The Weekly Theme
Each week, we feature a new theme of solutions for those passionate about learning in-depth on how we are building a better world!
Minneapolis to disband its police force and adopt community safety model
These days, we find ourselves writing stories that would have been unthinkable just weeks ago. Yesterday we published a groundbreaking story out of Los Angeles where Mayor Eric Garcetti recently announced that he was defunding the police department. By defunding the police, what is really meant is Read More...
Los Angeles is defunding the police and investing in minority communities
One of the main demands to come out of the nationwide George Floyd protests is for cities to defund police. That doesn’t mean completely defunding police departments but, rather, allocating some of their budgets to other initiatives that provide poor and minority communities with more than a Read More...
This is what happens when police respond to protesters with compassion
In many cities where the George Floyd protests are taking place, the police have responded to protestors using rubber bullets, riot gear, and tears gas, which seemed to demonstrate the very need for these protests in the first place. But not every interaction between police and protestors turned Read More...
Cities are finally removing Confederate monuments following protests
Shocking as it may seem, more than 700 Confederate monuments remain on display in public spaces in America. Now, thanks to protests in the name of George Floyd, calls for cities to remove monuments dedicated to the Confederacy and its racist ideology have grown louder. And in many places, the Read More...
Action, not tweets: Five ways corporate America can combat racism
Major companies across the US have flocked to social media to express their solidarity against racism and police brutality, but for many black Americans, the corporate tweets and executive memos on combating racism ring hollow from companies that too often have baked systemic racism into Read More...
Understanding whiteness: The first step to ending racial discrimination
The Optimist Daily is first and foremost a platform dedicated to solutions and the people behind them. But this week it has become more blatant than ever that there is a problem in our country in dire need of a solution—and this time it is us who need to be the ones coming up with the Read More...
Irish beekeeper constructs colorful LEGO hive in his backyard
From cleaning out the basement to taking up bread making, people around the world have taken up new hobbies to fill their quarantined time. One creative bee-lover in Ireland decided to use the time to create an elaborate home for bees out of LEGO blocks. Ruari O Leocháin, a school teacher and Read More...
You can now rent BBQ grills from Finnish libraries
Finnish libraries go above and beyond when it comes to serving the community. They offer not only books for rent, but also sewing machines, board games, musical instruments, and even sports equipment. Now, as the summer season approaches and families get anxious for some outdoor fun, Finnish Read More...
This platform allows you to send words of encouragement to frontline workers
With movement restrictions and social distancing as a result of lockdown measures, these last couple of months have left many feeling more isolated and lonelier than ever before. But these times have also made us more compassionate towards others and more likely to show appreciation for the efforts Read More...
New agreement helps protect migrating monarch butterflies
Every year millions of monarch butterflies migrate from northern and eastern U.S. and Canada to spend winter in southern California and Mexico. Now, these threatened species are getting a little more help along the way, thanks to an agreement between The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Read More...