“Black Diamonds,” “Civil Up and Rising” | Crystal Good | TEDxCorbin
I'm gonna share two poems with you all that really mean an awful lot to me and I'll begin with black diamonds for mrs. sweet Jenny Lynch what you know about black diamonds black diamonds black diamonds hey hey what you know about so what you know about Co what you know about the pressure of the earth turning soil to cold turning colder diamonds they say they say one day millions and millions of years of pressure or pressure of pressure form diamonds in colors black pink yellow green today this pressure forms black diamonds from blood from sweat from love from slaves buried in unmarked graves black diamonds form on days like April 5th 2010 the day that started just like all the other days just like the other days the hundreds of days that the earth fell in on miners trapping them underground with nothing but their prayers this time on April 5th 2010 29 men died and what they call a mine disaster others industrial homicide homicide homicide dead 29 miners what you know about black diamonds black diamonds black diamonds you see when mrs. Lynch wins sweet mrs. Jenny Lynch heard the news that her husband would not be coming home she knew there would be no more I love yous no more three kisses at 4:00 a.m. no more be on the stove by your bucket honey her high school sweetheart her husband of 34 years her Rosie would not be coming home when sweet Ginny sheds a tear when every coal miners wife sheds a tear there comes the pressure compacted compacted compacted and every time mrs. Lynch misses sweet Jenny cries her tears hit the earth they're there in the mountains of West Virginia and form a priceless black diamond no coal company can never sell these jewels of Appalachia these women who love their men deep into the earth this special this diamond forming diamonds compacted compacted compacted of tears of love of human slavery of the company's store of we're sorry for your loss a black black this our history is scattered you have to find it in poems called thang diamonds black diamonds and pages were blacking fades until somebody digs in some brave heart will always hear the call and dig deep inside so the millions and millions of years from now they will hold up and marvel at our diamonds and wonder at their timeless love formed by the pressure and pressure and pressure and the salt of her tears what you know about diamonds what you know about so what you know about coal James Brown said I don't want nobody to give me nothing open the door I'll get it myself Baltimore on the one Blair Mountain on the two which side are you on now which side are you on can I count it off Baltimore on the one 6/9 Blair Mountain on the two five days which side are you on say it loud 1921 the miners marched and protested they had had all the intimidation they could endure blood and brutality blood and brutality then baldwin-felts bloody and women and children and miners heads then baldwin-felts bloodying women and children and miners heads then then miners took to force then miners took the fight then miners took to shootin that miners took to f the detective agency but you ain't never heard of this boom pop but you ain't never heard of this boom say it loud the largest armed American armed rebellion since the Civil War but she ain't never heard of this you ain't never heard of this which side are you no say it proud Baltimore up and rising but you only heard riot riot riot red bandanas red around their necks on the one red bandanas red around their necks on the two ordinary citizens and miners verse the baldwin-felts police and scabs on the one week of rage 100 people died 1000 arrested ten thousand miners 1 million shots fired and you ain't never heard of this you ain't never heard of this say it loud on the one six nights to every battles one on the to five days to every battles through they say in Baltimore County there are no neutral there six nights they say in Logan County there's too much misery and despair five days Sid Hatfield and Freddie gray they say they have to God us to educate their child their children live in luxury our children almost wild one Sid Hatfield and Freddie gray they say they have to guard us to educate their children their children live in luxury our children almost wild too gentlemen can you stand it Oh tell me how you can will they call you a thug and say you're not a man on the one or will you be a gun thug and say you're not a man on the - stand down stand down on the one bombs and martial law 1,000 arrested on the - coal companies prosecute on the 1000s March on the to us poor folks haven't got a chance on the one unless we organize on the - which side are you on 1921 boom pop 2015 teens boom pop say it loud Baltimore on the one say a proud Blair mountain on the - which side are you on now which side are you