✨The Bright Side✨ #7 - The News That Actually Deserved a Push Notification
From a Supreme Court seat saved to universal school meals and a scholar’s return, here’s your weekly dose of hope.
In yesterday’s newsletter, I shared a bit about my experience this past week at a conference in D.C. called Trending Up. It’s a gathering for content creators focused on causes we care about, with a mix of political and non-political voices all in one place.
My heart is so full after spending time with so many people who inspire me in very different ways.
And the funny thing is… because I was at a content creation conference, I didn’t actually create a lot of content. I was fully immersed in the experience, so I didn’t record many videos or post much on Instagram. And then I got home to a mountain of things to catch up on (including editing and sharing the video of my interview with Maxwell Frost yesterday!).
To be honest, my body hasn’t fully recovered. So today, partly because of that and partly because it’s Mother’s Day, I’m taking myself to a sensory deprivation tank. If you’ve never heard of one, I know it sounds kind of scary… but it’s like a private jacuzzi filled with warm, body-temperature water and tons of Epsom salt so you float effortlessly. It’s soundproof, and you can turn off all the lights and just be for an hour or more. I did it last year for the first time, and I left with a smile that almost didn’t fit my face.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed about what’s going on, I hear you. It’s a lot. And because fear and anger generate more clicks, the headlines often lean into that, and we miss the good. But every week, I find stories that remind me people are out there fighting at every level and making real progress. And I’m sure I only caught 5% of the good this week, especially since I was trying to be a “social butterfly” (which is not my natural state!).
Still, here’s what I did catch, and I hope it’s more than enough to refill our collective hope tank:
📍 North Carolina: A Supreme Court win for voters
After months of legal back-and-forth and a last-ditch effort to toss out ballots, a federal judge stepped in because… yeah, it had been SIX MONTHS since the election! Democratic Justice Allison Riggs officially kept her seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court by just 734 votes.
📍 Virginia: No seat left uncontested
For the first time in recent memory, Democrats are running candidates in every single House of Delegates district in Virginia. That’s 100 out of 100.
Grassroots organizers made it happen, sending a powerful message: no district is being written off.
This is a perfect example of the power of the people. GRASSROOTS organizers made it happen! That’s people like us, you and me!
📍 Salt Lake City & Boise: Flying flags, making statements
Republican-led legislatures passed laws banning Pride flags from public buildings. So what did these two cities do? They made Pride flags official city flags. It’s a reminder that even when states try to erase our communities, local leaders can still say: “We see you.”
This is why local elections matter!
📍 Denver: People over surveillance
And here’s another example of the power of local elections…
Denver’s City Council unanimously rejected a $666,000 contract to expand license plate reader cameras. Yes, that number is literally 666,000. A little eerie, right?
Residents raised major concerns about the risk of mass surveillance and how this data could be used by ICE. So the city said nope. Because “public safety” shouldn’t come at the expense of civil rights, or sound like the plot of a dystopian novel.
📍 Chicago: Drawing the line
This is from last month, but I only saw it this week.
The Chicago City Council passed a new law that bars people who participated in the January 6 insurrection and were later pardoned by Trump from holding city jobs. The vote? 44 to 3.
📍 Florida Man Leaves the GOP, Cites Conscience
In a plot twist no one saw coming, this Florida man didn’t get arrested or wrestle a gator: he left the Republican Party.
Tony Ortiz, a longtime conservative, wrote this Op-Ed making the announcement:
”I can no longer stand by in silence as it turns its back on the very people I’ve sworn to protect.
…
And let me say this clearly: the marginalization of Latinos and immigrants — many of whom have helped build this country and proudly served in its defense — is not leadership. It’s fear-based politics.”
📍 New York: Free school meals, no questions asked
This week, New York became the ninth state in the country to offer universal school meals, which means every public school student gets breakfast and lunch for free, no forms, no income requirements, no shame. Just food. For everyone.
And if you want to understand how big of a deal this is, my friend
breaks it down beautifully in his newsletter:
📍 Rümeysa Öztürk is finally home
After more than six weeks in ICE detention, Tufts PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk is finally back in Boston. She was arrested after co-writing a political op-ed, but now, thanks to a federal judge’s order, she’s free.
Rümeysa’s research focuses on how young people use social media to support each other and grow in positive ways in today’s digitally connected world. Her dissertation explores the prosocial side of online life: how teens and young adults show up for each other online.
She still has a legal fight ahead. But for now, she’s home, and we’re so glad.
That’s all for this week. But if you want MORE good news, you can read what I shared last week, too!
I hope it gives you a little light, a little clarity, and maybe even a little peace.
See you soon. I’m gonna go float!
The news in North Carolina is really good. I’ve met and canvassed for Justice Allison Riggs, and she’s truly inspiring. I’m so glad we elected her to stay on our Supreme Court.