Video: Which Side Are You On?
October 16, 2012
Below is a compilation of video and photos (courtesy John Clancy) from the ATU mobilization in Cleveland, Ohio.
The song played along in the background is, “Which Side Are You On?,” written by Florence Reece. Reece was the wife of Sam Reece, a union organizer for the United Mine Workers in Harlan County, Kentucky. In 1931, the miners of that region were locked in a bitter and violent struggle with the mine owners called the Harlan County War. In an attempt to intimidate the Reece family, Sheriff J. H. Blair and his men (hired by the mining company) illegally entered their family home in search of Sam Reece. Sam had been warned in advance and escaped, but Florence and their children were terrorized in his place. That night, after the men had gone, Florence wrote the lyrics to “Which Side Are You On?” on a calendar that hung in the kitchen of her home.
Click on the video below to watch:
Recent Comments