Anna
From the courage and vision and unity we witnessed around Standing Rock water protectors to powerful national conversations about economic justice and Black Lives Matter, Yes! Magazine’s Sarah van Gelder looks back at 2016 and reminds us that “it wasn’t all bad.” She leaves us with five signs of positive change as we brace for 2017 and beyond.
While we’re looking back (and building steam for powering forward), don’t miss Media Matters‘ piece on the most ridiculous things media said—or repeated—about climate change and other environmental issues in 2016, from “we have the cleanest coal in the world” to “coal is a moral substance” (obviously Fox News looms large here) to the tired but effective old saw that the “global warming industry” is a “conspiracy against taxpayers” (thanks to Breitbart). You’ll laugh and you’ll cry. Such are the times we live in.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that opinion polling by the Economist shows “Americans—especially but not exclusively Trump voters—believe crazy, wrong things.”
The Tyee’s Geoff Dembicki has a hard line for Justin Trudeau: “He thinks he can expand fossil fuels and keep young voters. He’s wrong.”
Finally, check out Kent Pitman’s (climate anxiety-inspired) Christmas Peril poem (also in Spanish) and look for the Earth2Trump roadshow, coming to Seattle and Portland in early January.
Keiko
A few encouraging words from Shaun King as we head into the new year:
I do not know exactly what 2017 will bring. I agree that it will be problematic and fierce, but I believe in myself, I believe in you, I believe in us. We have endured, survived, and thrived before, and I’ll be damned if Donald Trump is going to stop us now.
The New York Times editorial board weighs in on Ben Carson’s warped view of housing. Carson suggests that segregation is a natural element of civic life. The ed-board clarifies that no, segregation is a consequence of discriminatory housing policies that insisted on black-white separation. If chosen to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Carson could send the message that it’s perfectly fine for government to return to housing policies of racial isolation.
This Washington Post article captures the story of a migrant who flees a Brazilian recession and embarks on a long, treacherous 7,000 mile journey to the United States. A long (and heartbreaking) read for your weekend.
Grist calls the national housing shortage the most overlooked issue of the year—a “political cause in dire need of a champion.” Fingers crossed that 2017 will bring along a housing champion and a national strategy to provide affordable housing to all… a girl can dream for a universal housing voucher program!
