Like Our Lives Depend on It : A Story of Antiracist Solidarity from a Coal Miner’s Daughter

A story of struggle and perseverance from an Eastern Kentucky woman who answered Florence Reese's timeless question, "Which side are you on?" with love and solidarity. Activist and organizer Beth Howard invites readers to join her journey from the hardships of life in Appalachia to the street protests of the Black Lives Matter movement and the resistance to Donald Trump and MAGA racists. Howard reminds us of the rich traditions of working-class organization and resistance in Appalachia, like the 10,000 interracial miners of the so-called Red Neck Army (known by the red bandanas worn around their necks), which in 1921 refused to be segregated and waged the largest working-class insurrection since the Civil War. Beth's story is particular, but not unique. Too many of us face the same struggle for the basic necessities of life: somewhere decent to live, good food to eat, health care that doesn't break the bank, jobs that don't kill us. As she reminds us, we haven’t got a chance—unless we organize. In the best of storytelling traditions, her prose is at once heart-breaking and inspiring, always insightful and provocative, and filled to the brim with courageous humanity.