Lee's Outline
Women and Mountaintop Removal Activism in Appalachia
Lee Penwell
- Introduction to mountaintop removal
- Appalachian culture
- Activism
- 2 leaders: Judy Bonds & Maria Gunnoe
- Why Women?
Discussion Questions:
- In Love Canal women were the main activists in part because they could effectively use their status as mothers to focus on children’s health and push for change. In mountaintop removal activism there is much less of a gender divide, and children’s health is just one of many issues both men and women bring up. However, activism is predominantly carried out by women – what do you think makes women more willing or able to protest mountaintop removal?
- In Love Canal we also saw that the women did not really identify as feminists or environmentalists, and they did not have a good understanding of the broader socio-economic issues driving pollution. Most women in mountaintop removal activism also do not self-identify as feminists and they hesitate to call themselves environmentalists, but they have shown a very good understanding of the “big picture” issues surrounding their situation and they work to change it. Like we asked in Love Canal, can we consider these women to actually be a part of the feminist and environmental movement even though they do not self-identify?