This week, we learned that decades of conservation efforts are paying off: Sea turtle populations are bouncing back, thanks to work begun in the 1950s. This turtle triumph is a great reminder of the years, decades, and even centuries of work that goes into making change.
As Peace is Loud’s founder Abigail Disney wrote about violence prevention efforts in Kenya, “Please try to remember that if ‘nothing’ happens today, it will only be because of all that has happened before today.
“Peace doesn’t fall from the heavens because you are lucky; it is built from the ground up with sweat and love and tears.”
Your weekly songspiration!
1. We might sound like a broken record, but we’re okay with that, because the GOP has lost its latest battle to repeal Obamacare!
Thank you to Indivisible members, who made more than 300,000 calls and hosted 172 events (in just one week!) pressuring members of Congress to #KillTheBill, and an even bigger thank you to the disability rights advocates at ADAPT, who were again arrested after disrupting a Senate hearing.
2. After the president crassly attacked football players’ rights to silent and peaceful protest, the protests only increased, and players, coaches, and team owners spoke out or knelt. For background, check out this great video or read this equally important piece, which explains, “Nothing in the history of sports and politics can compare to what happened on Sunday.”
Off the field, we were cheering on this mic drop response to Trump by Colin Kaepernick’s mother, this touching act by a 97-year-old WWII vet, this letter in support of Kaepernick written by a group of veterans, this moving interview with NFL player Michael Thomas—not to mention these reminders that women athletes have been fighting the same battle, and this quote from LeBron James:
“The people run this country. Not one individual.”
3. Another white supremacist was arrested in connection with Charlottesville—this time, for assaulting a woman. (Thank you, Shaun King, for leading the charge to identify him!)
4. The group #Handmaids4HB40 convinced Illinois’ Republican governor to sign a bill protecting and expanding reproductive rights.
5. In New York, LatinoJustice PRLDEF and the NYCLU defeated an anti-immigrant law targeting day laborers.
6. Students disrupted James Comey’s speech at Howard University to protest his actions against the Black Lives Matter movement.
7. Sleeping Giants is leading a campaign against Breitbart’s advertiser base—and it’s winning. 3,000 advertisers have left Breitbart since November (YAASS!), but there’s more to go, and you can help.
8. After it was revealed that Russian groups bought pro-Trump ads, Facebook will now require political ads to disclose who is funding them. We’re hoping Twitter will get their act together ASAP.
9. It’s absurd that this was even in question, but federal judge ruled that a police officer can’t sue the Black Lives Matter movement. And speaking of lawsuits, California is suing the federal government over Trump’s proposed border wall.
10. NASA named a new building after African-American math pioneer Katherine Johnson—who, by the way, turned 99 years young last month.
11. Kansas City residents voted decisively in support of $15 per hour minimum wage bill, in spite of their state legislators’ efforts to prevent it. And in other #FightFor15 news, Target announced they are raising their minimum wage to $11 an hour starting next month, and to $15 an hour by 2020. #bullseye!
12. Joining every other country in the world, Saudi Arabia will now allow women to drive. As Manal al-Sharif, an organizer who’s spent years campaigning for this, said:
13. Ames, Iowa elected a more diverse school board with a female majority.
14. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price will personally reimburse the government for some of the $400,000 in taxpayer money he spent on private jets. But Democrats are taking it a step further by introducing legislation that would ban this type of travel altogether.
15. Cardi B hit #1 on the Billboard Top 100 chart this week with her song “Bodak Yellow,” becoming the first female rapper to grab to the top spot without featuring another artist since Lauryn Hill in 1998.
16. The National Book Foundation has released their five picks for young debut fiction writers under 35, and they are all women.
17. This shouldn’t even have to be a victory because it should be standard procedure, but the Trump administration finally lifted shipping restrictions to Puerto Rico to speed up relief efforts. This U.S. commonwealth still desperately needs our help—if you’re a lawyer who would like to volunteer your services, check this out.
We’re excited these best friends are back on the air, and with the Republicans’ failed hack job attempts at “fixing” our healthcare system behind us, we’re listening to these two smart people discussing real and popular solutions. (Grace, thanks for the recommendation!)
P.S. DEAFinitely Dope is right.
P.P.S. Hire this person immediately.
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