Some Good News

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Hey all! I’ve been away for a while, as I’ve been busy finishing my last semester of college. Now I’m finally done!!! I’ve graduated! The ceremony is in May! Sigh of relief!!!

So today, being that I’m excited about completing school, and the holidays, I’m going to share some good news I received from newsletters of various non-profits.

 

 

A Victory for Syrian Refugees (from MoveOn.org):

Just weeks ago, an anti-refugee backlash had enormous momentum.

BUT we stopped Congress from slamming the door on Syrian families seeking refuge. Against the odds, compassion and our best American values prevailed—beating out fear, hate-baiting, and xenophobia.

We signed and delivered hundreds of thousands of petition signatures. We flooded Congress with phone calls—at least 25,000 calls from MoveOn members alone. We marched in the streets at dozens of vigils and rallies with “Refugees Welcome” signs held high.

Through all of this work, we gained momentum in our work to defend America’s highest ideals. First, the Senate refused to pass the terrible House bill. Then, when Republicans tried to tuck the anti-refugee measures into a big, must-pass spending bill, we kept fighting back—and by the time House Speaker Paul Ryan counted his votes, so many representatives had changed their position that he had to abandon the effort.

Major Reforms in New York Solitary Confinement Policies (NYCLU.org): 

This week the NYCLU announced a settlement that will comprehensively overhaul solitary confinement in New York State prisons.

This settlement promises to end solitary confinement as we know it for more than 1,100 of the roughly 4,000 people in “the box”– who are in a cell the size of a parking space 23 hours a day. The number of people in solitary is expected to drop even more as the agreement eliminates solitary for all minor violations and puts a cap on all solitary sentences. We will finally be investing taxpayer dollars in rehabilitation—not torture—that will make prisons and communities safer and that affirms our core constitutional values.

A BIG thanks to the organizations and activists who worked on these issues by putting their concerns into action!

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