Interview with author of Mother Jones: Raising Cain and Consciousness
We asked Simon Cordery (the author of this book about Mary Harris Jones) a few questions:
Q: What interested you about her and made you want to write a book about her and her doing?
A: I learned about Mother Jones at university and wanted to write about her because she is such an amazing woman. Then a publisher approached me and asked if I'd be interested in writing a biography of her to be used in high school and college classrooms and, of course, I jumped at the chance!
Q: How did her actions change the world to make it what it is today?
A: By convincing immigrant workers to understand that the U. S. Constitution, and all the marvelous freedoms it guarantees, belonged to them, Mother Jones was part of that brave group of labor organizers and leaders who helped make the United States a land of freedom and of high living standards for all people.
Q: How was Mary Harris Jones a leader?
A: She was brilliant! Her speaking style, her ability to communicate with verve and with emotion, and her understanding of the needs of working people all made her a fantastic organizer and mobilizer. She did not like desk jobs or paperwork, so her leadership was always in the field where the strikes were taking place, where she set an excellent example to the men and women (and children) she worked with.
Q: How does her legacy live on?
A: First, in Mount Olive, Illinois, where her statue stands in the miner's cemetery as a reminder of the battles she and other labor union leaders fought to organize and assist workers. Second, in a magazine dedicated to exposing the crimes and sins of American elites; this magazine is called Mother Jones. Third, and less obviously, in the example she set men and especially women in standing up and demanding that corporations and the government respect individual rights.
Q: What would have happened if Mary Harris Jones hadn't joined the labor movement?
A: It is difficult to judge what the labor movement, and indeed the world as we know, would have been like
without her, but at the very least we would not have this colorful, committed, and intelligent woman labor
organizer to admire and emulate.
Q: What interested you about her and made you want to write a book about her and her doing?
A: I learned about Mother Jones at university and wanted to write about her because she is such an amazing woman. Then a publisher approached me and asked if I'd be interested in writing a biography of her to be used in high school and college classrooms and, of course, I jumped at the chance!
Q: How did her actions change the world to make it what it is today?
A: By convincing immigrant workers to understand that the U. S. Constitution, and all the marvelous freedoms it guarantees, belonged to them, Mother Jones was part of that brave group of labor organizers and leaders who helped make the United States a land of freedom and of high living standards for all people.
Q: How was Mary Harris Jones a leader?
A: She was brilliant! Her speaking style, her ability to communicate with verve and with emotion, and her understanding of the needs of working people all made her a fantastic organizer and mobilizer. She did not like desk jobs or paperwork, so her leadership was always in the field where the strikes were taking place, where she set an excellent example to the men and women (and children) she worked with.
Q: How does her legacy live on?
A: First, in Mount Olive, Illinois, where her statue stands in the miner's cemetery as a reminder of the battles she and other labor union leaders fought to organize and assist workers. Second, in a magazine dedicated to exposing the crimes and sins of American elites; this magazine is called Mother Jones. Third, and less obviously, in the example she set men and especially women in standing up and demanding that corporations and the government respect individual rights.
Q: What would have happened if Mary Harris Jones hadn't joined the labor movement?
A: It is difficult to judge what the labor movement, and indeed the world as we know, would have been like
without her, but at the very least we would not have this colorful, committed, and intelligent woman labor
organizer to admire and emulate.