Mother Jones - May/June 2021

In this issue

In “The 'Machine That Eats Up Black Farmland,’” USDA leaders claim they’ve moved past the department’s legacy of discrimination, but our reporting says otherwise. After a century of dispossession, Tom Philpott writes in “Black Land Matters,” young Black farmers are restoring their rightful place in agriculture, and in “The Truth About Reconciliation,” Peter Keating and Shaun Assael look into the reckoning after the 1979 Greensboro Massacre for lessons on how America might heal itself. Kara Voght reflects on Jon Meacham in “Biden’s Muse” and the influence this Pulitzer-winning biographer had on Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. Two feuding tea party leaders are featured in “Stars and Strife” by Stephanie Mencimer, who looks at how these recession-era conservative women helped lay the groundwork for the January 6 insurrection. Julia Lurie and Maddie Oatman report from San Francisco in “Moving the Needle” about a grassroots campaign to protect the Latino community—and the city—from a deadly virus, with photography by Mike Kai Chen.

School's Out

Why Black parents aren’t joining the rush to send their kids back to class

8 mins

Total Recall

California Republicans’ hopes are riding on the “superhero pirate” leading a mutiny against the governor.

6 mins

Black Land Matters

After a century of dispossession, young Black farmers are restoring their rightful place in American agriculture.

10+ mins

The “Machine That Eats Up Black Farmland”

After decades of discriminating against Black farmers and ignoring their complaints, the USDA is promising to do better. Again.

10+ mins

Stars and Strife

How two feuding tea party leaders helped lay the groundwork for the insurrection

10+ mins

MOVING THE NEEDLE

Inside the grassroots campaign that protected San Francisco’s Latino community—and the entire city—from a deadly virus

10+ mins

The Truth About Reconciliation

Can America heal itself? The reckoning after the Greensboro Massacre provides some lessons.

10+ mins

Biden's Muse

Can America’s problems be fixed by a president who loves Jon Meacham?

10+ mins

Watching The Watchers

Let’s stop freaking out over kids’ pandemic screen time

4 mins

A Fair Slice

Can co-ops save restaurants?

3 mins

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Mother Jones Magazine Description:

Mother Jones is a nonprofit news outlet that delivers bold and original award-winning reporting on the urgent issues of our day, from politics and climate change to education and the food we eat. We investigate stories that are in the public and the nation's interest. From revelatory scoops to deep-dive investigations, Mother Jones journalism is storytelling that informs and inspires 9 million monthly readers.

We are headquartered in San Francisco and have bureaus in Washington, DC, and New York City. Mother Jones has been nominated for more than 30 National Magazine Awards and has won seven times, including for General Excellence in 2001, 2008, and 2010. In addition, Mother Jones has been recognized repeatedly with top industry honors, including two National Press Club Awards, three Online News Association Awards, and the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award two years in a row. Mother Jones has also been named a finalist for eight Data Journalism Awards.