Karen Baker is running for Congress as a Democrat in Virginia's 9th Congressional District. Her campaign is highlighting her having been a lawyer, judge, and nurse and her support for rural families. She also says on her Facebook page that "I am unequivocally Pro-Labor and I support the Pro-Act. Unions are historically, the culture hearth of America's middle class and can and should be again. "
By anyone's measure Sister Baker has had a difficult working-class life, and she has struggled for all that she has achieved. She now has a multiracial and multigenerational coalition behind her that includes the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). Sister Baker is an Associate Member of the UMWA.
The UMWA recently sponsored a "Unite The Ninth Union Rally" in Castlewood, VA.---Coal Country---and Sister Baker addressed the gathering and had a good time doing it. One union statement read "Baker’s background as an associate member of the UMWA and her involvement in advocacy work against the Moss 3 Landfill in Russell County demonstrates her deep connection to the coalfields region and her commitment to environmental and labor issues.”
There are indeed progressive voices in Appalachia and coalitions that unite diverse constituencies, inluding labor and working-class people. Don't let the Republicans fool you into believing otherwise.
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