Weekly Newsletter - April 1, 2019

Saturday, April 6 • 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Talking With Kids About Race: Reading Between the Lines
Parents and their children, educators, and caregivers are invited for an afternoon of storytelling and story learning. Sponsored by SF SURJ, Abundant Beginnings, and others, we will explore how stories can lead us into critical conversations about race and justice and share practices for being more concrete about about what racism is, how it works, and how we can stop it. Presenters include illustrator and animator Christian Robinson, Costanoan Ohlone and Chumash storyteller and educator Kanyon Sayers-Roods, Islander spoken word artist June Lynn Kealoha-Hall, and educators Shayna and Dylan Cureton from Abundant Beginnings.
Location: S.F. Main Public Library, 100 Larkin St. San Francisco

Tuesday, April 9 • 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
Hearing on AB 392 - Police Use of Force
Join the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) mobilization to Sacramento for the first hearing on AB 392, a bill that stipulates that police officers should avoid using deadly force whenever possible. A common-sense bill modeled after best practices already in place in some departments, this legislation will reduce police killings and save lives. There will a free bus going to the state capital from Oakland. Learn more about AB 392 here.
Location: California State Capitol, 12th and N Streets, Sacramento

Tuesday, April 16 • 6:45 – 9:00 pm
Intro to SURJ Meeting
SURJ moves white people to act for justice, with passion and accountability, as part of a multi-racial majority. Want to get involved? Come learn about our current work and activities. You'll hear about SURJ's pathways for entering the work, including committee work, workshops, and events. Featured Speaker: Sandra Johnson, a Community Organizer for All of Us or None, an organization fighting for the rights of formerly- and currently-incarcerated people and their families, and a project of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. Please RSVP - space is limited.
Location: Freedom & Movement Center, 888 44th St. Oakland

Friday, April 26 & Saturday, April 27, 2019 • 8:00 pm
9-1-1 What’s Your Emergency? The Verdict
The play, 9-1-1 What’s Your Emergency?, premiered in 2018 as an artistic response to the local 9-1-1 calls that made BBQ Becky and Permit Patty infamous on a national level. Act one examined how the 9-1-1 call is rooted in “micro-aggression,” yet can have irreparable consequences to communities of color. Now comes the groundbreaking second act, “The Verdict,” which further examines the intersection of structural racism and personal psychological narratives that propel the calls. Written and directed by Jovelyn Richards, the play uplifts the stories of the victims and the defendants against the backdrop of gentrification, stereotypes, systemic racism, and the personal narratives of humanity. Buy tickets here for April 26, or here for April 27. Cost is $25, or $20 for students and seniors.
Location: La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley

Saturday April 27 • 5:00 - 8:00 pm
Disarm, Divest, Dismantle: Needed Conversations for Racial Transformation
This workshop is intended to hold space primarily for white folks in the community who are grappling with a gut-wrenching feeling that racist aggressions directed towards the Black community are an attack to their own community and humanity. Workshop participants will: (1) Gain insight into the framework of mutual liberation, (2) Understand the distinction between the two identities of whiteness, (3) Recognize, name, and disrupt the "everyday tools" of white supremacy. Facilitated by Red Lotus Consulting, tickets are $21.
Location: Hive, 2139 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland

Wednesday, May 1 • 3:00 - 6:00 pm
International Workers' Day Mobilization
Rally and march this May Day under the banners “No Ban, No Wall, Human Rights and Sanctuary for All” and “No Borders, No Deportations, No Family Separation.” Organized by Oakland Sin Fronteras, the mobilization kicks off with a 3:00 pm rally Oscar Grant/Frank Ogawa Plaza followed by a march at 4:00 pm to the Lake Merritt Amphitheater for a closing rally and resource fair. There will be a designated section at the front of the march for youth and people with disabilities and Spanish translation and ASL interpretation for the program.
Location: Oscar Grant/Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th and Broadway, to Lake Merritt Amphitheater, between 12th St. and 1st Ave., Lake Merritt Blvd. Oakland

Thursday, May 2 • 7:00 - 9:00 pm
When We Fight We Win: Building Community Power to Dismantle the Prison System
Recent years have seen important fights and wins in the struggle to dismantle the prison system in California - from repealing sentence enhancements, to shutting down jail expansion, to working to restore voting rights to folks on parole. Come to this SURJ event to hear from four frontline leaders about victories, strategies, and the importance of campaigns and coalitions in this movement: Sandra Johnson, Senior Organizer, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC)/ All of Us or None (AOUON); Eric Henderson, Policy Director, Initiate Justice; and Ivette Alé and Amber-Rose Howard, Statewide Coordinators, Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB). Their stories will highlight the many ways you can also contribute to creating a more progressive vision of justice than mass incarceration. Tickets sliding scale $5 - $25 to benefit LSPC/AOUON, Initiate Justice, and CURB. More info and tickets here.
Location: First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison Street, Oakland

Saturday, May 4 • 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
SURJ Marin: Conversations from the Heart
Spring is a season for so many family celebrations like graduations, weddings, and more. Many of us experience a mixture of excitement and dread, particularly if we are anticipating having challenging conversations with family and friends about race. Whether you’d like to share your current interest in racial justice, talk with your loved ones and neighbors about changing the name of the Dixie School District, discuss what it means to ‘take a knee’ when the national anthem is played, or engage in conversation about our country’s treatment of migrants and asylum seekers, SURJ Marin is offering an opportunity to practice these conversations in a safe and supportive space.
Location: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin, 240 Channing Way, San Rafael

Saturday, May 11 • 1:00 - 3:30 pm
Quest For Democracy Day Lobby Visit Workshop
To prepare for Quest For Democracy Day (Q4D), the SURJ Policy Working Group is holding this workshop where participants will learn how SURJ shows up to lobby in accountability with our partner organizations and the ways that policy combined with grassroots movements can be used as a tool for collective liberation. Workshop attendees will also learn the basics of lobby visits and how they fit into SURJ’s larger framework, practice speaking to a legislative staffer, and hear from our Policy partner, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC), on their 2019 policy priorities. Sliding scale $0 - $10 - all proceeds go to LSPC. More info and tickets.
Location: Seneca Family of Agencies, 6925 Chabot Road, Oakland

Monday, May 20 • 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
2019 Quest for Democracy Day (Q4D)
Join hundreds of formerly incarcerated people, family members with incarcerated loved ones, and allied organizations, including SURJ, at the annual statewide lobby day in Sacramento sponsored by Legal Services for Prisoners with Children/All Of Us Or None (LSPC/AOUON). The day will include a training on sponsored bills and on effective legislative advocacy followed by a rally that lifts up the voices and leadership of those most affected by the prison industrial complex. After a bagged lunch, action teams will visit each legislator’s office to advocate in person.
Learn more, sign up, and donate to support Q4D Day here.
Location: California State Capitol, 12th and N Streets, Sacramento

Donate to Pine Ridge Reservation Emergency Relief
The Oglala Lakota Nation has declared a state of emergency on the sprawling Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Severe flooding there has made many roads impassible and trapped some residents in their homes for over two weeks. In response to the devastating situation, local community members founded Pine Ridge Reservation Emergency Relief, working in tandem with Oglala Sioux Tribe Emergency Management. You can help by donating to relief efforts here.

Save the Hampton House
In 1969, Fred Hampton, the 21-year-old charismatic chairman of the Chicago Black Panther Party, was targeted and killed by the FBI in a raid on his home organized by the Cook County State Attorney. Following Fred Hampton's assassination, his son, Fred Hampton Jr., was born and raised in that house. With his mother — who survived the raid while pregnant — he has continued the work of his father. Today, the home of these freedom fighters is being targeted for foreclosure. You can help to support Chairman Fred and his mother, Mama Akua, by making a contribution today to the #SaveTheHamptonHouse fund — every dollar counts.

Support Cambodian Families Impacted by Deportations
Immigrant support organizations, including the Asian Law Caucus and Asian Americans Advancing Justice, are calling on people to support the Khmer community following a series of ICE raids in early March, targeting folks with old convictions. Several community members across the country have been detained and groups are fighting to keep people from being deported back to Cambodia. But community support is needed! The affected families are largely low income, struggling to make ends meet with the loss of an income, and cannot afford phone calls, commissary, or to visit family members detained. Learn more and make a donation here.

Help Pass Key Legislation - Sign Up for Our Legislative Action List
One of the key ways that we support our People of Color-led partner organizations and the pieces of legislation they are working on is by getting SURJ members to flood their representatives with calls at key moments in the legislative cycle. Please sign up at this link to join our list to make phone calls during the most important weeks of the legislative year. By signing on to this list, you will get periodic action alerts asking you to make calls to your local legislators. We'll provide all the information — we just need your commitment and energy.

Boycott 24-Hour Fitness
Join Black Lives Matter Los Angeles in pursuit of justice for Albert Ramon Dorsey and Dennis Todd Rogers, killed by police who were called by 24-Hour Fitness employees. On December 23, 2018, more than 500 community members voiced their outrage at 24-Hour Fitness' practice of calling police on Black members. Join the boycott of 24-Hour Fitness until they meet demands to work in partnership with BLMLA to: issue a statement affirming the value of Black lives; conduct cultural competency training for all managers, workers, and franchises; and develop new protocols and alternatives to calling the police. For full details, read the letter here.

BOLD: Conversations About Race Podcast: Episode
Author and Bay Area SURJ activist Paul Kivel is featured on the 2nd episode of this podcast, a collaboration between SURJ and Small Beans and hosted by Dahlia Ferlito of Los Angeles SURJ affiliate, White People 4 Black Lives. Ariel Luckey is also on the podcast with his acclaimed poem “ID Check” as well as an update on the Black Lives Matter-led boycott of 24 Hour Fitness in Hollywood, following the locker-room murder of Albert Ramon Dorsey by LAPD.

SURJ Bay Area Chapter - Join us! Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. Learn more at www.surjbayarea.org. SURJ Bay Area is one of 150 chapters and affiliates nationwide. Learn about SURJ National and our mission, vision, and values HERE.

Want to support our work? You can make a donation for SURJ's organizing and educational efforts with over half of what we raise going to Black and people of color-led partner organizations. Make a one-time donation or become a monthly sustainer HERE. Contributions are tax-deductible.

Follow SURJ Bay Area on Social Media: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Bay Area c/o PO Box 22748, Oakland CA 94609