There is SO much good news and historic wins across the world this week that you probably haven't seen yet. Let's celebrate it!!
Laila Edwards Makes Winter Olympic History: Laila Edwards has been named the first Black woman to play Winter Olympic ice hockey for the United States. As a 21-year-old student at University of Wisconsin student, she's already the youngest American to win MVP at the women's hockey world championships and the first Black woman to win the IIHF Women's World Championship.
Corvallis Fire Department's First All-Female Crew: For the first time in 150 years, the Corvallis Fire Department staffed an all-female crew. The three women, who have extensive experience and have been waiting "for the stars to line up" for years, noted that while the day felt historic, they were simply doing their jobs, and appreciated training together without feeling pressure to prove themselves.
India Opens Women's Centre of Excellence: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Shrimad Rajchandra Sarvamangal Centre of Excellence for Women—a first-of-its-kind women's empowerment ecosystem designed to serve more than 15,000 women annually. The center will train women in sustainable living skills including food production, handmade crafts, and decorative arts—practical skills that can generate income while honoring traditional knowledge.
The First Women-Only Mosque in the Middle East: Al-Mujadilah in Doha, Qatar has opened as the first women-only mosque in the Middle East, designed to completely reimagine a Muslim woman's experience of entering a sacred space. Women will be able to walk directly into the main prayer hall instead of searching for back entrances and experience a unified prayer mat that symbolizes community rather than division. The center offers religious, developmental, and capacity-building programs while asking Muslim women where they want to grow.
Historic Inaugurations Across America: Across the country, mayors made history: Mary Sheffield became Detroit's first Black woman mayor, Sharon Owens became Syracuse's first Black woman mayor, Dr. Dorsey Appliers became Albany's first Black woman mayor, and Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City's first Muslim mayor. Many of these leaders represent a new generation—Mamdani is one of NYC's youngest mayors ever, and Sheffield is among Detroit's youngest as well. We're watching a complete transformation of what American leadership looks like, and it's happening at the local level where change hits closest to home.
Zohran Mamdani's Inauguration: During Zohran Mamdani's inauguration, he served hot chocolate to event staff in freezing conditions, signed his first executive orders in a rent-stabilized apartment building where tenants are battling their landlord, and was driven to the ceremony by Richard Chow—a Yellow Cab driver who went on hunger strike with him four years ago. In his speech, Mamdani declared that his administration would "replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism".
Hacker Takes Down White Supremacist Dating Site: An anarchist researcher named Martha Root spent months infiltrating a white supremacist dating site called White Date, using AI chatbots so convincing they bypassed verification and made users fall in love with robots—all while collecting data on thousands of members. She then created a leak site called "okstupid.lol" to expose the users. At the Chaos Communications Conference in Germany, dressed as the Pink Power Ranger, she ran scripts on stage that deleted White Date, its backups, and all associated domains to thunderous applause.
Michigan's Investigation into Native Boarding Schools: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a criminal investigation into Native American boarding schools and other institutions that operated across the state, seeking to identify, document, and prosecute instances where criminal acts may have occurred. The department is asking survivors, witnesses, and others with firsthand knowledge to come forward, with Nessel stating the investigation seeks to bring "truth and accountability to a painful chapter in Michigan's history." This is what justice looks like—not just acknowledgment, but active pursuit of accountability for the generational trauma inflicted on Indigenous communities.
Equal Pay Settlements Pass £1 Billion in the UK: The GMB union has secured over £1.1 billion in equal pay settlements for nearly 30,000 female workers at six local councils in the UK. Claims have been brought on behalf of women in roles like cleaners and carers who were denied the same pay, benefits, and contractual terms given to employees in traditionally male-dominated positions. The most recent victory includes a £250 million settlement for Birmingham city council employees, with thousands more claims expected in 2026 across 26 additional local authorities.
Breakthrough in Eliminating Forever Chemicals: University researchers in Texas and Korea have discovered a faster, more eco-friendly way to eliminate PFAS—the "forever chemicals" found in everything from Teflon to food packaging that have contaminated our water, soil, and bodies. Their new copper-aluminum material absorbs PFAS molecules 100 times faster than commercial carbon filters. When heated, it destroys more than half of the captured chemicals while regenerating the material for reuse through at least six full cycles.
Sweden's Recycled-Only Shopping Mall is Thriving: Sweden's ReTuna Återbruksgalleria, the world's first shopping mall selling only recycled, reused, or sustainably produced items, has been thriving since 2015—selling $1.3 million worth of recycled goods by 2018 and proving that circular economy models work at a commercial level. People drop off old items at a depot, workers sort through them, and staff repair, refinish, or transform products into something new that customers actually want to buy. With Sweden's secondhand market expected to hit $5.4 billion by 2034, this is the blueprint for sustainable retail that other countries can follow.
This is what collective power looks like. Scientists are solving "forever" problems, hackers in pink Power Ranger costumes are dismantling hate, and leaders like Zohran Mamdani are proving that government can actually serve the people—starting with hot chocolate for the workers breaking down the stage.
The old systems are cracking. New ones are being built. The new earth is here, and it takes us ALL actively choosing it to live it together.
How will you shift this week?
