Good News ~ 4/05/26 - 4/11/26
Good News - Easter
Sunday, April 5, 2026
Minnesota churches have a long history of working together. That tradition runs from older ecumenical bodies like the Minnesota Council of Churches and the St. Paul Area Council of Churches into today’s more justice-centered coalitions. In recent years, that work has become especially visible through ISAIAH and MARCH, two multifaith organizing networks that have been increasingly active since the Surge, helping lead prayer, public witness, clergy action, and community response across the state.
One of the starting points for No Kings 3 was St. Paul College, which sits next door to the St. Paul Cathedral. Protesters filled the streets between the cathedral (pictured) and the capitol, silently showing the importance of faith and spirituality in this resistance.
More than 7,000 people gathered at the MN State Capitol on Palm Sunday, bringing together people from different denominations on the Capitol lawn with palm fronds, prayers, and a public procession. Twin Cities Black churches helped carry the service musically. The Palm Sunday gathering included praise and worship led by Shiloh Temple International Ministries and Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, both in Minneapolis, plus St. James A.M.E. in St. Paul. St. Paul parishes Lumen Christi and St. Thomas More, both in St. Paul, organized buses to bring parishioners to the Capitol.
School Sister of Notre Dame Kathleen Storms gave one of the clearest public statements at the Palm Sunday Capitol gathering. She said faith is never private, but “public, courageous and lived in the streets,” and spoke about how her own St. Paul parish, Lumen Christi, walks with Indigenous relatives, racially ostracized families, and immigrant neighbors facing fear and exclusion.
Similar gatherings were held in Rochester, Mankato, St. Cloud, and Duluth. Even without the same level of press detail for each city, that tells us the church response spread well beyond the metro.
Minnesota clergy just won the right to visit detainees in person. On March 20, a federal judge ordered that clergy be allowed in-person pastoral visits to detainees at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building. Clergy were given access on Friday, March 27, where it was “clear they were experiencing a great deal of spiritual anguish.” On Thursday, April 2, Rev. Dr. Rebecca Voelkel of Lyndale United Church of Christ and Rev. Susie Hayward of Creekside United Church of Christ led a group gathered outside of the Whipple Federal Building for prayer and a foot-washing ritual. However, when the requested access that day to offer spiritual support to detainees, they were told there were no detainees inside at that moment.
Bishop Jennifer Nagel of the Minneapolis Synod of the ELCA was one of the religious leaders behind the clergy-access case after faith leaders were blocked from ministering to detainees. She said accompanying people in crisis is at the heart of ministry across traditions.
Clergy and faith leaders showed up in a huge way during the hardest stretch of the Surge. They helped organize resistance actions that culminated in the Jan. 23 Day of Truth and Freedom / General Strike, when about 100 clergy were arrested at MSP Airport while praying and engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience, even as thousands more rallied downtown in subzero cold. The day before, around 200 faith leaders had already fanned out across Minneapolis to observe, document, pray, and blow whistles as visible witnesses in neighborhoods under pressure.
What began as a Minnesota faith response quickly widened: hundreds of clergy from around the country came to learn from local leaders through MARCH and allied networks, and those coalitions are now helping train churches and religious organizations nationwide in how to show up with prayer, pastoral care, public witness, and nonviolent action when communities are under siege.
Happy Easter everyone,
Thanks for giving a shit.
I love you all fiercely.
TeriLeigh💜
Good News in Minnesota
Monday, April 6, 2026
The Hamline Midway Coalition is sponsoring Midway Art in the park on April 11 at Dickerman Park as part of the Saint Paul Art Crawl.
The People of Color Career Fair featuring more that 1000 professionals and 40 employers at the Saint Paul RiverCenter on Tuesday, April 28th. This kind event is necessary to help immigrants find work after being unemployed through the surge.
MN Angry Man is promoting a “Bye Bye Bondi” Dance Party in conjunction with National F*ck ICE Day in the Whipple Parking lot on Saturday April 11th with live DJ music and an open mic. Costumes are encouraged. This kind of creative way to protest keeps the resistance alive with fun.
50501 Minnesota kicked off a spring lecture series that includes the following talks:
What’s Coming - Authoritarianism will escalate, so must our non-cooperation
General Strikes: Events that changed American History
2026 Midterms: How do we get the most out of them?
Mutual Aid: Solidarity, not charity
Luis Morales plans to resume selling meatless tacos from his lunch truck outside Minneapolis breweries, but needs help paying his legal bills and costs after being detain by federal immigration agents in March while taking his daughter (with autism) to school. His food truck is a favorite in Minneapolis.
US District Court Judge Katherine Menendez dismissed a US DOJ lawsuit challenging Minnesota’s policy of offering in-state tuition and certain scholarships to students in the country without legal status, allowing the programs to continue.
Six Minnesotans filed suit last Thursday against ICE and DHS after masked agents broke into their homes without judicial warrants in December and January.
Smitten Kitten sex store and comedian @comradetripp held a hilarious performative Mayor contest challenging contestants to dress up like Mayor Jacob Frey.
Hundreds of drivers stretched for blocks Saturday morning as Kingdom Embassy Worship Center gave away $30/car at area gas stations to families feeling the strain of rising fuel prices.
The Rebel Loon Archives continues to collect art and imagery to document the history of these times. The image attached is from No Kings 3.
And a nod to our friends in Portland Oregon, since last fall, small mosaic art pieces mysteriously appear in sidewalk cracks across Portland. The artists, Portland Tile Guerrillas have installed dozens of hand-cut slip-resistant tile artworks across the country.
Thanks for giving a shit.
I love you all fiercely.
TeriLeigh💜
P.S. Fierce Love merch is now available for sale on our publication page. For the month of April 50% of all profits will go to Kelly Wilson’s mutual aid efforts to support Minneapolis families in need. etsy.com/shop/wakingdra…
Good News in Minnesota
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
George Floyd Square is finally moving toward construction. Work around 38th and Chicago is expected to begin in June, with major work stretching into 2027.
The Minnesota Frost beat Vancouver in a 6-5 close match, clinching a playoff seat. The Minnesota Women’s Hockey team which is home to six Olympians is working towards a three-peat championship.
The International Festival of Minnesota (formerly the Festival of Nations) is returning to St. Paul after years away, with the event set for April 10 and 11 at RiverCentre. Organizers say participants from 67 nations and ethnic communities will be part of the festival. With so much of national politics being anti-immigration and diversity, Minnesota is actively promoting belonging, inclusion, and multiculturalism.
Bloomington will release 60,000 ladybugs inside Mall of America’s Nickelodeon Universe today. This is an annual event that serves as a natural pesticide to protect the mall’s 30,000 live plants.
Today, Tuesday, April 7, is one of Washington County’s scheduled free entry days, which means people can get into county parks without paying vehicle permit fees.
Minneapolis released city camera footage from the January 14 ICE shooting of Julio C. Sosa-Celis in north Minneapolis, and the footage undercut the federal self-defense story. AP and FOX 9 both reported the video shows him running away when he was shot, and AP says two ICE officers were placed on leave while the U.S. Attorney’s Office and DOJ investigate possible perjury. That is not justice yet, though it is accountability moving in public where people can actually see it.
A judge drew a line in St. Paul. Charges were dismissed Monday against Emily Phillips, the woman arrested outside Cities Church during Easter Sunday services. MPR and FOX 9 both reported that Judge Maria Mitchell found no probable cause, after Phillips had already complied with police instructions and was using only her unamplified voice.
Kids are walking back into school buildings. MPR reported Monday that students in Minneapolis Public Schools and Columbia Heights Public Schools are returning to full in-person classes this week after districts created temporary virtual options for families shaken by the immigration crackdown. Fear has not vanished, though some classrooms are beginning to fill again, which is its own kind of healing.
The military-lawyer strategy is getting challenged in open court. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported Monday that a federal case in Minneapolis is now testing whether the Justice Department can use Army JAG lawyers to prosecute civilians in federal court, after the U.S. Attorney’s Office brought in 25 Army lawyers following resignations. Even before a ruling, the good news is that somebody is forcing the question in public instead of letting it slide by as normal.
The legal fights are getting more specific, and that matters. MPR’s April 2 reporting says Minnesotans have now filed a lawsuit challenging alleged warrantless ICE home-entry practices during the surge. That story was still part of Monday’s MPR package around the latest accountability news, and it belongs on a good-news list because Minnesota keeps building a paper trail instead of letting the winter disappear into rumor.
Thanks for giving a shit.
I love you all fiercely.
TeriLeigh💜
P.S. Fierce Love merch is now available for sale on our publication page. For the month of April 50% of all profits will go to Kelly Wilson’s mutual aid efforts to support Minneapolis families in need.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/wakingdragons
Good News - Helpers Edition
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Yesterday was a bit rough. When a president goes insane in public, the helpers are the people who slow the machinery down.
Pope Leo stepped in as a moral adult and called Trump’s threat “truly unacceptable.” When public language starts normalizing annihilation, somebody has to say clearly: this is outside the bounds of human decency. Yesterday, he did.
Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, publicly insisted that the rules of war must be respected “in words and action,” especially around civilians and critical infrastructure. She helped keep ordinary human beings visible in a conversation trying to erase them.
Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s foreign minister, publicly warned against escalation and said he hoped Trump would not carry out the threat. Sometimes a helper is simply the person willing to grab the brake pedal in full public view.
Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir helped buy time. Reuters reports Pakistan’s prime minister and field marshal were involved in mediation efforts. That is helper work in its purest form.
The U.N. and diplomatic channels kept the off-ramp alive. Even in the middle of all that rhetoric, people were still working phones, moving proposals, and trying to create a path away from catastrophe. The good news is that someone kept building exits.
Even some people inside Trump’s own political orbit became part of the warning system. Reuters reported that the threat unnerved some Republicans, which matters because one way the machinery slows down is when fewer people are willing to pretend madness is normal.
The helpers also include the people who keep the human cost visible. AP’s reporting from Tehran centered ordinary people worrying about hospitals, water, power, and survival if infrastructure were hit. Reporters who force the world to picture actual human beings are helpers too.
And the clearest good news of all: the world did not answer that rhetoric with silence. Moral leaders spoke. Diplomats moved. Humanitarian voices warned. Mediators bought time. Journalists kept civilians in the frame. The machinery did not get to run uncontested.
That’s the good news today: the helpers are still here, and they are still reaching for the gears.
Thanks for giving a shit.
I love you all fiercely.
TeriLeigh💜
Good News - part 2
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Yesterday gave us terrifying words. So you get a second list today! YAY!
This morning also gave us better ones: negotiations, peace, compassion, diplomacy, sustainable peace, lasting solution, constructive foundation.
Words are Spells, that’s why we call it spelling. Leaders around the globe are casting word-spells to counter this curse.
Pope Leo named who matters most: he called for “compassion for innocent civilians, especially children and the elderly,” and for “renewed diplomatic dialogue.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine: “Ceasefires can provide a constructive foundation for peace agreements.”
Kaja Kallas, European Union foreign policy chief: “The U.S.-Iran agreement on a ceasefire is a step back from the brink after weeks of escalation. It creates a much-needed chance to tone down threats, stop missiles, restart shipping and create space for diplomacy towards a lasting agreement.”
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission: she said Europe should keep “continuing negotiations toward a lasting solution.”
António Costa, president of the European Council called on all parties to “respect the ceasefire terms” in order to achieve “sustainable peace.”
Keir Starmer, prime minister of the United Kingdom said the ceasefire should be turned into “a lasting peace.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey said he hoped the ceasefire would hold and that Turkey would support efforts toward “lasting peace in the region.”
Ali Bahreini, Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva said Iran is “open to diplomatic solutions.”
Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council welcomed the ceasefire as a chance to get aid to people who have been suffering.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania: “Diplomacy must always be the objective. The reported temporary ceasefire agreement is a constructive step toward that end… Any measure that protects American lives and creates space for serious peace negotiations is the right course.”
Rep. Gregory Meeks, ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee: “Going forward, the United States must work in close coordination with our Gulf partners and allies to help secure a lasting peace, protect the interests of the American people, and ensure long-term regional stability.”
Let’s keep the language and dialogue positive, focusing on peace, humanity, compassion, and love. Be Fiercely Loving my friends.
Thanks for giving a shit.
I love you all fiercely.
TeriLeigh💜
Good News from Minnesota
Thursday, April 9, 2026
How is Minnesota handling the trauma from the surge?
When people feel held and supported DURING the trauma, they have less of a PTSD response. The way Minnesota showed up during the tragedy — and keeps showing up now — is preventing the trauma from being as bad as it could have been.
Strong social support is one of the clearest protective factors against PTSD, while isolation makes trauma worse. That means the mutual aid, public ritual, and practical care Minnesotans built were part of the treatment plan.
School districts created short-term virtual education options, kept teaching going, and then began guiding children back into classrooms as the immediate danger eased. That kind of staged re-entry is exactly how a community prevents fear from hardening into something worse.
At the Minnesota State Capitol on Palm Sunday, more than 7,000 people gathered with palm fronds, prayer, singing, and public procession. This event occurred the day after the No Kings 3 rally that drew 200,000 people into a group grief and healing space. Large shared rituals like that help move trauma out of private isolation and into collective meaning.
Minnesota Women’s Press reported a story of an individual, Katrin Welch, at the site where Renée Good was killed because, in her words, she needed “to ground with other human beings and know what is real,” so she could keep doing mutual-aid work like getting people groceries and getting kids home. Welch also said, “I have never been anywhere where people cared better for one another,” and named the peaceful, nonviolent networks helping and resisting around her. The creation and constant maintenance of the memorial sites for Renee Good and Alex Pretti are ancestor shrines that promote grief work and healing.
The Center for Victims of Torture launched Operation Heal Minnesota to provide trauma-informed care for detained Minnesotans and resilience workshops for advocates, schools, and impacted organizations. Minnesota is building specialized healing infrastructure in real time.
Minnesotans built so much support during the trauma — schools adapting, clergy showing up, people grounding together, rituals forming, groceries getting delivered, legal and pastoral care moving into place — that the long-term damage may not be as severe as people fear. Research suggests that kind of solidarity changes outcomes. Minnesota has been practicing it nonstop.
Thanks for giving a shit.
I love you all fiercely.
TeriLeigh💜
