For more than four years, Ms.’ Front and Center series has created space for Black mothers living in extreme poverty—women too often ignored in our politics, policymaking and media—to tell their own stories in their own words. What began as a platform to document the realities facing mothers participating in the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, has grown into something much larger: an ongoing chronicle of survival, caregiving, joy, exhaustion, resilience and hope amid systems that too often fail women and families.
Over the years, readers have followed these women as they navigated impossible choices around housing, healthcare, childcare, work, education, mental health and family stability. Their stories have illuminated not just the daily realities of poverty, but also the broader structures shaping their lives—and the extraordinary strength required to keep going anyway.
Presented in partnership with Mississippi-based nonprofit Springboard to Opportunities, Front and Center has always sought to build empathy through lived experience, allowing women to author their own narratives rather than be reduced to statistics or political talking points.
This Mother’s Day weekend, we are honored to expand that conversation through a special three-part Front and Center mini-series—The Kids of Magnolia Mother’s Trust—featuring the children of mothers whose stories readers have come to know over the years. Published Friday, Saturday and Sunday ahead of Mother’s Day, these essays offer a deeply personal look at how children experience their mothers’ sacrifices, struggles and love, and how they understand the world around them because of those experiences.
In these stories, we see young people grappling with questions of equity, safety, community and possibility. We see what children notice when their mothers are carrying enormous burdens, and what changes when families are given even a little more stability or support. Most of all, we see the profound impact mothers have on shaping the values, dreams and sense of justice their children carry forward.
The series also arrives as the Magnolia Mother’s Trust launches its seventh cohort—marking a new phase for the nation’s longest-running guaranteed income program, with approximately 100 Black mothers set to begin receiving $1,000 monthly payments alongside expanded peer-led community support initiatives ahead of Mother’s Day.
The lives of mothers ripple outward. And so do the systems that support them—or fail them.
In the third and final installment of The Kids of Magnolia Mother’s Trust, John reflects on growing up alongside Springboard to Opportunities programs that helped shape his confidence, leadership and love of sports. A freshman in high school, he writes about the role basketball, soccer, football and swimming have played in pushing him to challenge himself, as well as the lessons he has learned about discipline, motivation and community through Springboard’s camps and Youth Leadership Fellowship. He also reflects on youth gun violence in Jackson and why he believes more opportunities and support systems for young people are urgently needed.
Following John’s essay, his mother Ebony—whose own story readers first encountered through Front and Center several years ago—responds to her son’s reflections and shares what it has meant to watch him grow into a young leader committed to his community. She writes about the importance of showing up for her son despite life’s challenges, and how seeing him continue to push himself, advocate for others and pursue every opportunity available to him fills her with pride and hope for his future.
John: “There Is Always Something to Work for and a New Challenge to Be Met”
My name is John, and I am currently a freshman in high school. I have been a part of Springboard for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I spent a lot of time in Springboard summer camps, afterschool programs, and whatever other events were happening at the time.
Especially during the summer, we played a lot of sports. I loved when we had soccer week during summer camp. We had college coaches who would come out and run drills and games with us. Eventually, we got a basketball hoop and started getting to play basketball, too. I even ran Springboard’s annual 5K a few times with my family. Though for the record, I always ran ahead of them to make sure I would finish first. Those experiences were really my first introduction to playing sports and developed what I am now most passionate about.
Sports are fun, and I love to play the games and make memories with my teammates. But it is a lot more than that, too. Sports are something that push me to my limits. My coaches are always challenging me to get better. My mom and my other family members can see my potential and encourage me to keep going. There is always something to work for and a new challenge to be met.
When I’m able to meet those goals and see myself progress, it helps grow my confidence and helps me realize that I can do this in other areas of my life, too.
For example, in school, my favorite subject is math. Just like with sports, I see each problem that we are given as another challenge that I know I can find a way to solve. There has to be an answer to a math problem, and if I put my mind to it, I know that I’ll be able to find it. There’s also a competitive element to it. It’s like me and another student might be racing to find the right answer and just like when I’m playing sports, I feel my competitive side start to come out. It’s challenges like that that really get me going.
I really attribute a lot of my drive and motivation to my mom. We have always had a good relationship, and she holds me accountable in school, sports and really anything I put my mind to. She always asks me about my activities and tries to be as involved in my life as she can, especially when it comes to supporting my hobbies and interests. I have watched her work hard to pursue her dreams and start her own business, and it inspires me to want to do the same thing and achieve my own goals and dreams.
We have seen way too much violence and crime in our neighborhoods in recent years. While I think part of the problem is that kids have too easy access to weapons, I think it is also because there are not enough programs and opportunities for youth to get involved in and stay occupied.
John
When my mom was a part of the Magnolia Mother’s Trust a few years ago, I had the chance to try even more sports. In addition to soccer and basketball, I also tried out playing football during that time. Being exposed to more sports and more teams outside of just my regular community definitely contributed to my love of sports and encouraged me to try new sports I might not have otherwise thought to do. Right now, I’m on the basketball team, the baseball team and the swim team.
The early foundation that Springboard programs gave me through sports and activities built my confidence, motivation and helped me develop into the leader I am today. While sports keep me busy during the school year, I was able to participate in Springboard’s Youth Leadership Fellowship this past summer.
Part of what we did during that program was create a project about issues that we see in our communities. I worked on a project talking about youth gun violence. We have seen way too much violence and crime in our neighborhoods in recent years. While I think part of the problem is that kids have too easy access to weapons, I think it is also because there are not enough programs and opportunities for youth to get involved in and stay occupied.
I can see how all these years with Springboard and having the extra support to participate in more youth sports helped grow my confidence, motivation and interests and has pushed me to stay active in other activities that are helping me continue to grow toward my best self. I want these same opportunities to be available for every kid in Jackson and my community.
While I’m still figuring out what my next steps in life might be, I know the confidence and motivation that I have been building from the very beginning will help me get wherever I want to be in life.
John’s Mother, Ebony: “I Am So Proud of the Leader That He Has Become”
John’s story brings up so many memories for me. I am so proud of the leader that he has become and the way he is learning to use his voice to advocate for others and his community.
John has seen firsthand what it can look like to grow up in a community that cares for him and wants what is best for him, and I love getting to see how that has shaped John’s perspective and makes him want those same opportunities for the rest of his community.
As a parent, it is my belief that I should always be showing up for my child as much as I can. And while coordinating all the schedules and plans can be challenging at times, it is always worth it knowing that he is taking advantage of the opportunities ahead of him.
John is no stranger to adversity, but I’ve watched him continue to push himself and strive to be his best in all things, and that makes me so proud.
