SOCM (Save Our Cumberland Mountains) began in 1971 under the leadership of J.W. Bradley and environmental activists from 5 counties in East Tennessee (Morgan, Claiborne, Campbell, Hancock, and Anderson) who sought fair taxation of absentee land corporations. Together with local leaders and the work of Coalition students, they appealed to the Tennessee government, winning their first battle in 1972. Bolstered by their success, the organization then hoped to help local communities with other issues they encountered. This included fighting against strip mining in the area, primarily against Amax Coal Company who had secured a grant to mine the area. SOCM also fought for the rights of landowners, who at the time had little protection against mineral extraction on their properties. Achieving much these first few years, SOCM then voted to support many other issues besides coal mining. Since that time, much of their work has involved working with Black organizations to dismantle racism, continuing to work for fair taxation, and persisting with its fight against coal. In the last decade, efforts were directed against Mountaintop Removal (MTR) strip mining. And in 2008, the organization changed its name to Statewide Organization for Community Empowerment to better reflect the broader issues and areas served by the organization. It has been “a powerful, multi-racial, statewide organization to work for economic, environmental and social justice issues in our local communities, our state, and our nation.” For more information about current work, go to https://www.socm.org/.
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Interview with Kate Bradley and J.W. Bradley by Evangeline Mee, 29 May 2012, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
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Participatory action research in practice: who owns Appalachia?
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Student Health Coalition Reunion Materials, 2009 and 2013, Southern Historical Collection, UNC Chapel Hill
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J.W. and Kate Bradley Papers, Southern Historical Collection, UNC Chapel Hill
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Interview with June Rostan by Jessie Wilkerson, July 6 2009, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
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Betty Anderson
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Interview with Susan Williams by Jessie Wilkerson, July 10 2009, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
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Charles “Boomer” Winfrey
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Highlights from J.W. Bradley’s collection of papers
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Rethinking quiescence: “hidden transcripts” of community agency
John Gaventa reflects on his early conclusions about the role of quiescence in the Clearfork Valley, recognizing now that he may have under-appreciated ongoing forms of resistance, such as through storytelling, music, and other invisible acts. He pulls on political… Continued
Reflections on the SHC’s approach to community healthcare
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Interview with Neil McBride by Jessie Wilkerson, May 27 2010, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
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Interview with Suzanne Kurth by Joey Fink, May 11 2011, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
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Progression of the Black Lung Association under new union leadership, 1972-1973
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Maureen O’Connell’s introduction to SOCM and the SHC
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The role of themes and tendrils in packaging the Coalition narrative
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Kate Bradley
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Findings of the 1971 land ownership study and subsequent legal action
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Interview with Carol Ford by Evangeline Mee, 30 May 2012, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
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Interview with Maureen O’Connell by Jessie Wilkerson, August 11 2010, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
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Interview with Linda L. Smotherman by Evangeline Mee, 31 May 2012, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
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Empowering others to conduct own research
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Interview with Melody Reeves by Joey Fink, August 9 2010, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
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Article: “Higher Appalachia Coal Taxes Asked,” from the New York Times
Stuart, Reginald. “Higher Appalachia Taxes Asked.” New York Times, June 22, 1974. Read article online. Continued
Pat Kalmans
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On SOCM’s early days and development as a threat to strip mining
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Cindy Lutenbacher
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On the interplay between land ownership and mineral rights
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ETRC’s lawsuit against Davidson County Health Department
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Tom John and Rick Davidson on their ongoing connections with community members
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SOCM’s and the SHC’s culture of ‘family fun’
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Betty Anderson’s introduction to SOCM
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Irwin Venick
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Mo & Boomer
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Maureen and Boomer on the Coalition’s Legacy
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Interview with Mary Herr by Jessie Wilkerson, May 19 2011, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
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J.W. Bradley
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Charles “Boomer” Winfrey’s origins with SOCM
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Interview with Betty Anderson by Jessie Wilkerson, August 15 2009, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
Betty Anderson was born in Scott County, Tenn. on March 26, 1936. In the 1970s, she became involved with Save Our Cumberland Mountains, a social justice organization that addressed strip-mining and other community issues in Tennessee and Kentucky. She became… Continued
Marie Cirillo
Contributed by John Emmeus Davis, 2015. Marie Cirillo was born in Brooklyn in 1929. Her father had emigrated from rural Italy. Her mother had grown up in a small Catholic community in central Kentucky. Every summer, her mother returned to… Continued
Interview with Kate Bradley and J.W. Bradley by Evangeline Mee, 11 August 2012, Southern Oral History Program, UNC Chapel Hill
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Decline of coal camp healthcare and subsequent basis of need for reform
Charles “Boomer” Winfrey and Maureen O’Connell discuss the local healthcare setting upon Save Our Cumberland Mountain’s (SOCM) and the Student Health Coalition’s (SHC) early stages of community organizing in East Tennessee. Maureen details several local factors which established a major… Continued
The Appalachian Land Ownership Study: an emblem of citizen-driven participatory action research
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