Biography
Bessie Lou Cornett Parker (also credited as Bessie Lou Cornett or Bessie Parker) was an American organiser and activist in the coal-mining communities of Kentucky. She appeared as herself in the 1976 documentary Harlan County U.S.A., directed by Barbara Kopple, which documented the 1973 Brookside miners' strike in Harlan County.
Born on 1 June 1948 in Pikeville, Kentucky, she died on 17 February 2010. She was involved in labour organising during the strike, including participation in picket lines and related activities alongside family members.
