New Legend Magazine August Issue | Page 60

United Mine Workers of America ( UMWA )
and feisty spirit to the mines in Colorado . While she fought battles all across the country for the fair labor of many people in the industrial realm , the Ludlow Massacre was said to have been one of the deadliest strikes in American history . It was after this she was invited to have a face-to-face meeting with John D . Rockefeller , Jr . This meeting prompted Rockefeller to visit the mines and bring about longsought reform for working conditions .
Classism and economic inequality were the primary focus of Mother
Jones ’ passionate fight . While some argue she may have been one-sided because she didn ’ t stand up for women ’ s suffrage , she encouraged women to have a voice , even without the ability to vote . She called the women ’ s suffrage movement a distraction to the harsh disparity the industrial workers were facing . Her maternal nature rallied many men and women together to fight against the excessive work hours and low wages . While her words may have been against women ’ s suffrage , her actions did far more for the miners and industrial workers who
will be forever indebted to her .
Mary Harris Jones died on November 30 , 1930 . After being celebrated by a mass in Washington , D . C ., she was buried at the Union Miners Cemetery in Illinois , next to victims of the Virden , Illinois mine riot of 1898 . Her funeral was attended by thousands of mine workers and other mourners .
Coal Miner ’ s Museum Opens ! by Jean Di Lisio
In the planning stages a committee of 7 people worked on the formation of an educational 501 C3 non-profit organization : the Southern Colorado Coal Miners Memorial Museum . Frank and Yolanda Romero , Bob Butero , Alex Gerardo , Frank Colangelo and Luis Garza , raised the seed money through raffles , auctions , dinners , breakfasts and more .” They have lived and breathed this ,” said Yolanda Romero , describing the passion of Butero , Gerardo , Colangelo and Garza as their volunteer efforts repaired and rejuvenated the new museum at 219 West Main donated by the EMCO estate . “ This is the perfect location , said Frank Romero , “ adjacent to the 2008 Canary Cage and the Coal Miners Monument .” Ben Johnson created this life-size memorial , cast in bronze , recognizing the contribution of hundreds of coal miners . The active , past , retired and deceased member ’ s names of the coal mining industry are inscribed on the base of the monument . Names of coal miners from 18 states are represented . Three bronze mules , recently donated by Wilbur Dinger also grace the nearby gardens , as well as the 100-year mining-based time capsule buried under the memorial . Frank and Yolanda Romero , 30- year owners of Romero Liquor and Candy Store , made their own sacrifices for the project . Late at night , after work , they ’ d sit at home researching strategies to collaborate with the community to share each coal miner ’ s legacy . Last fall a turning point miracle descended on Trinidad .
Interior Museum Masterpieces
Creating 11 colossal paintings , Lindsay Hand of Colorado Springs empathized with the Ludlow victims whose blood seeped into the soil over a century ago . The number pays
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58 N New legends magazine