Above photo: Jessica Sims.
Multi-state event brings together communities and advocates for justice and clean energy.
Monroe County, WV – The Walk for Appalachia’s Future, a multi-day event amplifying the Appalachian region’s fights for environmental justice and renewable energy, launched on Tuesday, May 24 in Ireland, WV and continues through June 4, where the final event will be a youth-led rally in Richmond, VA. The Walk is bringing together community members and allies to highlight environmental damages caused by the fossil fuel industry, and the need to cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
The Tuesday, May 24 program featured an event in Ireland, WV with a photography exhibition and a guest speaker, Rose DeProspero, who shared testimony and images of the sedimentation from the Mountain Valley Pipeline occurring at her home. The Wednesday, May 25 program took walkers through Charleston, WV, to an overlook at Hawk’s Nest State Park, and included a film screening of Hard Road of Hope, which details the community impacts from WV’s transition from coal to fracked gas.
On Thursday, May 26, walkers traveled to White Sulphur Springs where featured guest speaker Autumn Crowe, of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, shared information about the endangered candy darter fish, and a community gathering honored those lost to, and impacted by 2016 flooding which occurred in the area.
Today brought the walk to Monroe County, WV where a ‘Seeds of Resistance’ corn planting occurred near Hans Creek, walkers met with directly impacted community members and the attendees toured some of the beautiful region at risk from the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
Saturday, May 28 features the annual ‘Hands Across the Appalachian Trail’ event, to be held in Pearisburg, VA, near the Appalachian Trail crossing from 1-3pm. The event features live music, refreshments and featured speakers including Kirk Bowers and youth leader Callie Coffey. Walkers will descend from Peters Mountain to attend the public event. The Walk for Appalachia’s Future continues until June 4, traveling to Roanoke, VA, Chapel Hill, NC and Richmond, VA.
You may find a detailed itinerary here.
The Walk for Appalachia’s Future is organized by environmental justice workers from West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and beyond, and members of seasoned organizations such as 7 Directions of Service, POWHR, Beyond Extreme Energy, NC Alliance to Protect the People and the Places We Live, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Th!rd Act, and others.