July 10, 2019

Bask in the Champagne Glory and Pure Joy of The Women’s World Cup Victory Parade

“We got white girls and black girls, and everything in between. Straight girls and gay girls.”

Seth Wenig/AP

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On the heels of a thunderous victory at the Women’s World Cup on Sunday—followed by an equally roaring locker room celebration—the US Women’s National Team arrived in New York on Wednesday to celebrate their back-to-back win and fourth overall title with a ticker-tape parade to end all parades.

Bottles of Veuve overflowed. Beers were double-fisted. The entire team danced relentlessly and joyously uninhibited. There were chants of equal pay, mixed with one gratifying “pay us, bitch” moment from midfielder Allie Long. The event felt downright righteous and lived up to Megan Rapinoe’s recent defense of what some around the world have criticized for excessive celebrations on the field. “We work hard. We like to play hard,” Rapinoe had remarked amid the blowback from co-captain Alex Morgan’s tea-sipping goal celebration during the game against England.

The euphoria felt contagious—even from afar on a screen—and for a few brief moments, invited you to get delightfully inebriated and proud of what makes America actually great. Enjoy!

As the event came to a close, Rapinoe delivered another moving message toasting the women of the team and their diversity. The remarks came on the heels of her interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper the night before, during which she delivered a searing message for the president. 

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

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