sarahkidder's blog

Earlier this year SEACers organized a trip for the West Virginia Young Democrats Environmental Caucus to witness mountain top removal first hand and to hear directly from affected citizens. That day at Kayford Mountain was especially windy and made for a disturbing scene as we gazed onto the massive expanse of exposed rock and swirling dust. It seemed as though hell had opened up and was pelting us with rocks, literally! Many had never seen it before and left the mountain with a new found understanding of "mountain top removal".

Their angst soon turned into action at the West Virginia Young Democrats convention where SEACers in the Environmental Caucus were instrumental in the creation of a resolution addressing mountain top removal.

Glenville Student Action is a SEAC group in a small West Virginia town. We believe that a better world is possible and we’re working locally to make the changes we want. We are proud to be empowered by SEAC and part of the growing youth movement for justice. We’re sending our support and a big shout out to other small town groups making things happen in unlikely places, keep it up!

We had a very successful semester. Here is what we've been up to...

We co-sponsored the Progressive Film Series on campus, showing films like “Mountaintop Removal” and “Why We Fight”. We helped a local community group fundraise to keep Normantown Elementary School open. We hosted PowerVeg, a regional energy gathering at GSC where a statewide environmental justice network was created. We attended Power Shift joining nearly 6,000 other youths in Washington D.C. We held a campus wide discussion entitled “Speak Out About War” engaging students, faculty, and members of the community in critical dialog about the Iraq War. We organized a TampAction workshop that discussed gender oppression and alternative women’s health. We worked with local activists in their efforts to preserve the Clean Water Act. Finally, we held several great fundraisers including a silent auction on Appalachian art and a benefit concert called the Ender Bender Bash. We will use some of this money to help fund security for Maria Gunnoe and support the local food pantry.

Yesterday SEAC brought the enlightening eco-feminist concepts of TampAction to Fayetteville West Virginia. About a dozen rad women gathered at the New River Inn where lunch was provided and a silent auction fundraiser was set up.

The workshop began with a Step Out exercise to show how the oppression of women fits into larger systems of oppression. We then discussed the dangers of using tampons and the many alternatives that exist. The workshop ended with a discussion about total body health for women, including herbal remedies and self exams. As always, the TampAction workshop rocked!

After the workshop we partied down SEAC-style by hangin out, sharing stories, making plans, and sewing pads. We also made some TampAction T-shirts with cardboard stencils and spraypaint.

Hello SEAC, I've been part of a SEAC group called Glenville Student Action at Glenville State College in WV for the past couple of years. This semester will be the best ever because I will get class credit for organizing with SEAC! Im doing a volunteer internship with SEAC for a senior seminar class. I'll be organizing and connecting with awesome student activists in Gilmer, Fayette, and Raleigh counties in West Virginia. Nothing excites me more than building this movement for justice among youth in Appalachia! For me, SEAC has been inspiring and empowering, and this is the perfect opportunity to share the experience. Looking foreward to seeing everyone next weekend at Powerveg!