Labor in Motion
The proposed project in Pound seeks to uplift and engage with the labor movement history of our region. As we see a global resurgence in collective struggles for liberation and labor justice, the residents of Pound wish to pay tribute to the workers who gave their health and their lives to the labor struggle over the past century. While there are already dominant labor narratives surrounding our region, primarily around miners and the mining unionization fights, we see an opportunity to broaden that discussion to include the voices and sides of labor that have been intentionally silenced or unintentionally forgotten. Our community vision is to incorporate this into an ongoing effort to transform a landslide site into a pocket park that will uplift our labor history through a stage component and brickwork on the retaining wall.
In the News
Project Collaborators
Emma Kelly
As a field coordinator for Appalachian Voices, Emma will facilitate the community outreach and engagement portions of this project, as well as convene the advisory committee and provide technical assistance throughout the project.
Leabern Kennedy
Leabern, who serves on the town council and as Vice Mayor of Pound, will be the project lead. She will oversee the completion of project deliverables, coordination of the stakeholders and participants, and the Pound staff managing the financials for the grant. Leabern will also coordinate the town council’s role in advancing the grant.
Dr. Marian Mollin
Dr. Mollin will serve as one of the faculty partners on this project. She will help with narrative and concept creation and contextualization.
Advisory Council
Josh Outsey
Joshua Outsey is a lifelong Appalachian actor, community organizer, and performer. He is a co-founder of “ Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development” (SEEED) in Knoxville, TN. In 2014, he served as a fellow in the Appalachian Transition Fellowship at the Highlander Center for Education and Research and currently works on the archive team at Appalshop, researching and documenting the history of Black Churches throughout Central and South Central Appalachia.
Mary Cromer
Mary Cromer is a environmental law attorney for Appalachian Citizens Law Center, and also lives on a farm in Pound that has been in her family since the 1840s. Mary represents individuals in Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky on a variety of environmental justice issues related to the legacy costs of coal mining, including landowners’ rights issues, toxic waste disposal, and safe drinking water.
Debbi Hale
Debbi leads Pound’s tourism efforts, and her recent achievements include a grant from the Department of Wildlife Resources for bear-proof trash cans, a grant to buy four GRIT Freedom Chairs to allow folks with limited mobility to explore off road, as well as new signage and an informational kiosk funded by a grant from the Nature Conservancy.
Randy Hamilton
Randy has lived just outside of the town limits all his life. He currently runs Hamilton Construction with his main offices located in Pound. As a business owner, Randy brings an important stakeholder viewpoint community development project like this.
Marty Robinson
A lifelong resident of Pound, Marty has spent his life working for the Mine Safety and Health Administration. He is also a proud union member and is excited to lend his perspective on labor in his hometown
Artists
Dana Jo Cooley
Dana Jo Cooley, a native of Whitwell, Tennessee, is a distinguished contemporary artist and theologian. As a Presidential Scholarship recipient, Dana Jo graduated from the Savannah College of Art & Design. She continued her academic journey by earning a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University, specializing in Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture, and receiving a Creative Merit Scholarship. Demonstrating a commitment to the intersection of art and theology, Dana Jo served as the President of Poiesis at Vanderbilt Divinity and continues to contribute as the Poiesis Alumni Ambassador. Currently, she holds the position of Artist in Residence at Downtown Presbyterian Church Artist Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.
Johnny Hagerman
Johnny is a professor of art at Southwest Virginia Community College, as well as a prolific and well-respected brick artist. His works include two murals at the Ronald McDonald House in Johnson City; artwork for the General Shale Brick Natural History Museum in Gray, TN; and sculptures of county music starts near the entrance at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville.