Red(neck) Bandana
West Virginia Mine Wars Museum & Shaun Slifer
100% cotton bandana, serged edges
EducationHistoryLabor
56cm square
Justseeds no longer sells these bandanas, because now you can order them straight from the source! Visit the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum's new online shop!
Do you know where the term "redneck" comes from?
The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum preserves the little-known history of an era (~1910-1921) when native-born white, Black, and immigrant miners and their families fought militantly for their basic human rights, culminating in what would become the largest armed uprising of US citizens since the American Civil War: the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921. During this guerrilla war in the Appalachian coalfields, 10,000+ striking miners wore red bandanas around their necks to identify themselves on the battlefield against the white-armband-wearing, industry-funded opposition.
Although the term predates the Mine Wars era, this period is often understood as the birth of the term "Redneck" in the American lexicon. It was originally used as a pejorative in the popular media to denigrate a working class uprising as backwards, uneducated, and dangerous. This is one of many negative Appalachian stereotypes that persist today. Reclaiming this label is a part the WV Mine Wars Museum's strategy for bringing this history into the present!
The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum is a community-driven people's history museum based in Matewan, WV. It opened in May of 2015, and houses rare artifacts, photos, videos, and replicas which tell a chronological story of this often-buried chapter of struggle for labor equity and justice in the Southern West Virginian coalfields. Justseeds member Shaun Slifer worked on the exhibition design, curation, and layout of the museum.
This red cotton bandana features the museum's logo surrounded by a classic paisley design in white. You can only buy them online here at Justseeds, and half of the price of these bandanas goes directly to the museum! Help support a genuine, independent people's history museum in Appalachia! Find out more about the museum here, including how to visit the museum in Matewan (which you absolutely should do).
More in Labor
Tending the Garden at Wonderland
Meredith Stern
Relief Print
Colin Matthes
Peter Nevins
Posts in Labor
The Post in Lisbon
by Josh MacPhee
My old friend Chris from the 56A Infoshop in London recently sent me these great photos of a sticker intervention in Lisbon, Portugal. Like most of the rest of the…
Tying Knots (Essential Knowledge post 8)
by Colin Matthes
Essential Knowledge
Another image that is part of Essential Knowledge: a series of instructional drawings teaching basic skills for success in challenging situations. This is an early one. It is also available as part of…
Solidarity with the Chicago Teachers Union
by Nicolas Lampert
Stand in solidarity with the CTU (Chicago Teachers Union) as they demand a fair contract in a standoff that could possibly lead to a massive work stoppage next week. The…
Posters for the Port Shutdown
by Roger Peet
Art & Politics, Justseeds Member Projects, Posters & Prints
Last Monday, people in cities up and down the West Coast came out to try to shut down the ports. My friend Chris and I put together some posters for…