Mother Jones Miner’s Day Celebration 2024

Celebrate labor rights in Mount Olive at the Union Miner’s Cemetery and Mother Jones Burial Site with guest speaker Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mine Workers of America. This 125th anniversary event will review the history of the Miner’s Angel Mary Harris ‘Mother’ Jones and the impact of the labor rights movement on the working class in America. Live music commemorating labor will be performed by band Wildflower Conspiracy and Casting Runes with performances by Loretta Williams as Mother Jones and Dale Hawkins as General Bradley.

A Miner’s lunch will be provided to guests at the cemetery. Miner’s Day is free to the public and is held every year around the anniversary of The Battle of Virden, a violent clash between union miners and the hired guns of mine company owners- the event left many miners dead. Miner’s Day commemorates their sacrifice for better working conditions in the United States.