We all feel the effects of constant negative and distressing news, so it’s important to shift focus frequently to what’s going right. That’s why Americans of Conscience publishes a weekly list of recent good news for U.S. democracy and equal rights. Take a moment to savor and celebrate the good things happening in our nation and beyond.
- The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe regain rightful control of 12,000 acres of their land.
- The Senate confirms Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, filling the position despite a single senator’s undemocratic blockade on military promotions.
- The Biden-Harris administration approves $37M in student loan repayment discharges for over 1,200 students who attended the University of Phoenix.
- President Biden issues an Executive Order aimed at assisting Ohio communities affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment.
- 25,000 people seeking refuge from Afghanistan will not be deported from Pakistan while awaiting their U.S. visas.
- CA expands its Medicaid program to include people of all ages regardless of immigration status.
- OH voters approve the inclusion of the right to abortion in their state constitution.
- RI: Gabriel Amo is elected to the House of Representatives, becoming the first Black delegate from the state to serve in Congress.
- VA voters shape the makeup of the state Senate in a way that is likely to protect access to abortion.
- VA: Rozia “J.R.” Henson is elected to the state House, becoming the first openly gay Black man to serve in the General Assembly.
- Central Bucks, PA residents vote in a School Board that better reflects the will of the district’s community.
- Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated Central Park Five, is elected to serve on the New York City Council.
- Indigenous Reads Rising provides resources for readers, educators, librarians, and booksellers to explore Indigenous children’s and teen literature.
- SC state senators Penry Gustafson (R), Margie Bright Matthews (D), Mia McLeod (I), Sandy Senn (R), and Katrina Shealy (R) are awarded the JFK Profile in Courage Award for filibustering a state abortion ban.
- A court rules that conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, cannot use bankruptcy protection to avoid paying $1.1B owed to families harmed by his false claims regarding the Sandy Hook shooting.
- Over 175 entertainment celebrities, academics, and activists call on creative communities to leverage their voices to stop the censorship of books in schools and libraries.
- The number of snow leopards in Bhutan has increased from 96 in 2016 to 134 today.