Entries from January 2008 ↓

Well, today I am sick…. and without health insurance……will just have to tough it out.   Anyway, I wanted to spread the word about something going on.  Here is a blurb from a friend that gives all the details.

Help Patriots For Peace and Citizen Action Group

The web-based straw poll we are launching (VoteWV.net) will give West Virginia voters a chance to express their choice for a presidential nominee prior to February 5th, when the primary races may be effectively over.  In the process we are hoping to underscore the importance of the Iraq War, and its disastrous effects on the economy, as issues in this election.

By launching the website at the voter registration office, we want to stress the importance of West Virginians casting a real ballot on Election Day and participating in the political process at all levels.  The Voter Registration office will be closed on Sunday, but we intend our brief gathering there to call attention to the fact that many West Virginians feel closed out of the primary process because West Virginia is one of the last five states to hold their primary election.

Vote WV January 27 through February 5

So go visit the website and vote.  Let your voice be heard!!

Oh and by the way, even though I am really sick…….tomorrow I get to spend the morning at DHHR sifting through papers as part of our FOIA request regarding the “new Medicaid plan”.  Hopefully someone, somewhere has real numbers we can look at.

Well the students left on Friday. Saturday I slept and Sunday I cleaned my house. Even though the students were only here a week it seems enough time to form a bond.  I will miss them.  Now I have to play catch up and settle back into the everyday craziness of running DAWG and trying to change the world.  Not to mention ……the state legislative session began while the students were here and I haven’t even had time to finish reading Gov. Machin’s State of the State let alone started following any of the bills yet.

This was the first time we have ever hosted such a large group for this length of time.  It was a great learning experience for the entire organization.  We have some lessons learned like don’t always rely on Internet directions and just because a speaker was good once doesn’t mean they will be someone you want to ever hear again.  Such as a certain Pastor, that will remain nameless, who referred to all children without fathers in the home as orphans and tried to justify it by calling it a Bible reference.  That was a lesson for me in “good ol’ keep your mouth shut”.  That was one argument I knew I could never win because he is staunch in his views and I really didn’t see wasting my time trying.  There are more important battles to be won.  Needless to say, I don’t think we will explore further collaboration. 

Being with the Appalachian Immersion Trip participants really gave me a chance to recharge my batteries.  Sometimes it is hard to continue to fight the good fight and just when I was really having some doubts about myself and DAWG, these wonderful people show up and let me know how great we are and what an amazing thing we are doing here in West Virginia.  It has made me take a look at what we really are doing and what we want to continue to move forward with in the organization.  I am pumped and ready to hit the ground and do some organizing. I am really excited about the great connection we made with the WV Head Start Association and the video we are working on.  It is really encouraging for me to find people who get what we are doing and who want to get more involved.  I look forward to the work we - DAWG and the Media Mobilizing Project - are going to be doing with the WV Head Start Association. 

View pictures of the Immersion Trip

The students came and I went with them to .  If you don’t know about what happened in Matewan you should read up on it or watch the movie. A lot of people, including children, lost their lives in Matewan over coal mining and trying to fight for safe working conditions. The history of Matwan nd the Coal Wars is something that is important for everyone to know. Not only for those of you here in West Virginia  but everyone.  It is the only time in history that the US military fired on their own citizens. When we were in Matewan Donna May who runs the Depot Restaurant said during that time there was a train called the Bull Moose Special  it came through where miners were striking to unionize the mines.  As the train rolled by with guns point out the windows, they shot everyone in sight men, women, and even children. The families dug holes to put the children in to shield them from the flying bullets for the next time the train came rolling through.

For along time Matewan’s story went untold because if you admitted you knew anything about what happened you were dead in a matter of months. Everyone in America needs to know this story because even though lives were lost they were not lost in vain. Everyday when people go into the mines, they are safer now and have a union to back them up thanks to those brave miners and their families that stood up and said I have had enough and I will not be treated this way! When the head of the coal company at the time was asked whats more important to you your miners or your mules he said “the mules they are harder to replace”. I was shocked when I heard that statement.

Hearing the story of these miners also made me think about what people in my family have always said.  When I am ready to run to the streets and get in the face of someone about something I believe in, my family says ”is it worth dying for if ?” . If the answer is yes then go do it. The answer was yes for these people and the answer is yes for me to end poverty. It is a cause I would die for and I am not afraid to stand up and fight for what is right like these brave souls were not afraid to stand up.

On the way to Matewan the students talked with me about Teen DAWG and how we started that day at the capitol during the stop the TANF cuts rally. How we took matters into our own hands and when we saw the head of the welfare department walking on the capitol grounds we were off and chased him clear to the other side and surrounded him demanding answers…And I also joke that that was the only time I ever ran.

 They spoke with our teens in Big Ugly about anything and everything from school to boys and music. They are really interested in Teen DAWG and what we do with the youth here in West Virginia and the fact that we are a statewide project. I talked with them about the upcoming conferences and our Teen 2 Teen reference books we distribute. 

We are planing to make the Appalachian Immersion Trip an annual event and I would love if they met more of our teens. I want to hold a party for them to get to know our teens and for them to see how strong and wonderful our teens are. I am really excited for them to come again and I can’t wait for the teens to meet them!!

Well OK…… so I have had every emotion known to man writing this, but that’s OK.  I miss the students and i can’t wait for them to come back.  I met some great youth and an awesome professor at Ithica named Alicia Swords who was brought up protesting and fighting for justice,like I was. We talked about how we could’t rebel against our parents by getting aressted or leading a walk out like most kids do because our parents did it already and are cool with it.

Also we found out that Carl Johnson, who is from Baltimore with UWA, received a grant from Self Development Of People. The same people DAWG has received two grants from and Teen DAWG received the grant to do our own teen conference this summer from. We learned this after Carl told Jesse Haynes he knew him and told him how…Isn’t that just wild?! At least I think it is. I cant wait to see everyone again…And the new people they bring next time!!

Today is the first full day of our new endeavor.  We are hosting a week long Appalachian Immersion trip for the Poverty Initiative of Union Theological Seminary.  We have about 35 people - students, community organizers, pastors, etc. from various parts of the east coast mainly the New York area.  This morning Rev Dennis Sparks and Rick Wilson spoke to the group about justice issues and organizing.  Prior to arriving in Charleston they were in Wheeling and Philippi. 

If the Wheeling DAWG had her Internet service she could blog about what happened with the group in Wheeling.  But as we all know paying the rent and keeping the heat on comes before paying the Internet bill. 

I know that in Wheeling they met with a group of Head Start parents and also were given a tour of the city by one of our board members and lifelong Wheeling native.  Tonight they are going to hear all about our work and Teen DAWG and then in the morning we are off the Matewan and Big Ugly.