Good News Headlines 10/28/2024

During his first diplomatic visit to a tribal nation as president on Friday, Joe Biden is expected to formally apologize for the country’s role in the Indian boarding school system, which devastated the lives of generations of Indigenous children and their ancestors. “I would never have guessed in a million years that something like this would happen,” said Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna. “It’s a big deal to me. I’m sure it will be a big deal to all of Indian Country.” Shortly after becoming the first Native American to lead the Interior, Haaland launched an investigation into the boarding school system, which found that at least 18,000 children, some as young as 4, were taken from their parents.

Charleston Unveils Historical Marker At The Site Of Firm That Held The Largest Known U.S. Slave Trade

by Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica

On a brilliant mid-October morning, Harold Singletary stood before a teal shroud hanging from a building along one of the most famed architectural stretches in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. A Black businessman, he never imagined he would be standing here, for this purpose, along a street he had walked countless times, not knowing. He prepared to address a group gathered to unveil a historical marker that announced to anyone walking by that the finely restored antebellum structure behind him once housed an auction firm that in 1835 “conducted the largest known domestic slave sale in United States history.”

In Gaza Or Ukraine, Peace Can Look Impossible. Here, There’s Hope.

by Keith Collins, The Christian Science Monitor

“Why did you choose life?” Ali Abu Awwad pauses when the question is asked. There is no simple answer. Mr. Awwad is Palestinian, and when his brother was killed by an Israeli soldier, it plunged him into darkness. “I was struggling,” he says. “I wondered, Shall I take revenge? I mean, I was trained with a Kalashnikov [rifle] when I was 15 years old. I know how to use one. But who has the right on Earth to take a life? Will it bring back my brother? Will it bring my people freedom?” Then one day, Mr. Awwad’s mother brought home families she knew had also lost someone.

NE Forests Recover Despite Funding Deficits

by EarthTalk

In colonial days, wood was a hot commodity in New England. It was so widely used for agriculture and other industries that, between the 17th and 20th centuries, several New England states saw a 60 percent reduction in woodlands. Today, roughly 80 percent of New England is wooded again, but over 99 percent of the trees were planted within the last 100 years. These new-growth forests are remarkably homogenous, being evenly spaced, similar in height and size, and primarily of the same species. Though trees have significantly rallied, financial support for New England land conservation has dropped by half since 2008.

More California Schools Than Ever Are Embracing Vegan Meals

by Frida Garza, Reasons to Be Cheerful

Three years ago, Erin Primer had an idea for a new summer program for her school district: She wanted students to learn about where their food comes from. Primer, who has worked in student nutrition within California’s public school system for 10 years, applied for grant funding from the state to kick off the curriculum, and got it. Students planted cilantro in a garden tower, met a local organic farmer who grows red lentils and learned about corn. “Many kids didn’t know that corn grew in a really tall plant,” said Primer. “They didn’t know that it had a husk.” The curriculum, focused on bringing the farm into the school, had an effect beyond the classroom.