Staff editorials
2011
The 2011 Powering a Nation staff has spent the last 10 weeks developing a project that shows the complexities of our relationship with coal. We hope that you will see how coal powers our lives and get a sense of what that means for people on different sides of the issue.
2010
Ten weeks of reporting and research have resulted in the UNC News21 team understanding U.S. energy needs to undergo sea change. Industry, government and consumers must redefine their roles, actions and relationships with one another to deliver us from the fossil fuel era.
Crawling coal miner
GUEST EDITORIAL BY CHRISTINA HERRELL, A COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER AND A FREELANCE WRITER FROM SYLVESTER, W.VA.
I see that crawling coal miner everywhere.
I see him in black and white, and even pink. He's on the backs and side windows of countless cars and pickup trucks in the form of decals and bumper stickers. I see him on shirts and ball caps. I've seen him on a webpage layout for a social network.
I see him every day on my own skin, in coal-black ink over the veins of my inner right forearm. Every time I glance at my arm, every time I shower, put on makeup or brush my hair in the mirror, I see him crawling, always crawling, reminding me of my roots, of the coal that has been in my blood for generations.
He is there to treasure my dad and my brother, to honor those who have spent their lives digging coal to provide for their families and keep the lights on. He is there to memorialize the 29 wonderful and dedicated men who died at the Upper Big Branch explosion in West Virginia on April 5, 2010, a dreadful day that is etched in my mind and heart as surely as the crawling coal miner is etched on my body.
I will never forget that day, my brother calling to tell me that there was an explosion at Dad's mine, and we didn't know if he was dead or alive. Never forget the hysterical relief and rejoicing when my Mom called back to tell me my Dad was OK. The gift of hearing my father's own voice that night, and the heartache and overwhelming sadness of knowing precious friends and families who would never have that luxury again this side of eternity. I will never forget the profound value of just a few minutes of time, what an impact the very seconds have in our lives, for Dad said if the mantrip carrying him and his crew had left five minutes sooner to go into the mine, they too would likely have perished.
No one on Earth loves and respects these mountains in my beautiful West Virginia home more than my family. I was raised surrounded by mountains, at home, at school and work. The very base of a mountain touched my backyard. My Dad communes with nature and can name every tree and animal one would ever come across in these rolling hills. Being a coal miner, he knows mountains inside out. He loves them, and I love them too.
I am proud to be the quintessential coal miner's daughter. It takes a special breed of man to work in the dark belly of a mountain. Coal mining is not just a job in our community; it is a culture. I grew up with so much gratitude for everything we had because I knew my Dad provided for us with the sweat off his brow, with the black dust covering everything from his face and hands to his boots and bucket. Everything we had came from coal. I came from coal. And I will always appreciate coal.