Help the “Women of MTR” Get National Exposure

Imagine that entire mountaintops surrounding your community were being literally blown off all around you. Imagine that the resulting millions of tons of waste rock, dirt, and vegetation were then just dumped into the neighboring valleys and streams, burying waterways under piles of rubble hundreds of feet deep.

In Appalachia, this scenario is all too familiar, as are the rock slides, catastrophic floods, poisoned water supplies, destroyed property, and devastated communities that accompany one of the most environmentally destructive activities in this country: mountaintop removal coal mining.

The July issue of Oprah Winfrey’s magazine “O,” on newsstands now, tells the story of the devastation caused by mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia and the courage and strength of the women who are fighting to stop this practice and to protect their families, communities, culture and environment.

Providing an opportunity for the individuals and community leaders in Appalachia to share their stories is vital to building the public’s understanding of mountaintop removal which, if left unchecked, will flatten and destroy an area roughly the size of the state of Delaware (2200 square miles) by the end of this decade.

This week we are asking you to write Oprah and ask her to feature these brave women on her television show. Please take a moment to send a message thanking Oprah for spreading the word about mountaintop removal coal mining through her magazine, and ask her to interview these women on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

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Click here to go to Oprah’s website and submit your letter:
https://www2.oprah.com/email/reach/email_showideas.jhtml

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Sample letter to send to Oprah (copy this letter, or write your own!)

Dear Oprah –

Thank you very much for including the inspiring stories of the women of Appalachia fighting against mountaintop removal coal mining the July issue of “O” magazine.

I want to learn more about these courageous women and their fight. Please invite the women featured in this article to be on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”! I believe that your viewers would be moved by the hardships these women and their families are facing, and motivated by their spirit and determination to stop
this mining practice that is devastating their communities.

Your show offers inspiration to millions of viewers every day. These women tell stories that will not only inspire, but will also inform your audience about what’s happening in Appalachia.

Thank you again for sharing the stories of these women in your magazine. I hope to see these stories on your show soon.

(Your name)

About JW Randolph

Raised on the banks of the Tennessee River, JW's work to create progress in his home state and throughout Appalachia has been featured on the Rachel Maddow Show, The Daily Kos and Grist. He served first as Appalachian Voices’ Legislative Associate and then Tennessee director until leaving to pursue a career in medicine in 2012.