Weekly Newsletter - December 23, 2019

Support SURJ Bay Area's #12DaysToShowUp Fundraising Campaign
SURJ Bay Area is in the midst of our annual end-of-year campaign, #12DaysToShowUp, raising funds for our local Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led partner organizations. Your donation will support Abundant Beginnings, Anti Police-Terror Project, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB), Causa Justa::Just Cause, Community Ready Corps, Ella Baker Center, Essie Justice, Initiate Justice, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children / All of Us or None, Sogorea Te, TGI Justice Project, and Sins Invalid. 100% of funds raised will go to these partner organizations. Any contribution is meaningful, whether it’s $5 or $5,000. Learn more and donate here.

Wednesday, January 1 • 12:00 – 4:00 pm
11th Annual Oscar Grant Vigil
This annual vigil remembers the life of Oscar Grant, killed by BART police New Years Day 2009. The gathering will also lift up others who have lost their lives in community violence, including a family who lost their son on the same day as Oscar. There will be youth speakers, poets, community leaders and activists, lawyers and educators, all coming together to commemorate the life of Oscar Grant.
Location: Fruitvale BART Station, 3401 E 12th St. Oakland

Thursday, January 9 • 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Justice for Kayla Moore Court Support
Join SURJ in showing up for the family of Kayla Moore, a Black trans Berkeley woman who was killed by police in her own home and blamed for her own death by way of her disabilities, mental health diagnosis, and body size. Her story is one of police terror that shows how white supremacy, transphobia, and ableism intersect. The Moore family is seeking justice, having filed an appeal after the case was thrown out by a lower court. They will be presenting oral arguments on the need for the case to go to trial and it’s important to pack the court room. More details here.
Location: US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, 95 7th St, San Francisco

Tuesday, January 14 • 6:45 – 9:00 pm
Intro to SURJ Meeting
Want to get involved with SURJ Bay Area? Come learn about our current work and activities. SURJ moves white people to act for justice, with passion and accountability, as part of a multi-racial majority. You'll will hear about SURJ's pathways for entering the work, including Study and Action groups as well as committee work, upcoming workshops, and events. We'll answer your questions and share how you can get involved in the movement for racial justice. ASL will be provided if requested by 5:00 pm on Monday, January 12.
Location: First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley

Friday, January 17 • 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Oakland Climate Strike and Resilient Village
Join Oakland youth for a community Resilient Village to raise awareness on climate resilience and how youth can stand up for climate justice, with hands-on workshops on herbal making, civic engagement, art, water catchment, live art making, youth performances, an open mic, and more. This event will provide youth with strategies for addressing climate change within their families and communities and ways to work for climate justice on a local and global scale. This action is youth led and co-hosted by YVA, Mycelium Youth Network, Planting Justice and others.
Location: Oscar Grant/Frank Ogawa Plaza, Broadway and 14th St. Oakland

January 17 – 20, 2020
6th Annual Reclaim MLK's Radical Legacy Weekend
Join the Anti Police-Terror Project and other organizations to lift up the radical legacy of Martin Luther King all weekend long. People and organizations are invited to plan events throughout the weekend, culminating in the 6th Annual Rally and March on Monday, January 20. We want to lift up the struggles against ICE and concentration camps, for housing for all, against school closures and cops in the schools. We will continue to support the families and community against police violence. We support movements for land and growing our own food. And we fully support the Oakland Climate Strike and Resilient Village. Look for updates to specific actions here.
Location: Oscar Grant/Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th and Broadway, Oakland

February 13 • 5:00 – 6:30pm
No Fascist USA! SURJ Webinar
We are excited to announce another webinar in our Connecting the Dots series. Authors Hilary Moore (a SURJ Leadership Team Member) and James Tracy will discuss their new book, No Fascist USA! The John Brown Anti-Klan Committee and Lessons for Today's Movements.  This book will be a great way to start 2020 as we continue our brush with the current administration's fascist tendencies in this important election year. Click here to register. For more information, and to invite your friends, click here.

SURJ Statement on the Housing Justice Village
On Sunday, November 24th, a coalition called Housing Justice Village set up a housing community in Oscar Grant Plaza. The City of Oakland decided that the community was in violation of an overnight camping regulation. Police tore down the tents and arrested 22 coalition members on charges of overnight camping and suspicion of resisting arrest. SURJ Bay Area stands with more than 4,000 unhoused members of our community who are struggling to survive in a city with the resources to allow all its residents to thrive. Read more.

Sign the Petition: No Militarized Police Equipment
Oakland Police Department currently uses militarized equipment on Oakland's Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities with no oversight or regulation. SURJ Bay Area has joined the fight to give power back to the people of Oakland to decide if, when, and how cops can use and acquire militarized equipment. Two easy ways for you to show up and support the ordinance to regulate military police equipment in Oakland are: Sign and widely share this petition, and sign up to volunteer at farmers markets to collect post cards from community members.

Tell the University of North Carolina to Stop Funding White Supremacy
The University of North Carolina (UNC) is currently providing financial support for the headquarters of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a certified hate group. UNC also gave the Sons of Confederate Veterans $2.5 million to keep its “Silent Sam” Confederate statue after students and other university supporters removed it last spring. This funding came at the expense of two university centers: the Center on Poverty and Workforce Development and the Center for Civil Rights. Sign this Color of Change petition demanding the Board of Governors stop funding white supremacy with state university dollars. Sign and learn more here.

#StandWithMashpee in the Face of Trump Disestablishing the Tribe’s Reservation
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts and Eastern Rhode Island is fighting to maintain their sovereignty, facing a massive loss of resources and services due to a decision by Trump’s Department of the Interior to refuse to confirm the tribe’s legal status. Only the passage of H.R. 5244/S. 2628 will reaffirm their status and prevent Interior from disestablishing the Tribe’s reservation which would mean a loss of millions of dollars in funding for community services, children’s pre-school and kindergarten immersion programs, emergency services, housing, and a substance abuse program that’s desperately needed to combat the opioid epidemic. Learn how you can support the people who discovered the “pilgrims” here.

Fire LAPD Officers Lee and Robles for the Murder of Grechario Mack
Sign and share the petition to fire the Los Angeles police officers who murdered 30-year-old Grechario Mack, father of two daughters. On April 10, 2018, Mack was in the midst of a mental health challenge inside the the Crenshaw-Baldwin Hills Mall when LAPD Officers Ryan Lee and Martin Robles shot him and then stood over him – he was still alive – and fired two more rounds into his body, killing him. Black Lives Matter Los Angeles is calling on LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore to fire the two police. Learn more about the case and sign the petition here.

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