The Battle of Homestead Foundation and the Pennsylvania Labor History Society held a commemoration of the 1922-23 coal mine strike in Windber, PA. The next day they held a commemoration of a failed 1924 Ku Klux Klan raid on the coal mining town of Lilly. This post will focus on the first day. The meeting was held at the Slovak Society of Windber on April 1.
Nick Molinar was the master of ceremony for both events. I was unable to attend all of the first days speakers. However, I was able to profile of labor leader John Brophy by IUP History professor Elizabeth Ricketts. I was also able to record Mother Jones Award presentation to Kipp Dawson , the Irwin Marcus Worker Education Award to John Lepley, and the William Silvis Labor Award to Amy Niehouse.
The 1922-23 Windber Coal strike was nationwide to gain recognition for the United Mine Workers. The strike failed but the struggle continued. Next I will post on the new County Health Rankings numbers for the area. Later I will post on the clash between the panel on the Ku Klux Klan and coal miners in Lilly, PA.
**Update**
I was not the only one filming the events last weekend. Pauline Greenlick filmed one of the panel discussions before I arrived which can be seen above. This was a discussion on women in coal and steel with Kipp Dawson of the (United Mine Workers), Steffi Domike (United Steel Workers), and Amy Niehouse (United Mine Workers).
Pauline Greenlick also included Tom Breiding singing labor songs to open the commemoration. Breiding is styled as the Coal Miners Balladeer.