From the pulpit to the picket line: For many miners, religion and labor rights have long been connected in coal country

""Jesus saw the money changers in the temple, and Jesus drove the money changers from the temple. So let me tell the National Right to Work Committee, the Chamber of Commerce, the Koch Brothers, and all those who gave money: you got your money's worth, but we're not for sale in West Virginia.""

""How many of you have been to a Baptist church? We're going to take up a collection. It is altar call time,""

""Now, I'm going to ask you something: Are you fed up? Let me hear you say, 'Fed up.'... Are you so fed up that you are now fired up? Let me hear you say, 'Fired up!'""

Cecil Roberts will retire in October 2025 after leading the United Mine Workers of America for 30 years. Roberts is a sixth-generation coal miner from Cabin Creek, West Virginia, whose family includes labor activists and leaders such as his great-grandmother and great-uncle Bill Blizzard. Both of his grandfathers died in mine accidents. He guided the union through a difficult period for the coal industry. Roberts often speaks with preacher-like cadences, invoking biblical imagery, the teachings of Jesus, and call-and-response engagement to oppose policies such as right-to-work and to rally miners and supporters.

Read at The Conversation