WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - AUGUST 31, 2020

Monday, August 31 & Friday, September 4 • 12:00 – 1:00 pm
SURJ Action Hour
Feeling rage and deep sadness about racism and white supremacy, but not sure what to do? Join SURJ for an hour of action! We'll meet over Zoom on Mondays and Fridays at noon to provide concrete steps you can take—calling elected officials, signing petitions, etc.—to combat racism against Black and Indigenous people and communities of color. (Closed captioning will be available in the main room of Action Hour calls.) Register to reserve your spot! Register here for August 31. Register here for September 4

Monday, August 31 through Thursday, November 5
Volunteer for YES on Prop 15/Schools & Communities FirstJoin the phone bank and support Prop 15/Schools & Communities First. We have a historic opportunity in CA this November; passing Prop 15 will reclaim resources from corporations who haven't been paying their fair share of property taxes and move $12 Billion a year to schools and local community services, particularly impacting communities of color. There is a massive coalition of groups led by people of color championing Prop 15, SURJ is mobilizing our base to be a part of this critical campaign and we need your help, especially since corporate special interests are fighting Prop 15 hard. To pass Prop 15, we need all of us to come together to talk to as many voters as possible about why they should vote YES. No experience required, sign up and training will be provided at the event. Click here to register for San Francisco Rising phone bank, multiple dates. Click here to register for SURJ Bay Area phone bank on September 2.

Thursday, September 3 • 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Lies Our Country Told Us: Monuments, Mascots, & Racist Objects
Register for this SpeakOut webinar with celebrated historians, authors, and educators David Pilgrim (founder/curator of the Jim Crow Museum) and James Loewen (Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong and other books.) They’ll discuss their lifelong work uncovering the truth around monuments, mascots, artifacts, and objects. This crucial conversation will be moderated by scholar, historian, and filmmaker John Little (Dakota). Tickets sliding scale $5 - $25. Register to watch live or later.

Tuesday, September 8 • 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Attica Means Fight Back Panel Discussion and Video
Join the California Coalition for Women Prisoners and the Freedom Archives as they host a panel discussing the historical legacy of the Attica Prison Rebellion, which marks its 49th anniversary this September. Today the conditions in U.S. prisons are even more barbaric than in 1971, with massive overcrowding, extreme sentencing, gendered violence, and a health care crisis made much worse by the COVID pandemic. Featured panelists include Romarilyn Ralston, Paul Redd, and Michael Deutsch. This event is part of a national month of actions marking the Attica uprising and demanding decarceration now. Event is free, register here.

Saturday, September 12, and Saturday, September 26 • 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Saturday Dialogues: Creating a Call-In Culture
Join us for this recurring discussion to build resiliency and move into a more active role in dismantling white supremacy. The Saturday Dialogues explore internal barriers that are holding us back from living out our desire to work for racial justice, and practice how to deeply listen to each other to create a culture that supports calling people into the movement from a place of love. Large group and small group dialogues are grounded in philosophical principles and understandings related to theories of social change and anti-racist white identity development. This space is open to any white person interested in honest conversation, reflection, and confrontation with race, racism, and white privilege. Click here to RSVP for September 12. Click here to RSVP for September 26.

Wednesday, September 23 • 6:45 – 9:00 pm
Intro to SURJ Virtual Meeting
Interested in learning about how SURJ Bay Area moves white people to act for justice, with passion and accountability, as part of a multi-racial majority? Hear about our current work and activities at this virtual introduction, including SURJ's pathways for engaging in the work such as Study & Action, committee work, upcoming workshops, and events. We'll answer your questions and share how you can get involved in the movement for racial justice. Register today!

Actions You Can Take This Week!

Read the Latest SURJ Blog Post: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat…” But will Donald Trump Destroy the Postal Service?
Former USPS worker and SURJ activist Felicia Gustin writes of the United States Postal Service's past and present, including its historical and current importance as an employer of Black people, how it is being threatened today, and ways that you can help.

SHARE THE MESSAGE:

Put Up a Black Lives Matter Sign – SURJ has Black Lives Matter lawn and window signs and postcards available for easy pickup in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro. These are free but if you want to help cover costs, you can donate here. Grab some for friends and family too! Pickup locations are listed here.

LISTEN TO A PODCAST:

The Word is Resistance: a SURJ Faith Podcast – For the next several months on the podcast, we’re thinking with you about freedom. We are asking: What does it mean to be free? What does it even take to be free? Is freedom individual or collective? What do we need to be free *from*? What do we need to be free *for*? Listen here and subscribe through your podcast platform.

SIGN A PETITION:

National Call to Action for Jacob Blake – On August 23, Jacob Blake was shot by Kenosha, WI, police officers at least seven times at close range—as his three sons watched. Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old father, is now paralyzed from the waist down, and doctors do not know yet if the injury is permanent. Sign the petition calling on the Kenosha mayor, the district attorney, and the state attorney general to hold the police officers who shot Jacob Blake accountable. Write and call local and state officials--scripts and contact information are linked here. Donate to the gofundme here.

Sign the 'Listen to Black Women' Letter for Justice for Breonna Taylor – White women in Louisville are calling on Mayor Greg Fischer to listen to Black women and fire the officers who killed Breonna Taylor, and they are asking white women everywhere to join them. Read and sign the letter here.

Free ‘Em All: Amnesty for Protesters – The Movement for Black Lives demands all charges be dropped against protestors and political prisoners; a full investigation into all allegations of police and federal agent violence; the calling off of Operation Legend and militarization of police; a halt to all arrests of protesters by all law enforcement agencies including ICE and CBP; and passage of the BREATHE Act to divest from and end militarized policing. Learn more and sign the petition here.

Divest from Police Foundations – Police foundations are private, corporate-sponsored groups that enable cops to terrorize Black people. They supplement police budgets outside of public oversight. They give cops weapons to “test” on Black and Brown communities. And they’re funded by some of the largest corporations in the world. Help take the Color of Change campaign to the next level and demand that these corporations divest from police foundations now.

Pressure UPS, Ford, and Humana to support Justice for Breonna – Three companies with large Louisville offices—UPS, Ford Motor Company, and Humana—employ more than 50,000 of the area's residents. Each one's executives have expressed some support for the Black Lives Matter movement, but have stopped short of demanding justice for Breonna. These companies have a lot of power over public life in Louisville. Sign this petition to demand that their executives take a stand and push for the firing, arrest, and charging of the LMPD officers who murdered Breonna Taylor.

SUPPORT LEGISLATION:

Help Pass the CA Racial Justice Act – It is time to fight back and address racial discrimination with the California Racial Justice Act, AB254. The Racial Justice Act asserts civil rights in the courtroom and prohibits the state from using discriminating means to seek or obtain a conviction or sentence. Click here to take action by writing your senator and urging them to vote yes on AB254.

Support the BREATHE Act on Social Media – In early July, the Electoral Project of the Movement for Black Lives introduced a visionary bill, the BREATHE Act, which will divest our taxpayer dollars from brutal, discriminatory policing and invest in a new vision of safety and justice: a vision that allows all people to thrive and be represented and free. Publicly support the BREATHE Act today by posting on your social media platforms. You can find examples and graphics in this toolkit.

DONATE:

Support Rematriation by Paying Your Shuumi Land Tax – As the stolen lands around us smolder, the urgency of rematriation—returning Indigenous land to Indigenous people—cannot be understated. Our partners at Sogorea Te’ Land Trust are healing and transforming legacies of colonization, genocide, and patriarchy through vital practices of rematriation, cultural revitalization, and land restoration. Visit their beautiful new website to learn more—and support their essential work by paying your Shuumi Land Tax today.

Support Prop 17: Voting Rights for People on Parole – Join our partner orgs in supporting prop 17 on the Nov. ballot and restore voting rights to an estimated 50,000 people on parole in CA. Volunteer to get the word out, and make a tax-deductible donation to the campaign.

Support SURJ - Do you work in a major corporation or know someone who does? Many big companies participate in the Benevity giving program. Employees can donate to SURJ Bay Area and the company will match the donation. Call in your friends and colleagues to show up for racial justice by donating to SURJ Bay Area through Benevity and DOUBLING the amount of the donation!

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