Social Justice
Read about the newest efforts to overthrow systemic inequalities and address injustices in terms of wealth, opportunities, and privileges to make the world a better place.
These tiny parking lots infill homes are eco-friendly and affordable
We recently wrote about the potential to transform commercial spaces into affordable residential housing in California. Today, we share another innovative housing solution, this time from Sydney, Australia. Architect Brad Swartz is helping his neighbors turn underused parking spaces into cozy Read More...
The Optimist View: Reflections on activism from Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons
“If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children's birthright.” - Amanda Gorman BY: AMELIA BUCKLEY As we celebrated the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week, many Americans contemplated the profound impact of his Read More...
How a former KKK meeting place became a center for healing
In Laurens, South Carolina, an organization called Echo Project is converting what once was a Ku Klux Klan meeting place into a community center and racial reconciliation museum. Shockingly, the building became home to a White supremacist store in 1996 that sold Klan robes and Confederate Read More...
Apple unveils details of its $100m initiative to promote racial equality
Back in June, Apple pledged to invest $100 million to promote racial equality and help dismantle systemic barriers faced by communities of color. Now the company is shedding some light on how that money will be spent exactly. As part of its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, the company Read More...
Raphael Warnock wins election to become Georgia’s first Black senator
At The Optimist Daily, our focus is on solutions. We are not interested in following mainstream news outlets in their pursuit of the latest political news. With that said, there are times when events occur in the political arena that are very much worth writing about. The recent Georgia Senate Read More...
Court grants ‘priority status’ to historic youth-driven climate case
Back in September, we wrote about a groundbreaking court case filed by young activists from Portugal that demanded 33 countries to make more ambitious emissions cuts to protect their future physical and mental wellbeing. Those countries include all the EU states, as well as the UK, Norway, Russia, Read More...
New LA district attorney introduces sweeping reforms
Los Angeles County has a new district attorney and he is making some big changes in the county’s criminal justice system. Newly sworn-in George Gascón reports that the district attorney’s office will no longer seek cash bail for any misdemeanor or non-violent, non-serious felony Read More...
MLB to include Negro League stats to the official record book
Professional baseball leagues in the US were segregated until 1947. Although the league has come very far since Jackie Robinson became its first Black player, in many ways the sport is still reckoning with its racist past. Last week, the league took another step towards correcting its past wrongs Read More...
Every time a girl is born in this Indian village, 111 trees are planted
When the former leader of the small village of Piplantri in Rajasthan, India, lost his daughter when she was very young, he wanted to come up with something that would cherish the life of each girl child to be born. That’s when he thought up the idea of creating an initiative in which 111 trees Read More...
Pitzer launches US’ first bachelor’s program for incarcerated individuals
Pitzer College, one of America's top liberal arts schools, has just created the first-ever bachelor's program for incarcerated individuals at the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in Norco, California. There, inmates can earn a degree from Pitzer right alongside other college students. Read More...