July 9, 2020

From “Ole Miss” to “New Miss,” and Cornel West on Educational Justice

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

In case you missed the insightful investigation and analysis by Becca Andrews on the historical harm of the name “Ole Miss” and the growing movement toward “New Miss” at the University of Mississippi, catch it here. Becca’s high-impact reporting has energized an effort by artists and designers to create “New Miss” gear, with proceeds going to Black Lives Matter Mississippi. In response to her piece, “The Racism of ‘Ole Miss’ Is Hiding in Plain Sight,” a boost of recognition from the Mississippi-born author and creative writing professor Kiese Laymon, amplifying the article’s “beyond incredible” historical framing and research.

More good news on the education front: A class-swapping spreadsheet is making the rounds among hundreds of students who are voluntarily giving up spots in in-person classes to protect international peers from ICE during the pandemic. The initiative began at UCLA. Many other colleges are joining in solidarity. H/T Rachel Sumekh.

And if Cornel West is right (he is) that “justice is what love looks like in public,” give his latest livestream a spin. He speaks with Tanzila Ume Habiba and Chandrashekhar Azad on Sheedi, Dalit, and Black solidarity, in a powerful Equality Labs conversation.

Reach us at recharge@motherjones.com if you have story tips about community strength, resilience, and justice.

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate