Canada allows Indigenous peoples to officially reclaim their names
Canada has announced a new policy that allows Indigenous people who were forced to adopt European Christian names to officially reclaim their original names.
North & Central America
This archive covers progress stories from North and Central America, spanning the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the nations of Central America. Readers will find reporting on health, environment, community resilience, and policy advances across the region.
Juneteenth signed into law as a federal holiday in the U.S.
“Juneteeth” is the term that has been used to commemorate June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, first learned that the Civil War was over and they were free.
Biden administration extends Title IX protections to LGBTQ students
“Students cannot be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona told the New York Times about the new rules.
U.S. Senate confirms Zahid Quraishi as country’s first Muslim American federal judge
The Senate voted last week to confirm Zahid Quraishi, a former United States magistrate judge in New Jersey.
Biden administration to buy 500 million Pfizer coronavirus vaccine doses to donate to the world
The first 200 million doses will be distributed this year, with the subsequent 300 million shared in the first half of next year.
El Salvador to use energy from volcanoes for bitcoin mining
Hours after becoming the first nation to authorize bitcoin as a legal tender, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele instructed a state-owned geothermal electric company to plan to use renewable geothermal energy from the country’s volcanoes for mining for the cryptocurrency.
TC Energy officially cancels Keystone XL Pipeline
The project that was supposed to cost under $5 billion had ballooned to nearly double that amount, thanks to determined opposition from environmental groups and Indigenous communities.
Nevada will start teaching LGBTQ history in K-12 school curriculum
Nevada will become the sixth state in the nation to require lessons on LGBTQ people and historic events.
California Assembly passes groundbreaking deforestation bill
AB 416 requires that state’s forest product suppliers have policies that prevent deforestation and guarantee Indigenous Peoples the right to free, prior and informed consent for any operations on their territories.
America’s first transgender suicide hotline is up and running
The new hotline is staffed entirely by transgender people and dedicated to addressing and supporting members of the trans community in mental health crises.