Bright Economic Future for the Mountain State, a West Virginia gathering held over labor day weekend, brought together entrepreneurs, policy experts, and grassroots organizations and leaders from across the state to address the urgent need for job creation and economic transition in the southern coalfields.  The conference was modeled in part after Appalachia’s Bright Future, an event held in Kentucky, in downtown Harlan, this past April.  This story is re-posted here courtesy of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Ken Ward Jr summarized the conference in the Charleston Gazette/Coal Tattoo and made an eloquent call for recognizing reality and rebuilding the coalfields.