Larry Gibson, founder of Keeper of the Mountains, participated in a protest against mountaintop removal mining by shaving the heads of women who wanted to make a statement about their concern and outrage against the occurrence of bone cancer and the “poisoning” of their children. They call themselves the Queens of Appalachia taking on “King Coal.” Donna Branham, Tori Wong (above), and Paula Swearengin had their heads shaved and were featured in the November/December 2012 issue of Sierra Magazine.
After listening to both presidential candidates discuss the use of coal as a continued source of energy in the debates, one could not help but wonder what these courageous women were thinking as they continue to advocate for the elimination of mountaintop removal and strip mining in West Virginia.