Poems for Renee Nicole Good, how to prepare for a wildfire, and the latest social justice news.

“The role of us poets is to witness the world.” –Danez Smith

Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother, poet and community activist, was killed by an ICE agent last week in Minneapolis. Her death sparked nationwide protests on the ongoing brutality waged by ICE agents and the Trump administration’s violent attack on communities. Since, many people have been sharing stories of her life and legacy, including her poem “On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs,” which won the 2020 Academy of American Poets Prize.

Just last week, I shared a collection of poems for the new year. I was inspired to, in part, because I’ve been learning more about how poetry as a form of narrative change, and how poets throughout history have supported the fight for justice. It’s a beautiful way to bear witness, to admonish and honor, and to reckon with the world around us.

Here are three pieces of work written by poets in honor of Renee Nicole Good.

An Elegy for My Neighbor, Renee Nicole Good. Fellow poet Danez Smith memorializes the Minneapolis mother's call to witness. Harper’s Bazaar >

Renee Nicole Good Is Murdered. Poet Cornelius Eady shares a heartbreaking poem honoring Good and condemning the violence of the carceral state. Poets >

“For Renee Nicole Good Killed by I.C.E. on January 7, 2026.” Poet Amanda Gorman shared her poem on social media a day after Good was killed. X >

One year after the L.A. fires: hope, blame and debt. After wildfires destroyed much of Altadena and Pacific Palisades, Southern California is trying to heal, but also struggling with how to move forward. The New York Times >

After the Los Angeles Wildfires, one Altadena couple reveals the lasting impacts of extreme weather disasters. It’s been one year since the L.A. fires. Eaton Fire survivors Katie and Marco Delgado talk about the climate-fueled fires, losing their house, and the challenges they’ve had with insurance. Center for American Progress >

Wildfire smoke is a national crisis, and it’s worse than you think. Greenhouse gas and particulate emissions from fires globally may be 70 percent higher than once believed, killing tens of thousands of Americans every year. Grist >

After devastating LA fires, California is drafting nation's toughest rules for homes. California is writing rules to limit plants around buildings to protect them from wildfires, after the Los Angeles fires a year ago. NPR >

Fear of immigration enforcement keeps day laborers away from wildfire zones, advocates say. Community groups said federal operations are halting the rebuilding process in Altadena. NBC News >

Wildfires started by daily human activities are often more destructive. Fast-moving fires, such as the recent ones in the Los Angeles area, and those started by humans, whether accidentally or not, are often some of the most destructive. Scientific American >

Guide: This handy checklist on how to protect your home from wildfires includes a series of simple tasks you can complete in less than a day. FEMA >

Border Patrol agents shot two people in Portland during immigration stop. The shooting came just one day after an ICE agent in Minneapolis shot and killed Renee Nicole Good. The Intercept >

ICE drives unmarked cars. This public database tracks their license plates. “ICE is doing whatever they can to be undetected, and so anything we can do to chip away at that.”  The Intercept >

Minneapolis mayor demands transparent investigation into ICE shooting as protests spread. Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary, said on Thursday that Minnesota authorities had no "jurisdiction" over the investigation. Reuters >

ENVIRONMENT

Despite Trump-era reversals, 2025 still saw environmental wins. Here are 7 worth noting. Environmental advocates notched key wins at local and state levels this year — despite the Trump administration’s rollbacks. Grist >

WORKPLACE

Employee resource groups stay resilient as companies back away from DEI. Despite the backlash, ERGs built around shared identities or interests have largely sustained across Fortune 50 companies. While these volunteer groups remain popular, many companies are choosing to obscure or downplay their work. Bloomberg >

More workers are stuck in part-time jobs in warning for the economy. The share of workers with multiple jobs is at its highest level in more than 25 years, as Americans cobble together new work arrangements. Washington Post >

CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM

Delrawn Small’s family still seeks accountability 9 years after NYPD killing. Officer Wayne Isaacs was acquitted on murder and manslaughter charges in 2016 after shooting and killing Small as he approached Isaacs’ car. Capital B News >

A Sister’s Love and Grief: Keyana Dixon opens up about the death of her brother, Tyré Nichols. In her own words, she shares what it was like to sit in court and listen to the men who killed him – and why she refused to give in to the spectacle of state violence. Capital B News >

Mamie Till-Mobley refused to let her son, Emmett Till, be forgotten. A new anthology marking the 70th anniversary of Emmett Till’s murder aims to stir action against white supremacy. Truthout >

POLITICS

Five years after January 6, dozens of pardoned insurrectionists have been arrested again. The charges range from possession of child pornography to sexual assault, child molestation and aggravated kidnapping. 19th News >

Supermajority, group organizing women around politics, is shutting down. Founders of the group, which started in 2019, pointed to the legacy of women organizers responding to the Trump administration and how the country thinks about gender. 19th News >

Trump cuts shrink federal workforce across nearly all agencies. More than 322,000 employees have left agencies since Trump took office, with departures outpacing new hires by more than three-to-one. Bloomberg >

GLOBAL NEWS

Iran shuts off internet as protests blaze across country. Iran was largely cut off from the outside world on Friday after authorities blacked out the internet to curb growing unrest, as video showed buildings aflame in anti-government protests raging in cities across the country. Reuters >

Where does Venezuela go from here? No one seems to know—including the Trump administration. While Trump clearly stated his desire for the U.S. to commandeer Venezuela’s oil, the actual future of the country under U.S. influence doesn’t give Venezuelans self-determination. Prism >

Trump is betting MAGA fans will relish an expanded war on drugs. Trump’s invasion of Venezuela fuses the deeply unpopular “war on drugs” with the “war on terror.” Truthout >

Trump’s plan to seize Greenland would “militarize the Arctic,” trample Indigenous rights. “Greenland is not up for sale,” says Aaju Peter, a Greenlandic Inuit activist and attorney, who says Indigenous Greenlanders want their independence from both the U.S. and Denmark. Democracy Now >

EDUCATION

Maine school district forced to increase police presence after approving trans inclusion. After the school board agreed to allow trans students to use bathrooms and make misgendering a form of harassment, they engaged law enforcement to address “unsettling and concerning” online comments about school board members and their families. them >