The Red Bandana Awards
At the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, we celebrate the symbol of the red bandana: a simple piece of cloth taken up by striking miners during the Mine Wars as a marker of solidarity in the fight for human rights. To those of us that celebrate this heritage, the symbol represents dedication, true solidarity, and the courage it can take to fight for our rights as Americans and as citizens
of the world. We began an awards ceremony in 2018 to honor our local Appalachian heroes who embody the spirit of this symbol, and now, the Red Bandana Awards have become a proud annual tradition at this people’s history museum.
The Carter G. Woodson Truth Teller Award is bestowed upon those whose work uncovers, documents, analyzes, preserves, and/or disseminates significant aspects of the history of labor activism in the state, particularly the southern West Virginia mine wars. Carter Woodson, known as the “Father of Black History,” who once worked in West Virginia’s coal mines and taught at Berea College, lends his legacy to this award's profound significance.
The Hellraiser Award goes to someone who embodies the spirit of Mary Harris Jones, also known as “Mother Jones,” who first came to West Virginia in 1897 and over the next two decades was threatened, shot at, and jailed while trying to organize miners.
The Hazel Dickens Art Maker Award celebrates artists and musicians whose work champions economic justice, with a special emphasis on the struggles of West Virginia workers and their rich cultural legacy.
2023 Awards Recipients
The Carter G. Woodson Truthteller Award
This year’s Truth Teller Award goes to Marat Moore! Marat, who was on the staff of the United Mine Workers Journal for almost a decade, through both the Massey and Pittston strikes, has made significant contributions to the documentation and preservation of labor history. She has interviewed dozens of women miners, reprinted large parts of those interviews for her book Women in the Mines, and in retirement has engaged in environmental activism, participated in oral histories, was a panelist at our own Camp Solidarity, and has been a dedicated photographer since her first job at a Jonesborough newspaper, doing many photo portraits of women miners.
The Hazel Dickens
Art Maker Award
The recipient of the Hazel Dickens Art Maker award this year is Doris Fields, also known as Lady D. Doris! A Black jazz musician and coal miner's daughter, Doris has her roots deeply planted in Cabin Creek and currently resides in Beckley, West Virginia. Her notable work includes the video series "Those Who Came Before," which highlights the contributions of Black artists and musicians. Lady D is not only recognized for her exceptional talent as a singer and musician but also for her contributions to the community, including speaking and performing at our opening kickoff event for the Blair Centennial. Additionally, her story has been featured in a recent Appalshop film, marking her evolving role as an activist in recent years.
The Mother Jones
Hellraiser Award
This year’s award is dedicated to the West Virginia University Student Union organizers. WVU students have organized a student union partly in response to the budget crisis at the university that resulted in some 275 layoffs, including faculty and staff, and the elimination of programs including all foreign languages, the master's in creative writing, the master's in special education, and some two dozen more.
2022 Awards Recipients
The Carter G. Woodson Truthteller Award
The Hazel Dickens
Art Maker Award
The Mother Jones
Hellraiser Award
2021 Awards Recipients
The Carter G. Woodson Truthteller Award
Dr. Fred Barkey
The Hazel Dickens
Art Maker Award
Elaine Purkey
In Memoriam, 1949-2020
The Mother Jones
Hellraiser Award
Terry Steele
2020 Awards Recipients
The Mother Jones Hellraiser(s) Award
Sister Gretchen Shaffer & Sister Kathy O'Hagan of the Big Laurel Learning Center.
Previous Awards
In 2020, we shifted the focus of our awards to three categories from the original five. The transcripts for each year’s awards ceremony, which detail the merits of our awardees, are available for download:
The History Keeper
In the spirit of
Carter G. Woodson
2019: David Alan Corbin
2018: Gordon Simmons
The Rank & File Rebel
In the spirit of Dan Chain
2019: Robin Ellis and Katie Endicott
2018: Emily Comer and Jay O’Neil
The Truthteller
In the spirit of
Frank Keeney
2019: Paul Nyden, in memoriam
2018: Doug Estepp
The Hellraiser
In the spirit of
Mother Jones
2019: Julian Martin
2018: Charles “Hawkeye” Dixon
Matewan History Maker
In the spirit of Sid Hatfield
2019: Donna Paterino
2018: Johnny Fullen, in memoriam
