5 Things / Sustain
For years, 5 Things has been my way of sharing proof that positive systemic change is happening every day, all over, if we look closely enough.
Creating 5 Things each week takes real care and intention. This year, I’m experimenting with a simple way to make the work more sustainable: a voluntary supporter model.
If 5 Things has helped you have an “aha” moment, think a little differently, or feel more hopeful, you’re invited to support it monthly or annually. There’s no obligation.
Supporters receive a few thank-you perks, including access to the full 5 Things archive and a searchable vault of 1,400+ stories. Taken together, the archive has become a living record of how organizations navigated inclusion through commitment, momentum, and backlash, week by week, in real time.
I’m grateful you’re here.
This Week's Good Vibes:
Hawaii enacted a landmark update to the state’s parentage laws, bringing legal protections in line with how families are actually formed today. The law replaces assumptions of “mother” and “father” with gender-neutral standards, clears the path to legal parentage, and modernizes recognition for families formed through assisted reproduction and surrogacy. This act reduces the need for costly second-parent adoptions (which I went through with my son), strengthens privacy protections, and ensures access to stability, benefits, and continuity of care. ♐️ Updating policy to reflect real-life diversity creates real security for all kinds of families.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan for free child care for 2-year-olds in NYC starting in September. It will launch in “high-needs” neighborhoods, then expand citywide by the 2029–30 school year. The plan aims to include home-based providers. This would have been amazing for my family when we lived in NYC. ♐️Child care instability disproportionately harms families with low incomes, immigrants, and single-parent households and is often the single biggest barrier to staying employed.
Bonuses flow to front-line workers
More than 18,000 Amtrak employees received a $900 bonus before year’s end, funded by redirecting 50% of executive bonus packages. This comes following a record year of revenue and riders, including my son and I. This is overdue recognition for front-line staff and centers equity and shared success. ♐️Review who benefits from incentive structures and ask whether rewards truly reflect collective effort.
When Fibrebond CEO Graham Walker sold the company, he required 15% of the proceeds be set aside for employees, even though most did not own stock. That produced $240 million in bonuses for about 540 full-time employees, averaging roughly $443,000 each. The payout is structured so employees generally need to stay up to five years to receive the full amount, pairing wealth-sharing with retention. This is notable because most exits reward executives and investors, not frontline workers, reinforcing race and class wealth gaps. ♐️Ask what percent of any deal is reserved for non-executive employees.
Congress granted the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina long-sought federal recognition, ending a fight that has spanned more than a century. Recognition unlocks access to federal resources such as health care through the Indian Health Service, grants, and the ability to place land into trust for economic development. The Lumbee now join the ranks of federally recognized tribal nations. ♐️ Recognition affirms sovereignty, restores dignity, and strengthens a tribe’s ability to care for its people across generations.
Good Vibes to Go:
Follow Josh Johnson, a prolific comedian and Daily Show host. I’m looking for all the laughs these days…