Founded in 2005, Geez magazine is a publication about social justice, art, and activism. It proudly claims that it’s "for the over-churched, out-churched, un-churched and maybe even the un-churchable." Started by Aiden Enns in Winnipeg, the magazine has been run since 2018 by a staff based in Detroit, who embrace the fierce independence of the magazine’s mission and are deeply devoted to living   [Read More …]

The members of SAMS we met were welcoming and dynamic — and also very patient in disabusing us of some ideas we may have had about the challenges of living and working in coal country. Our merry band of explorers arrived in Big Stone Gap, Virginia on October 20, 2022. Some of us had been to this far southwestern region of Virginia before and had looked forward to meeting friends from prior   [Read More …]

I chose to be a tither because I remembered that it worked for my parents, who struggled to make ends meet but first gave to God, who in fact did meet their needs on time, every time. As the last of six sons in my childhood home (though my second eldest brother died years before I was born), I wore a lot of hand-me-down clothes while growing up. This made perfect sense, since my parents   [Read More …]

I never really knew my maternal grandmother Clara. She was deep in the fog of early onset Alzheimer’s by the time I came along, although I was given Claire as a middle name in honor of her. My mother, who would have been 95 this month, told certain stories about her mom, and one lit my imagination as a child and has remained with me. My mother’s family lived in a very small town in eastern   [Read More …]

We broke bread with our Appalachian brothers and sisters, who fed us like cherished relatives from out of town. We bore witness to their struggle and pain, and they, in turn, shared their palpable sense of relief because of it. I had two dreams the night after Mike Little, our Faith and Money Network Executive Director, asked me if I'd write an article about our recent trip of perspective   [Read More …]

The concerned citizens of the organization Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards bring passion, energy, and joy to their work as they fight to save their beloved mountain range and local biodiversity from surface mining. Our two-and-a-half day immersion in the lives of those living in small towns and hollows in southwestern Virginia bore a shocking resemblance to experiences some of us   [Read More …]

Many folks are fighting back no matter what the cost. And they will keep on going even if they think they've lost. And though they don't get much support they are becoming strong. They understand their course is right. This is where they belong. There is a place called Appalachia, painted emerald green With misty mountains, towering trees, a peaceful, prayerful   [Read More …]

My faith tells me that the true purpose of coal is to serve as Earth’s filter. This is how it was placed and what it has been doing. By destroying our environment we not only damage ourselves, we disrespect the great gifts manifested around us. "Mother Earth" is our home, our only home, and therefore deserving of our respect and indeed our veneration. Many believe that God created the   [Read More …]