-Submitted by Judy Sullivan, USH Social Justice Chair; Source:https://americansofconscience.com/

123 weeks down, 86 weeks to the presidential election.

The AoC Checklist features clear, well-researched actions for Americans who value democracy, equality, voting, and respect. To stay engaged through challenging times, we practice gratitude, self-care, and celebration.

YES! Good things are happening, so lift your head up and smile and get a happy start to your weekend. Here’s our latest installment of evidence that decent people are working together and speaking up. #GoodNews
National
• American support for immigration is at an all-time high.
• The House Judiciary Committee passes the VAWA Reauthorization Bill (H.R. 1585) out of committee and includes provisions that would strengthen protections for Native women.
• Ruling: The government is required to reunite an even greater number of families.
• Ruling: Asylum seekers can appeal fast-track deportations.
• Kirstjen Nielsen decided to extend Temporary Protected Status for South Sudanese people until Nov. 2020. DHS also extended TPS for people from El Salvador, Haiti, and Nicaragua.
State
• AZ bill banning school lunch shaming passes the state House and moves on to the Senate.
• CA Gov. Gavin Newsom issues a moratorium on the state’s death penalty, citing moral reasons.
• NM expands background check requirements for private gun sellers.
• IA Supreme Court affirms the rights of transgender plaintiffs to leverage Medicaid to cover transition-related care.
• AZ Humanitarian groups provide aid to people migrating near the U.S.-Mexico border.
• CA is declared officially drought-free for the first time in seven years.
Local
• Wake, Durham, and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina have cut ties with ICE.
• Latino advocacy groups created a legal fund for the families of undocumented residents arrested by federal immigration officials in six North Carolina counties.
• Dayton and Montgomery County, OH cut opiod deaths in half thanks to concentrated community efforts.
• A year after ending sales of assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines, Dick’s Sporting Goods stops selling guns in 125 stores.
News with heart
• Over a million students from 123 countries went on strike for the planet on March 15th.
• Greta Thunberg, a 16-year old climate advocate who inspired the global student strike, receives a Nobel nomination.
• Kylie Hunts-In-Winter, a 16 year old black belt and member of the Sioux Nation, teaches self defense to empower Native women.
• Belinda George, an elementary school principal, reads bedtime stories to her students via video.
• Toronto police visit local mosque just to ask if anyone needs anything and make sure everyone’s okay.
• In solidarity, Professor Nathan Alexander holds his student’s baby during class.
• A 50-year-old letter from Peanuts cartoonist, Charles Schultz, reminds us to “follow our own conscience and retain faith in our democracy”