Ninety-seven Years on, Activist Killed by Police Inspires New Generation of Rebels

When I began making a documentary about British Columbia labour activist and martyr Ginger Goodwin four years ago, my primary motivation was to find out why the provincial government removed signs marking a section of highway as "Ginger Goodwin Way" near my hometown in 2001.

Why is this one man so polarizing? I wondered. How could someone who died nearly a century ago still inspire people to gather around his grave annually in remembrance, while others seem to wish his legacy would stay buried with him?

In the town of Cumberland, where an annual miners' memorial lays flowers at his headstone each summer, I discovered that Goodwin has become a symbol for progressive principles that activists still fight for today. He fought for union recognition, the eight-hour workday, and opposed World War I conscription. A century ago, none of these causes were considered lawful or even pragmatic -- though they're admired even by moderate progressives today.

To go on strike back then meant becoming an enemy of the state. With the introduction of Bill C-51, today's environmental activists know the feeling.

New radicals

Across Canada, large grassroots movements are facing off with big industry and governments on many fronts; oil pipelines, fracking, and mining projects have sparked national debates about our energy future. Entire communities are questioning policies that alienate the very people they are supposed to serve when these projects come to their doorstep. Meanwhile, symptoms of climate change like this summer's droughts, floods, and wildfires are demanding a new sense of urgency. Were the stakes always so high?

Making a film that delves into some turbulent chapters of B.C.'s labour history revealed striking parallels between the struggles of yesteryear, and what community activists now face. In the former coal town of Cumberland, many of the same folks that attend Miners' Memorial Weekend events also attend rallies to challenge a new proposed coal project.

While it is unexpected that a former coal mining region would now reject the industry's potential revitalization, concerned residents gained the support and solidarity of the entire community (including First Nations, business associations, and all surrounding municipal governments) to oppose the Raven Coal Project. Many simply do not equate the company's promise of jobs with better living conditions or even a healthier local economy. The mine's environmental certificate was rejected in 2013.

Rebel roots

Cumberland remembers history from a working-class perspective. Even among younger residents who have no living memory of the mines, the strikes, or socioeconomic dependency on coal, there is a palpable indignation stemming from unreconciled conflict in their past. The majority of those I interviewed believe that Ginger Goodwin's death at the hands of police was directly linked to his labour rights activism. He was shot and killed on July 27, 1918 -- 97 years ago yesterday. His death sparked a one-day general strike in Vancouver.

Miners' Memorial Weekend promotes the notion that "if we don't learn from history, we're doomed to repeat it." By revisiting this theme, Cumberland residents tap into their rebellious roots.

Whether they achieve this by making replacement "Ginger Goodwin Way" signs, raising funds to save a community forest from being logged, or protesting resource extraction projects, Cumberland's fierce sense of autonomy continues to manifest. The strength residents derive from their history is something that every community can draw on.