You can't kill the spirit : women in a welsh mining valley

They are our fathers, our sons, and our chosen partners. No one in their right mind would sentence them to a life in the dark, but what are the alternatives? For a working man, being on the dole is no nearer a way to touch the sun.

The history of mining communities all over the world tells the same story. Struggle, poverty, catastrophe and premature death. The fight didn't start with this strike, and it certainly won't end

here. Life will continue to go on. What was particular to Abertillery and surrounding valleys was the unity, high spirits, and the unflagging role the Women's Group played in supporting their men, their class, and each other. The following stories from women in Abertillery substantiate that support. In the very midst of frustration, hurt, anger and despair lie stories of survival, some of which kept morale soaring during that year of extra hard graft.

You can't kill the spirit. There are no winners in the class war, or in any oppression. Even the oppressors who wield the stick lose. The price they pay is in forfeiting some of their humanity with every blow they make.