Good news roundup: Things to make you feel hopeful this week
Hi everyone, I am on a plane heading to New York to speak at the Nonprofit New York conference, and Wi-Fi is very spotty, so apologies for the poor grammar and coherence.
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The past few months (years) we have all been inundated with terrible news about awful things happening all over the world. While we should continue paying attention to them and act when we can, it’s important to acknowledge that awesome things are also taking place.
Here are some hopeful and inspiring things below, in no particular order. A lot of this is from Instagram, news sites, and Buzzfeed.
· Last week, the US experienced a blue wave in our elections, which was a welcome and much-needed bit of hope for many of us. Among the left's victories, Zohran Mamdani scored a decisive victory to become New York’s 111th mayor, beating back not just the right wing, but moderate democrats, and showing that being unapologetically progressive is a winning formula.
. California passed Proposition 50, which allows Democrats to temporary redraw congressional districts to favor Democrats, and this will significantly help balance out the GOP's attempt to keep power during the midterms through redrawing districts in Texas to get more Republican House representatives.
· Supreme Court denies revisiting decision on marriage equality. Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis refused to do her job of issuing marriage licenses to gay couple, claiming it was against her religion. Her case risked jeopardizing SCOTUS’s decision that legalized same-sex marriage. By not hearing the case, that decision stands.
· Montana may have found a way for states to curb the effect of Citizens United, a destructive SCOTUS ruling that allowed corporations unfettered power to buy elections.
· Costa Rica runs on almost 100% renewable energy! Meanwhile Scotland in 2022 generated 113% of its electricity demands through wind power; its renewable energy sector sustains more than 42,000 jobs.
· Bus drivers in Okayama Japan have gone on strike. They are still working and driving their routes, but they won’t be accepting payment from passengers! Brilliant!
· Trump is going to UK, where he will be welcomed by a gigantic picture of him with Epstein. Truly, it is a big, big picture, yuge. Thank you, UK activists.
· Burkina Faso has made tremendous progress fighting desertification. It’s Great Green Wall project has created 4 million hectares of forest since 2022. This helps significantly with famines and other problems created by the land drying out.
· The ozone layer is healing and might fully recover, thanks to policies that help decrease the use of chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFSs). Heck, scientists think in 10 or 20 years, it may heal completely.
· The Ocean Cleanup has been tackling the problem of plastic pollution in the ocean by removing plastic and intercepting it before it reaches the ocean. It estimates that with enough support, 90% of plastic floating in the ocean can be removed by 2040.
· Women rule in Namibia! Namibia becomes the first country where top government positions are held by women: Its president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, VP Lucia Witbooi, speaker of national assembly Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, and secretary general of the ruling party, are all women. 57% of the country’s cabinet is women.
· Youth uprising toppled Nepal’s government. Gen-Z protestors, rightfully angered over government corruption and media censorship, burned the presidential palace and used Dischord to elect an interim prime minister, Sushila Karki, known for her progressive activism. A nonprofit, Hami Nepal, played a key role. Read the inspiring story here. Similar uprisings are spreading to other countries. The media here in the US won’t cover it much, probably because they don’t want young people here to see how successful these movements can be.
· Judge in Chicago rules that ICE agents can be arrested if they try to arrest people who are coming to or from court for their hearings.
· ICE agents are burning out and quitting. Communities have been fighting back, deploying all sorts of creative tactics, including using whistles to alert one another of ICE presence, women dating agents to take pictures and expose these assholes to the world, and even gangs have declared war on ICE.
· Ireland elects progressive, pro-Palestine Catherine Connolly in a landslide victory to be its next president. She won 63% of the votes, showing the world that you don’t have to appeal to fascists and moderates to win.
· While we’re on the topic of Ireland’s awesomeness, the country is continuing to offer basic income for artists. 2,000 artists will be getting $1500 per month so they can keep making art!
. Portland's Heretic Coffee raises over 200K in a short time to help people facing hunger. The cafe decided to give free breakfasts to those losing SNAP benefits. Its effort went viral, and people have been pitching in.
· There is a group of volunteer pilots who will transport people who need reproductive or gender-affirming healthcare from states where it’s illegal to states where it’s legal. It’s called Elevated Access and they’re awesome.
· In Denmark, children 6 to 16 are taught empathy as a mandatory school subject. This has been taking place since 1993. And it works. Denmark has one of the lowest rates of bullying and crimes.
· France becomes first country to pass laws requiring supermarkets to donate unsold food. Supermarkets partner with local nonprofits to distribute food to those who need it, instead of destroying it. It’s inspiring other countries to think about similar efforts.
· Tucson City Council votes unanimously to oppose the Trump Compact, a fascist overreach trying to limit academic freedom, including requiring the banning of the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions, capping international enrollment, applying right-wing definitions of gender to campus bathrooms, and so on.
· California, Oregon, and Washington State are banding together to create the West Coast Health Alliance to provide ensure health information and policies are based on science. This is vital as Trump’s destruction of the CDC continues.
· Albany and Syracuse elect their first Black women mayors in history. Sharon Owens and Dorcey Applyrs became the first Black women mayors of Syracuse and Albany respectively. Meanwhile, Detroit MI elected Mary Sheffield, Conyers GA elected Connie Alsobrook, and Charlotte NC elected Vi Lyles.
· In Dallas Texas, Oak Lawn church paints its steps rainbow after Governor Abbott orders cities to remove rainbow crosswalks from their streets. Dallas also rejected a 25Million deal with ICE.
· Meanwhile, in Houston, also in response to the City removing a rainbow crosswalk, an artist, Nicky Davis, started offering to paint rainbow murals for free, and soon local artists have been painting rainbows everywhere! This shows once again how vital the arts are in fighting fascism.
· Baltimore Maryland opens a 100% free full-service grocery store, and it’s inside a public library! There is no income testing, no requirements for people to show ID or demonstrate they’re poor.
These are just SOME of the hopeful things that I've come across. It’s 2:30am in New York, so I need to sleep. Please put in the comment section other hopeful, inspiring things that are happening. Let’s remind one another that good people are not just fighting back against injustice every day, but are succeeding.
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