Julia Bonds
Encyclopedia
Julia "Judy" Bonds was an organizer and activist from the Appalachian Mountains
of West Virginia, United States. Raised in a family of coalminers, she worked from an early age at minimum wage jobs. Bonds was the director of Coal River Mountain Watch (CRMW). She has been called "the godmother of the anti-mountaintop removal movement."
of Richmond, Virginia
and the devastation in Coal River Valley's Marfork Hollow as well as other communities in Appalachia
. Bonds testified against the company at regulatory hearings, filed lawsuits against surface mining and led protests against Massey. By 2003, she had led the CRMW into a partnership with the United Mine Workers Union to halt mining companies' dangerous use of overweight coal trucks and to convince the state's mining oversight agency to better protect valley communities from mine blasting. In 2009, she brought in actress Daryl Hannah
and NASA
scientist James Hansen
to protest the proximity of a Massey coal slurry dam and storage silo in the vicinity of a West Virginia elementary school. Coal River Mountain Watch, the Sierra Club and other groups filed a lawsuit in April 2010 accusing the company of violating the U.S. Clean Water Act
.
For years, she dreamed of a "thousand hillbilly march" in Washington, DC. In September 2010, that dream became a reality as thousands marched on the White House for "Appalachia Rising"', a mass movement to persuade US Congress to halt to the issuance of valley fill and other types of permits that allow companies to completely remove a mountain top in the search for coal. After sitting in at the offices of the Army Corps of Engineers, blockading the EPA and PNC Bank, an unprecedented number of about 100 protesters were arrested at the White House.
in 2003, for leading the fight against the mining
practice called mountaintop removal mining in the Appalachian mountain range. In an interview after receiving the award, Bonds told how she relies on the teachings of her mother, her religious convictions (from both her Southern Baptist and her Cherokee backgrounds) and from the writings of Martin Luther King and Gandhi:
Vernon Haltom, co-director of the Coal River Mountain Watch, wrote about Bond's passion for environmental justice in Appalachia:
Bonds died of cancer on January 3, 2011, at the age of 58.
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
of West Virginia, United States. Raised in a family of coalminers, she worked from an early age at minimum wage jobs. Bonds was the director of Coal River Mountain Watch (CRMW). She has been called "the godmother of the anti-mountaintop removal movement."
Environmental activism
Much of her organizing activity focused on the role of the mine operator Massey EnergyMassey Energy
Massey Energy Company was a coal extractor in the United States with substantial operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia. By revenue, it was the fourth largest producer of coal in the United States and the largest coal producer in Central Appalachia...
of Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and the devastation in Coal River Valley's Marfork Hollow as well as other communities in Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
. Bonds testified against the company at regulatory hearings, filed lawsuits against surface mining and led protests against Massey. By 2003, she had led the CRMW into a partnership with the United Mine Workers Union to halt mining companies' dangerous use of overweight coal trucks and to convince the state's mining oversight agency to better protect valley communities from mine blasting. In 2009, she brought in actress Daryl Hannah
Daryl Hannah
Daryl Christine Hannah is an American film actress. After making her screen debut in 1978, Hannah starred in a number of Hollywood films throughout the 1980s, notably Blade Runner, Splash, Wall Street and Roxanne and Kill Bill.-Early life:Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Susan...
and NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
scientist James Hansen
James Hansen
James E. Hansen heads the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, a part of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. He has held this position since 1981...
to protest the proximity of a Massey coal slurry dam and storage silo in the vicinity of a West Virginia elementary school. Coal River Mountain Watch, the Sierra Club and other groups filed a lawsuit in April 2010 accusing the company of violating the U.S. Clean Water Act
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
.
For years, she dreamed of a "thousand hillbilly march" in Washington, DC. In September 2010, that dream became a reality as thousands marched on the White House for "Appalachia Rising"', a mass movement to persuade US Congress to halt to the issuance of valley fill and other types of permits that allow companies to completely remove a mountain top in the search for coal. After sitting in at the offices of the Army Corps of Engineers, blockading the EPA and PNC Bank, an unprecedented number of about 100 protesters were arrested at the White House.
Awards
She was awarded the Goldman Environmental PrizeGoldman Environmental Prize
The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The prize includes a no-strings-attached award of...
in 2003, for leading the fight against the mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
practice called mountaintop removal mining in the Appalachian mountain range. In an interview after receiving the award, Bonds told how she relies on the teachings of her mother, her religious convictions (from both her Southern Baptist and her Cherokee backgrounds) and from the writings of Martin Luther King and Gandhi:
- "My sense of justice and outrage came from my mother. .... We are here to steward this land ... I know what I'm doing is right. They can call me whatever they want. I'm not stopping."
Vernon Haltom, co-director of the Coal River Mountain Watch, wrote about Bond's passion for environmental justice in Appalachia:
- "Judy endured much personal suffering for her leadership. While people of lesser courage would candy-coat their words or simply shut up and sit down, Judy called it as she saw it. She endured physical assault, verbal abuse, and death threats because she stood up for justice for her community."
Bonds died of cancer on January 3, 2011, at the age of 58.
External links
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/thousands-pay-tribute-to_b_804001.html Thousands Pay Tribute to Judy Bonds: She Has Been to the Mountaintop—and We Must Fight Harder to Save It, Huffington Post, January 4, 2011
- Powershift 2007, Judy Bonds speaks on the No New Coal Movement, YouTube. Accessed 4 January 2011.
- ASA 2008 Judy Bonds YouTube. Accessed 4 January 2011..
- Capitol Climate Action, March 2, 2009. Accessed 4 January 2011.
- June 2009, Judy Bonds on talking with pro MTR miners. Accessed 4 January 2011.
- On Coal River. Accessed 4 January 2011.
- Coal River Mountain slideshow. Accessed 4 January 2011.