css background with gradient to allow text overlay

Question

The following div

/**
  has a background with the equivalent of a transparent gradient.  However, this gradient is set with a `:before` attribute

*/    
    .bg-img {
      position: relative;
      width: 100%;
      height: 100%;
      background: center center no-repeat;
      background-size: cover;
    }
    .bg-img:before {
      content: '';
      position: absolute;
      top: 0;
      right: 0;
      bottom: 0;
      left: 0;
      background: linear-gradient(to right, rgba(255,255,255,1),rgba(255,255,255,0));
      opacity: 1;
    }

    <div class='row bg-img' style='background: url(https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/v4prove/comfort/pict/11/chernobyl.jpg);'>
      <div class='small-6 columns'>
        Much evil soon high in hope do view. Out may few northward believing attempted. 
      </div>
      <div class='small-6 columns'>
      </div>
    </div>

and therefore the gradient is also applied to the text of the inner div. How can the contents of the child divs be returned "above" the gradient?