Racial justice

This archive tracks real progress on racial justice — from landmark court rulings and policy reforms to community-led initiatives that expand rights and opportunity. Stories here document what’s working, where, and how, drawing on reporting from the U.S. and around the world.

A worker replacing a corroded lead pipe in a residential street for an article about Flint lead pipe replacement, for article on lead pipe removal

U.S. announces 10-year deadline to remove all lead pipes nationwide

By / / Good News For Humankind

Lead pipes in roughly nine million American homes are now on a federal clock: the EPA’s new rule requires every utility to find and replace them within 10 years. Backed by $2.6 billion in fresh funding, the policy marks a dramatic shift from previous timelines that stretched 40 or even 50 years out. Nearly half the money is directed to disadvantaged communities, where decades of disinvestment left lead lines in place long after wealthier neighborhoods got upgrades. Milwaukee mother and advocate Deanna Branch, whose son was poisoned by lead, said the shorter timeline finally gives her hope she’ll live to see the pipes pulled from her city. For a country where clean water has long depended on your zip code, a hard deadline is itself a milestone.

Shot of a young male doctor standing with his arms crossed in an office at a hospital, for article on HBCU medical school funding

Michael Bloomberg gives $600 million to four Black medical schools’ endowments

By / / Good News For Humankind

HBCU medical schools just received $600 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies, with Howard, Meharry, and Morehouse each getting $175 million and Charles R. Drew receiving $75 million. The gift will more than double the endowments at three of the four schools, giving them the kind of long-term, flexible funding that lets institutions plan decades ahead — recruiting faculty, expanding class sizes, and offering scholarships without leaning so hard on tuition. An additional $5 million supports a new medical school launching at Xavier University of Louisiana with Ochsner Health. Black Americans make up roughly 13% of the U.S. population but less than 6% of practicing physicians, and research consistently links Black doctors to better outcomes for Black patients. Training more of them is one of the clearest paths toward closing that gap.

The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., for an article about Alabama redistricting and the Voting Rights Act

Supreme Court upholds Black voters’ rights in Alabama redistricting case

By / / Good News For Humankind, Good news links

Alabama redistricting and voting rights scored a landmark victory in 2023 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, ordering Alabama to redraw congressional maps that illegally diluted Black voters’ political power. The decision surprised many observers who feared the conservative court would further weaken voting protections following its 2013 Shelby County ruling. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal justices in affirming the legal standard protecting minority communities from racially discriminatory district maps. The ruling immediately pressured Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas to address similar redistricting violations.