2 Clarion Ledger journalists with Tennessean staff among finalists for James Beard award

Staff Reports
·2 min read
State rep. Rickey Thompson speaks to local black farmers at the Mississippi Minority Farmers Alliance Headquarters in Okolona, Miss. on October 19, 2022. "There's a lot of things that these small farmers and MMFA have engaged in that are really making this community viable."
State rep. Rickey Thompson speaks to local black farmers at the Mississippi Minority Farmers Alliance Headquarters in Okolona, Miss. on October 19, 2022. "There's a lot of things that these small farmers and MMFA have engaged in that are really making this community viable."

The Nashville-based Tennessean's project "Uneven Ground: Exceptional Black farmers and their fight to flourish in the South," which explores the history and future of Black farmers across the region, is a finalist for the James Beard Award for innovative storytelling.

The James Beard Awards are the most prestigious honors for restaurants, chefs and food journalists in the United States.

Clarion Ledger Politics Reporter Wicker Perlis and Clarion Ledger Photographer Hannah Mattix contributed to the Tennessean's “Uneven Ground” series.

"Uneven Ground" looks at the long and well-documented history of discrimination against Black farmers in the South. Using the resources of the USA TODAY Network, the project documents that past discrimination and its lingering effect in stories, photos and videos. The project tells the story of Black farmers in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina who have overcome the challenges and are charting a new path.

"In each part of this package, we strived to center the experiences of the farmers we visited. The field has never been level for these exceptional growers and producers, but they have fought decades of racism to keep their land," said Liz Schubauer, lead editor for the project.

The James Beard award for innovative storytelling "recognizes excellence in food- and/or drink-related content that emphasizes photography, virtual reality, interactive design or other forms of visual enhancement to tell a story."

The other nominees in the category are the New York Times for "How One New York City Restaurant Fought To Survive” and the website Thrillist for "Night Market."

"Uneven Ground" was reported by Mackensy Lunsford, Todd A. Price, Danielle Dreilinger, Kyra Watts and Perlis. The other editors were Carol Motsinger and Gary Estwick.

Jeremy Harmon was the photo editor on "Uneven Ground." The photos and videos were produced by George Walker IV, Cornell Watson, Scott Clause, Mattix, Stu Boyd II, Christine Tannous and Brianna Paciorka.

Andrea Brunty, Erin Baker Crabb, Annette Meade of the USA TODAY Network's Storytelling Studio oversaw the design, while Madalyn Hoerr and Juan Buitrago handled the social media presentation.

The winners of the James Beard Awards for food media will be announced in Chicago on June 3. See www.jamesbeard.org/blog/2023-media-award-nominees for a list of all the nominees.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: 2 Clarion Ledger journalists participated in a Tennessean project