Louisville Anti-Racist Action: Defend Kentucky, No Nazis in Pikeville!

Make no mistake, these groups are not, have not, and will never be allied with the legitimate aspirations of working class people. It has come to our attention that these nazi organizations have collaborated to host one of the biggest white nationalist conventions to date in Pikeville, Kentucky, at Jenny Wiley State Park on April 28-29, 2017.

Contrary to their rhetoric, they are not fighting to make the lives of working-class folks better, or to protect the rights of blue-collar workers. The current administration they so vehemently advocate as good for workers and their families, has only consolidated power and money for the very rich. All the while they are defunding social programs, voting against benefits for veterans, undermining unions with “right to work”, defunding women’s health clinics, dismantling public education, gagging state and federal regulatory bodies, criminalizing leftist social movements and stripping immigrants of their rights as American citizens.

These white nationalists are actively working to make our communities unsafe for women, people of color, Islamic people, Jewish people, LGBTQIA folks, laborers and anyone actively resisting their call for white separatism and racially motivated violence. They are only interested in supporting white citizens, to further divide people, bending the narrative to promote their fascistic platform and climb higher on the political ladder. The greatest lie ever imposed on America’s working class; that white workers do not have affinity with workers of other creeds or nationalities. We will not remain silent while these opportunists attempt to hijack our history of working class solidarity.

Smilin’ Sid Hatfield

Pike County is the home place of Smilin’ Sid Hatfield, of black, white, and Italian miners who fought the coal company’s hired thugs and the might of the federal government to protect their rights and build a dignified life for their families. Those of us from that area lay claim to our culture, to the red bandana, to the sacrifices made by our ancestors on Blair Mountain. As Louisville ARA, we stand against nazis, whenever and wherever they show their faces or spew their hate. We will be present at this conference and everywhere else they go. We stand in solidarity with the residents of Pikeville, and with anyone else who stands up against fascism. We invite you to do the same. The rising tide of white supremacy must be dismantled.

Their ideas don’t keep our people safe. For this reason, they are not safe. Not in Appalachia, not in Kentucky, and not anywhere else. We will be there, and we will not be alone.

Love and Solidarity,
Louisville Anti-Racist Action

“Don’t scab for the bosses,
Don’t listen to their lies
Us poor folks haven’t got a chance,
Unless we organize
Which side are you on? Which side are you on?”
Florence Reece, Harlan County, KY 1931

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