Sanity-saving good news – “‘Respect’ is more than a song by Aretha” Edition.

Starting this hard week’s good news off with this song…

Good news in resistance!

On Columbus Day, people in New York City and Pittsburgh protested for the holiday to be renamed Indigenous People’s Day.

After Jemele Hill was suspended from ESPN, again, people showed up at their headquarters to protest. Hey ESPN, this is worth a read. #TakeAKnee & #StandWithJemele

If you missed the story about why Colin Kaepernick knelt during anthems, here it is… Pass it on to that person on your Facebook feed that’s losing his mind over this. Continue reading “Sanity-saving good news – “‘Respect’ is more than a song by Aretha” Edition.” →

Sanity-Saving good news – “Using your anger for good” – Edition

Good news in basic humanity.

Lin-Manuel’s advice works for everything, actually. This was a hard week where we wonder about our basic humanity. But then all this happens and, well, it helps a bit.

San Juan Mayor Carment Cruz does not back down.

“This terrible and abominable view of him throwing paper towels and throwing provisions at people, it does not embody the spirit of the American nation.” –San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz on 45’s trip to Puerto Rico

Racial slurs were shouted at a Nevada Union High School student in Grass Valley as he walked down Mill Street, according to his father on an amazing Facebook heart-to-heart to the white people in his community. Concerned local residents, including the police and the Nevada Union High principal, asked the community to do better and stand up to racism. And this happened.

Continue reading →

Sanity-Saving good news – “There is a moral movement rising” – Edition

People are standing together and becoming more powerful.

“If statues come down, racism can still be up.” Reverend William J. Barber sets the record straight on systemic racism and white supremacy in America.

“The death of that young girl traumatizes me and the nation. You cannot push back against that with just every now an then having a rally. You have to have a long-term movement that names the issues, and then challenges them with a deep moral argument, not just a political argument.

There is a moral movement rising in this country that is saying, “Dr. King is dead. Fannie

Lou Hamer is dead. Rabbi Heschel is dead. Dorothy Day is dead. Harriet Tubman is dead. Elizabeth Cady Stanton is dead, Frederick Douglass is dead.

But we are their children, and it is time – now – for us to raise our moral dissent. Continue reading “Sanity-Saving good news – “There is a moral movement rising” – Edition” →

Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News – “SB54 Passed!” Edition

California fights for its DACA citizens!

“California is their home and they are our future.” – Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León

State Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration along with Maine, Maryland and Minnesota, arguing in his complaint that repealing DACA would deal a significant blow to California’s economy. California is home to 220,000 of the nation’s 800,000 DACA recipients.

The University of California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last week Friday, saying rescinding DACA would unconstitutionally violate the rights of the university system and its students. University of California President Janet Napolitano on Tuesday issued a memo advising the current DACA recipients, numbering approximately 4000, that they are eligible to apply for a two-year renewal even if the program is phased out. Renewal applications are due by Oct. 5. Continue reading “Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News – “SB54 Passed!” Edition” →

Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News – “Finding Your Voice” Edition.

This weekend will only have Good News and some helpful links for both DACA and SB 54. We don’t need a recap to know that this has been an incredibly hard week. For those of you who are still waiting, toe poised above the water…

“The civil rights movement was messy, disorderly, confrontational and yes, sometimes violent. Those standing on the sidelines of the current racial-justice movement, waiting for a pristine or flawless exercise of righteous protest, will have a long wait. They, we suspect, will be this generation’s version of the millions who claim that they were one of the thousands who marched with Dr. King. Each of us should realize that what we do now is most likely what we would have done during those celebrated protests 50 years ago. Rather than critique from afar, come out of your homes, follow those who are closest to the pain, and help us to redeem this country, and yourselves, in the process.”

Standing up for DACA! We’re peacefully protesting everywhere! You can do it from your couch!

Continue reading “Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News – “Finding Your Voice” Edition.” →

Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News! – The “Hurricane Harvey” Edition

Good News for Humanity! Houston affirms that America can still be awesome.

Despite this year of pitting Americans against each other, of overt racism and hatred, and of old symbols of hate marching down our streets, the people of Houston remind us all how amazing Americans can be. How kind, how generous, and how brave.

Continue reading “Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News! – The “Hurricane Harvey” Edition” →

Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News! – “There are more of us than the haters. We just have to stand up!” Edition

(Marcher’s sign from yesterday’s Indivisible March on LA.)

Before we start… a moment for Dick Gregory.

Good News from the White House!

The White House banned Bannon. #anothercreepgone #morecreepstogo

Resigned or released, racist Sebastian Gorka is now out of the White House. Continue reading “Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News! – “There are more of us than the haters. We just have to stand up!” Edition” →

Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News! – “We are braver than we thought we were” Edition

“This is a massive awakening. We’ve already seen an awakening taking place in the last few years. It will intensify. We’ve seen marvelous demonstrations in a variety of different cities… I think that we have to have a real sense of commitment to being a hope in such a bleak moment. And we can turn things around.” (Dr. Cornel West, Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy, Harvard University)

Embed from Getty Images

Good News in Civil Rights – Updates on Charlottesville and more.

If you missed our last “Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News – “Look for the Helpers” Edition on Charlottesville, click here. It includes maps of where the vigils for Solidarity-with-Charlottesville took place, as well as some local pics of our own event. There were nearly 700 events across this country. Amazing!

The best of America is still alive and kicking. Continue reading “Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News! – “We are braver than we thought we were” Edition” →

Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News! – “Look for the Helpers” Edition

Despite having never having watched Mr. Rogers as a child, a video of him speaking about how his mother taught him to deal with bad things has stuck with me.

And now, I too, look for the helpers when something terrible happens. And there they are. In Charlottesville. The heroes who jumped in to help in the face of imminent danger, the police who came from far away to keep people safe, including the state troopers who died, and the people who work, tirelessly, year-round, to make Virginia an good and more equitable place to live. And the brave resisters, of all types, who stood up for our morals and our values…

…from the woman who died…

Continue reading “Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News! – “Look for the Helpers” Edition” →

Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News! – “And the 4th graders shall lead us” Edition

Yesterday’s post in our “This Week in Resistance” blog included an article stating that with every horrible action Trump has taken, there’s been an equal and opposite action from the resistance and others. The author called it the “Boomerang Effect”.

So now, despite our 1.5 million pleas to the contrary, the president has gone ahead and put our national monuments on the auction block for oil, uranium and timber extraction. And amongst the usual resistance groups who started speaking out against the destruction of our heritage, up pops this 9 year old kid, Robbie Bond.

“When a 9-year old says something like ‘our national parks and monuments are under attack,’ you sit up and listen. Standing up for our natural treasures is honorable for anyone, but for a young person like Robbie to take a stand like this — it shows courage at a time when our Island Earth needs us most. I support Robbie and Kids Speak for Parks — their voices need to be heard.” -Nainoa Thompson, Polynesian Voyaging Society. Continue reading “Your Weekly Dose of Sanity-Saving Good News! – “And the 4th graders shall lead us” Edition” →