West Virginians Must Reclaim Our Fighting Soul
We are the descendants of revolutionaries and fighters. It’s time we start acting like it again.
From Zachary Shrewsbury:
West Virginia has lost its damn soul. This state was forged by fire, rebellion, and defiance. It was born from war, carved out by those who dared to stand against the confederate tide. We were the moonshiners who outran the law, the Hatfields who took on the McCoys. Our ancestors bled in the Battle of Matewan and stood their ground on Blair Mountain, facing down gun thugs and corporate mercenaries for the dignity of a working wage. We were the outlaws, the rebels, the ones who fought tooth and nail for what was right even when the odds were stacked against us.
Now look at us. One of the most bootlicking states in the nation, falling over ourselves to appease whichever politician spins the best con. We’ve traded our fighting spirit for soundbites and cheap slogans. Our history was written by those who refused to bow, but now we capitulate at the first sign of a slick suit and a hollow promise. The politicians roll in, peddling lies wrapped in patriotism, and we hand over our legacy without a fight.
Where is the West Virginia that defied presidents and coal barons alike? Where is the state that looked power in the eye and refused to blink? Where is the outlaw spirit, the defiance, the fighting soul that I grew up with? We’ve been sold a lie that our strength comes from obedience and submission, but our history screams the opposite. We were born to fight against injustice, against exploitation, against anything that dared to chain us.
We are the descendants of revolutionaries and fighters. It’s time we start acting like it again.
