Politics
Having a difficult time finding positive news about national and global politics? Search no further! From public policy to positive leadership to democracy efforts, find the latest good news stories in the world of politics at The Optimist Daily.
Collaboration and Creativity: Housing for the unsheltered in Dallas
North Texas is making a big commitment to ending inner-city homelessness. Last month, the city of Dallas announced a multimillion-dollar partnership projected to provide housing to over half of its four thousand unsheltered inhabitants. The collaboration will be the largest one in North Texas Read More...
Michigan school district to introduce universal preschool this fall
Universal preschool makes education more equitable and improves overall student performance, but the US has been slower than other countries to offer preschool for all. Fortunately, one school district in Michigan is taking matters into its own hands and introducing universal preschool this Read More...
California now offers free school meals to all students
We’ve written about how nutritious and affordable school lunches can drastically reduce childhood hunger. Realizing the public health benefits of school lunches, the state of California will now make school meals free for all public school students. During the 2019-2020 school year, 60 percent Read More...
Maine passes groundbreaking law banning “forever chemicals”
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals,” are toxic chemicals found in a wide range of products we consume and use on a daily basis including packaging, cookware, cosmetics, and textiles. These chemicals are being increasingly linked to serious diseases Read More...
Illinois is first state to mandate Asian American history curriculum in schools
We’ve written frequently about Illinois’ progressive criminal justice policies, and today we bring you another new bill, this time focused on education. The state is now the first in the US to mandate that Asian American history be part of its public school curriculum. The legislation was Read More...
Ottawa apologizes for the racist treatment of all-Black military battalion
Over a century has passed since Canada’s only Black military unit, formed in Pictou, N.S. in 1916, was harshly denied the right to fight for their country in the First World War by the Canadian Expeditionary Force because of the color of their skin. Instead, they were deployed to France in Read More...
EU announces new climate action legislation
To reach their goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, the EU has released a draft of new climate change legislation to further cut emissions. The new legislation, which must still be approved by the EU’s 27 member states and parliament, proposes laws such as increasing taxes on jet fuel and Read More...
Pawsitive Change enhances rehabilitation for inmates and shelter dogs
Last year, we wrote about how incarcerated individuals in Florida comfort shelter dogs during Fourth of July firework displays, but this isn’t the only program allowing incarcerated individuals and canines to collaborate. Pawsitive Change, a pup, and inmate rehabilitation program, pairs Read More...
This self-cleaning filter safely quenches the thirst of communities in need
Opening the tap on any faucet in your home to access a stream of clean drinking water is a privilege that not everyone is afforded. The reality is that millions of people around the world must retrieve water with jugs and buckets from sources like rivers and wells. In many cases, despite all the Read More...
Study: Unions play a big role in reducing poverty
Labor unions changed the landscape of the American workplace at the height of industrialization. Collective action offered fair wages, safe working conditions, and the 40-hour workweek, but how do labor unions affect workers in the 21st century? Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Read More...