We Were Promised: How an Appalachian Grandmother Fought a Corporate Giant

Karen "Momma K" Gorrell did not consider herself to be an activist. But when those she cared about were wronged, she refused to remain silent. With the economy still reeling from the Great Recession in 2011, Karen's husband and other retirees of the Century Aluminum plant—a pillar of industry in their rural community of Ravenswood—had their healthcare benefits terminated. The United Steelworkers had negotiated for these union members to have a portion of their wages deducted to fund future benefits, and the employees worked for decades with the promise of health insurance upon retirement. When Century idled the plant and reneged on its agreement, retirees were left without affordable care at the time they needed it most.

Knowing lives were on the line, Karen vowed to do whatever she could to pressure Century to reinstate retirees' promised benefits. Within months, she became the lead organizer and spokesperson for a grassroots campaign that would capture the attention of lawmakers and Century's CEO. The campaign would also test her resolve, her relationships, and her faith in the systems that promised to protect working-class people.

We Were Promised follows Karen and a group of determined retirees on their long journey to seek justice—from staging an Occupy-inspired camp at the Ravenswood plant in West Virginia to confronting Century's corporate executives in Illinois and California. In highlighting Appalachia's role in the modern labor movement and the impact of women activists in the region, this story serves as a powerful example of everyday folks, as Karen said, "having the courage to stand up and raise hell and fight back."

Julia Flint is a writer from the Appalachian Rust Belt. She is the daughter of a steelworker and a therapist. With a background in qualitative research, she has worked for the last decade as a research assistant on projects related to community health and education.