Aunt Molly Jackson and the Harlan County Coal War

Aunt Molly Jackson (1880-1960) was born Mary Magdalene Garland in 1880 in Clay County, Kentucky. She was a protest singer, a union activist, and a midwife. Born in an Appalachian coal-mining community, she fought the coal mine’s tyranny throughout her life through her union activities and song. As a midwife, Jackson witnessed the suffering among the coal-working families as mothers miscarried, died in childbirth, or gave birth to children with birth defects because of the poverty and pollution. Both of her husbands were coal miners. A mining accident killed the first husband, and the coal companies pressured the second husband to divorce her after they jailed her for union activities. By the time the Harlan County coal wars erupted, Molly Jackson stood alone, fighting the battles that would define her life.

The Harlan County War, also known as “Bloody Harlan,” started on February 16, 1931. Harlan County Coal Operators’ Association cut wages by 10% while the Great Depression was already devastating miners’ families. When the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) began organizing efforts, the coal companies retaliated by firing and evicting union supporters from their company-owned homes.

Coal companies used armed, deputized private guards with broad legal immunity. Sheriff J. H. Blair openly sided with mine owners, intensifying tensions. In May 1931, a major gunfight erupted between striking miners and local guards. Gunfire killed two police officers, a store clerk, and a miner. Violence spiraled out of control with mines being bombed, homes being burned, and the conflict spreading and lasting nearly a decade.

By singing about what others feared to speak, Molly Jackson ensured that the story of coal workers’ battles against the coal companies would outlive those who tried to bury it.