If you've participated in an intro (ie, an intro meeting or a 1-on-1 intro session), please check out our committees below and email one or more to express interest. We can't wait to hear from you!
New to SURJ Bay Area? Get started here
New to SURJ Bay Area? Get started here
Find your committee
Base Building
The Basebuilding Committee (BaseCom) seeks to identify white people interested in racial justice, understand their motivation for engaging in the work, and use this to find the best channels through which they can deepen their engagement and commitment to the work. Other activities include connecting with folks new to SURJ, building partnerships with people of color-led organizations, developing training and educational opportunities, and developing messages and strategies for reaching white folks who are not yet interested in challenging white supremacy/working for racial justice. Meets Mondays 7-8:30pm For more info: [email protected] Communications The Communications Committee (ComCom) focuses on all things communication — managing the website, maintaining social media presence, producing the weekly e-newsletter, promoting events, developing messaging, and brainstorming new ways to raise up the work of SURJ Bay Area and support our partner organizations. Members of our committee have skills and experience in graphic design, web design, social media, writing, editing, photography, event planning, marketing, promotion, videography, fundraising, etc. Meets 1st & 3rd Tuesdays a month 7-8:30pm Or volunteer over Slack for when you are able. For more info: [email protected] Fundraising FunCom helps fuel the movement for racial justice by mobilizing resources and dollars to support the chapter’s Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led partner organizations as well as SURJ’s organizing of white people to challenge white supremacy. We do this through email campaigns, events, and supporting peer-to-peer campaigns to support a multi-racial movement for justice. We also lead discussions on fundraising and fund-shifting frameworks and build resource mobilizing capacity in the chapter. Meets every other Thursday at 7pm For more info: [email protected] Mobilization The Mobilization Committee (MobCom) organizes and takes action for racial justice through events, canvassing, forums, demonstrations and direct actions. Some examples of our work include a canvass of Emeryville neighborhoods about police militarization and the case of Yuvette Henderson who was killed by Emeryville police, a rally at Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s house during MLK weekend to call attention to her racist policies that fuel displacement of Black people, and participation in the Stop Trump direct action in Burlingame. Our members are involved in a number of on-going campaigns and coalitions: the Stop Urban Shield Coalition, Ella Baker Center’s Jobs Not Jails campaign, and the Oakland Justice Coalition. We also partner with POC and Black-led organizations like Anti Police-Terror Project to support rapid response efforts to police murders. Meets 3-4 times each month, on Thursday evenings. For more info: [email protected] |
Policy
The Policy Committee is deeply rooted in the broader policy goals of the Movement For Black Lives (M4BL), and we are excited to develop our voice and our capacity to support and highlight the legislative priorities and strategies of our people of color (POC) led partner organizations. This committee serves to increase the legislative capacity of SURJ Bay Area’s members through trainings, research, working in coalition with partner and ally organizations, and experiential learning. We strive to effectively bring grassroots voices to the capitol in authentic and meaningful ways to uplift the policies that are aligned with the M4BL policy platform. To accomplish these tasks, we:
Meets 1st and 3rd Thursday from 6:30-8:30 For more info: [email protected] Queer and Trans The SURJ Bay Area Queer and Trans Committee is committed to organizing white lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex and asexual people into action for racial justice. We echo The Movement for Black Lives' platform, which states that "[t]here can be no liberation for all Black people if we do not center and fight for those who have been marginalized." As queer and trans people, our liberation is linked to the struggles for racial justice and ending all forms of oppression. Through education and mobilization we work to center the experiences and demands of queer and trans people of color. Meets 2nd and 4th Thursdays from 7:30 - 9:00pm For more info: [email protected] Youth & Families The Youth & Families committee works toward collective liberation by organizing to combat forces that harm youth and families, especially those who are BIPOC, and to strengthen forces that help all children and families thrive. We:
For more info: [email protected] |