Junior Walk
Whitesville, WV
Challenging big coal's power in Appalachia
Junior Walk lives in one of many coal-dependent communities of West Virginia, where criticizing the coal industry can be grounds for ostracism. But Junior, who was mentored by the late anti-strip-mining activist Judy Bonds, continues to challenge Big Coal’s power in Appalachia. He was a keynote speaker at the 2011 PowerShift conference in Washington, DC, and travels across the nation educating people about the long-term environmental, health and community degradation caused by coal mining. Junior works with organization like Coal River Mountain Watch and Radical Action for Mountain People’s Survival (RAMPS) to bring awareness and change to the people whose lives are deeply affected by the coal industry.