The Hard Road of Hope

On June 10, 2024, Crushing Colonialism hosted an event at Baltimore Center Stage that included a film screening followed by a conversation between filmmaker Eleanor Goldfield and Jen Deerinwater, the founding executive director of Crushing Colonialism and the impetus for the film. They explored themes of Climate Justice, hope, and the resilience of people in the face of resource extraction and environmental destruction.

The event featured a screening of Hard Road of Hope, a film that explored the connections between West Virginia’s past as an extraction colony, its troubled present, and a potential future built through radical resolve. Goldfield discussed the basis of the film: “West Virginia is not unique in being a resource colony. Indeed, it more so exemplifies the very foundations of US colonialist capitalist violence: the destruction of ecosystems, people, and community for the sake of a bottom line. In this way, our understanding of our various and connected histories is the key to understanding our present, and protecting our future.”

What is now known as West Virginia is part of the ancestral homelands of the Cherokee. Jen Deerinwater, journalist and citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, spoke about the intersections reflected in the film: “As the climate crisis worsens and this summer promises to set more record-breaking temperatures, it’s crucial that we come together to learn from each other and share tools to fight this global catastrophe that is created and enforced via colonialism. Media is a powerful tool for communities to hold our public officials, corporations, and the wealthy accountable for their crimes. Hard Road of Hope takes a sledgehammer to these institutions.”

If you were unable to attend the event, you can watch it online here.