Harlan County USA

Winner of an Academy Award for Best Documentary and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026, Harlan County USA is a searing document of the struggle for workers’ rights. Director Barbara Kopple and her crew immerse themselves in a rural Kentucky town after coal miners go on a strike when their corporate employers refuse to recognize their union and its labor contract. Accompanied by soundtrack with legendary country and bluegrass artists, the film follows the 13-month long, at times violent, struggle between a community wanting to survive and a corporation concerned with their bottom line. This screening will be followed by a panel discussion with local union members discussing the legacy of the film and the importance of unions.

Harlan County USA Panel:

Jason McKinney

Jason McKinney has been working for the labor movement and people’s movement for decades. He worked at ACORN as a community organizer and for Working America – AFL-CIO. He is a former member of UFCW and is a third generation union steward. He currently serves on the negotiating committee for the City of Columbia bargaining unit at LiUNA Local 955.

Scott Wilson

Scott Wilson has dedicated his entire career to representing people injured at work or by the negligence of others. Wilson attended the University of Missouri where he earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (J.D.) in 1998 and his Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) in 1995.

He is a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), an association member of the American Trial Lawyers Association, serves on the Board of Governors of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, and is a member of the Boone County Bar Association and The Missouri Bar. In his spare time, Wilson serves on the Board of KIDS’ CHANCE of Missouri which provides scholarships to children of workers who were permanently disabled or killed on the job, and serves is Chair of the Downtown Columbia Leadership Council, and is a proud girl dad of two.

Taira Meadowcroft

Taira is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library. In her role, Taira supports student succes, teaching, and research in the College of Health Sciences, the Sinclair School of Nursing, the School of Medicine, and MU Health Care. She is a member of Daniel Boone Regional Library Workers United (AFSCME) and has been a dues-paying member of MU Workers United (LiUNA 955) since March 2023. She is currently an active leader on the MU Libraries Organizing Committee who is fighting for union recognition from the UM System.

MLIS- Library and Information Science, University of Missouri (2015)
BA- English, Truman State University (2012)

Melana Salisbury

Melana Salisbury is the Mid-Missouri Organizer at Abortion Action Missouri. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Economics from the University of Missouri — Columbia. She worked previously as an office manager and joined the AAM team after signing the petition and volunteering to put abortion rights on the ballot in 2024. Following the Right to Reproductive Freedom victory, Melana joined the AAM team full-time.

Moderator: Paul Rainsberger

Paul Rainsberger retired from the University of Missouri in 2015 where he served as the Director of the MU Labor Education Program. He received his J.D., Magna Cum Laude, from the Indiana University School of Law in 1977 and his B.A. in Political Science from Ohio State University in 1973.

Rainsberger has been an active member of Missouri Jobs with Justice since its inception in Columbia. Additionally, he played an active role in developing labor education curriculum for various unions across the country. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Missouri Council on Economic Education from 2003-2012 and a member of the Executive Board for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in Missouri from 2006 to 2013.

Please note that FREE tickets for the public will be available at the Ragtag Box Office starting Monday, May 4 at 12PM. 

No more than two free tickets will be given to one person.

A free ticket guarantees you a seat until 10 minutes before showtime and not after. If all tickets have been distributed and there are open seats at 10 till, we will start seating the theater from the waiting list (queue). Ticket holders will continue to be admitted at this time if seats are available. This policy allows us to start on time and give the audience a distraction-free experience.