Front Porch Blog

It is with a heavy heart that we witness the passing of one of the greatest community organizers and Appalachian leaders in our country’s history, Judy Bonds.

A loyal friend, inspiring leader, and and a proud family woman, Judy will be remembered for her unwavering commitment to the people of Appalachia and for her heroic efforts to ending mountaintop removal coal mining. With her sharp wit and quick smile, Judy was a joyful peer, an engaging collaborator, and a powerful and beautiful storyteller who told the rest of America the story of the Appalachia and its people. Judy stood up and spoke up for herself and her region at great personal risk to herself, facing arrest, threats, and even assault from allies of a corrupt coal industry . Born in Marfok Hollow,WV a proud daughter of a coal miner, Judy, received international acclaim in 2003, winning the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for community organizing at a time when few people had even heard of mountaintop removal.