A small gathering at the Mt. Olive Union
An old friend of mine, Germaine Light, has performed Mother Jones over the years in central Illinois. Germaine is a retired teacher and activist in the Illinois Education Association and peace and justice causes. Next to her is Jim Alderson of Gillespie, Illinois performing as General Bradley, who at age 30 led the miners on the 1897 general strike in this area. The speech that Germaine is performing was constructed from the actual words of Mother Jones, attacking the governors who did the work of the coal operators. "Governor, you don't own the state!" she proclaimed.
Above: the new window design for the Mt. Olive City Hall museum room. Research and photo research and design elements by Rosemary Feurer, including quote, which she discovered from a new source in 2014. The lovely red banner and the work on design was completed by Kate Klimut, gratis. This is how the donations you give go so far. We were able to do this at a fraction of the cost it would normally take for such work. This also provides a light shield to any potential artifacts placed in the museum.
A new exhibit comes to life! Kate Klimut did the graphic work for this, with Rosemary Feurer finding the image. We wanted something that depicted the fact that Mother Jones found these boys just the sort of future organizers that made her renowned. We designed an exhibit that allows visitors to understand the rough life and spirit of these coal mining boys. The card that is clipped on has a quotation from Mother Jones.