black, Curator of the Appalachian Collection, discuss the historical significance of the 1931-1932 strike.
Dwight Billings, Professor of Sociology and Appalachian Studies, and Kate Black, Curator of the Appalachian Collection, discuss the elements that made the 1931-1932 strike an important event in labor history.
Click to Watch Video, "The Archival Collection: Where Does It Come From and What Can It Tell Us?"
Dwight Billings, Professor of Sociology and Appalachian Studies, and Kate Black, Curator of the Appalachian Collection, discuss how and why Herndon Evans collected this significant group of historical documents about the strike and how the library came to possess them. They also discuss how “reading” historical documents in an archival collection can open a window to historical events.
Click to Watch Video, "Local Elite"
Dwight Billings, Professor of Sociology and Appalachian Studies, and Kate Black, Curator of the Appalachian Collection, discuss how the elite of Bell and Harlan counties participated in the strike. Note that Kate is wearing gloves to handle photographs in the collection. Gloves protect photographs from finger prints and oils on the hands that may cause harm over time.
Click to Watch Video, "Dreadful Memories: Sarah Gunning in Kentucky Coalfields"
This film is used courtesy of Mimi Pickering & Appalshop. Complete film available from www.appalshop.org.
To view this film, enter the password, "sarah" in all lower case letters.
Click to Watch Video, "National Media"
Dwight Billings, Professor of Sociology and Appalachian Studies, and Kate Black, Curator of the Appalachian Collection, discuss how the national media was used during the strike as each side attempted to gain control of the narrative.
Click to Watch Video, "National Miners Union and Other Radical Groups"
Dwight Billings, Professor of Sociology and Appalachian Studies and Kate Black, Curator of the Appalachian Collection discuss the influence the National Miners Union and other radicals, particularly groups of college students who arrived in Bell and Harlan counties, had on the strike.
Click to Watch Video, "New York Writers"
Dwight Billings, Professor of Sociology and Appalachian Studies and Kate Black, Curator of the Appalachian Collection discuss the role of the writers who came from New York to witness and document the strike.