WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - DECEMBER 24, 2018

Support SURJ's Annual #12DaysToShowUp Fundraising Campaign!
We have just one more week of SURJ's annual fundraising campaign. Won't you help us reach our goal of raising $30,000 by year end. Your donation will help support the work of 12 local Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led organizations as well as under-resourced, rural SURJ chapters mobilizing white people throughout the US to support the growing movement for racial justice. Follow the campaign on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) and please like, favorite, share, and retweet our posts to spread the word using the #12DaysToShowUp hashtag. As you consider your year-end giving, we urge you to support this campaign through a one-time tax-deductible donation, or you can become a monthly sustainer. Donate here!
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Tuesday, January 1 • 12:00 pm
10th Annual Oscar Grant Vigil
Come to the vigil to honor Oscar Grant who was murdered by BART policeman, Johannes Mehserle, in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 2009. Featuring special guest speakers, singers, dancers, dignitaries and the community. Come out and support Oscar Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson, and his family.
Location: Fruitvale BART Station, 3401 E. 12th St. Oakland

Thursday, January 3 • 4:00 pm
One Year Later...We Still Want Justice for Sahleem Tindle
In honor of Sahleem Tindle, a protest followed by a candlelight vigil is planned on the one year anniversary of his killing by BART police officer, Joseph Mateu. It’s important for as many people as possible to show up for police accountability and to protest this gross injustice. We also want to let BART know that we still seek justice for the life they took . People are being asked to please wear white.
Location: West Oakland BART station, 1451 7th St. Oakland
Sunday, January 3 • 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Injustice towards Black Trans Women and the First Trans Cultural District
Join speakers Janetta Louise Johnson and Honey Mahogany in a conversation about injustice towards black trans women in our criminal justice system and the formation of the nation's first transgender cultural district - the Compton's Transgender Cultural District! There is a definite energy in the air around the movement for serious criminal justice reform in the United States. In the midst of all of this, who is being helped and who is left out? Our two experts will focus on the importance of centering incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Black trans women in the movement for criminal justice reform. Hosted by Manny’s and TGI Justice Project (TGIJP)
Location: Manny's, 3092 16th St. San Francisco

Thursday, January 10 • 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 hear about SURJ's pathways for entering the work, including committee work, upcoming workshops, and events. We'll answer your questions and share how you can get involved in the movement for racial justice. Please RSVP - space is limited.
Location: Citizens Engagement Lab, 1330 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Oakland

Sunday, January 13 • 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Supporting The Movement 4 Black Lives Policy Platform: Grassroots Legislative Strategy Workshop
This legislative strategy session and workshop will demystify the legislative process and build our legislative capacity. Eric Henderson, Policy Director for Initiate Justice, will be joining us to talk about IJ's 2019 legislative priorities. This workshop is for anyone who is passionate, curious, or wants to learn more about the ways that policy combined with grassroots organizing can be used as a tool in the movement for racial justice and collective liberation. Sliding scale $0 - $10. Register here.
Location: Seneca Family of Agencies, 6925 Chabot Road, Oakland

Thursday, January 17 • 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Resisting Imperialism: Voices from the Migrant Caravan
Join the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) for political education that will connect the struggles of the migrant caravan at the US/Mexico border to other anti-imperialist border struggles internationally. There will be 5 speakers presenting on struggles in El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Yemen and Palestine. AROC will also be fundraising to help support the needs of the migrant caravan at our border. See below for where to send your donations today. Event is free, but you can make a donation here. More info here.
Location: The Eric Quezada Center for Culture and Politics, 518 Valencia, San Francisco

Thursday, January 17 • 7:00 - 9:00 p,
LSPC Restore Our Rights! Panel Discussion & Strategy Session
Join Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) for a discussion and strategy session — building on recent victories in Florida and Louisiana — on felony disenfranchisement, jury service, running for political office, and other rights we need restored in California. Speakers include Desmond Meade, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Norris Henderson, Voice of the Experienced - New Orleans, Taina Vargas-Edmond, Initiate Justice, and Dauras Cyprian, All of Us or None.
Location: Booth Auditorium, U.C. Berkeley School of Law. 2745 Bancroft Ave, Berkeley

Sunday, January 20 • 12:00 - 6:00 pm
People Get Ready II Conference (Rescheduled)
How do we take up the often difficult task of balancing our revolutionary imagination with the brutal realities we face - war, right-wing terror, racist state policy, environmental devastation, etc. Sponsored by the Center for Political Education, this one day conference (rescheduled from November 17) on analysis, strategy and the fight for our future features visionary speakers and sessions to understand where we are, what we’re up against, how to fight back, build strength, and shift power — now and into the future. Free but please register here.
Location: Dwinelle Hall, UC Berkeley

Monday, January 21 • 1:00 - 4:00 pm
5th Annual People's March to Reclaim King's Radical Legacy
Save the date for the 5th Annual People's March to Reclaim the Radical Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a mass mobilization called by the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP). On this federal holiday, we will highlight not the sanitized version of Dr. King, but the militant leader whose ideas and political organizing on issues of white supremacy, political power, capitalism, and U.S. imperialism increasingly called for a radical restructuring of the economic and social systems in the U.S. RSVP to join SURJ at the march.
Location: Oscar Grant/Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th and Broadway, Oakland

Wednesday, January 23 • 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Renters Rising 2019 - Mobilization to Sacramento
In the aftermath of Prop 10, our housing crisis is only getting worse and the displacement of tenants and long-term residents across the state is escalating. Meanwhile, support for rent control remains incredibly high and city after city has already taken action to strengthen renter protections after the election. Join us as we build momentum for the renter power movement in California for universal rent control, tenant protections and to hold Wall Street landlords accountable! We'll be hosting trainings, rallying and lobbying our legislators. Join us!
Location: California State Capitol, Sacramento

Sunday, January 27 • 2:00 - 6:00 pm
Challenging White Male Supremacy Workshop
Hosted by STAND: White Men for Racial, Gender, and Economic Justice, this workshop will explore how white men can show up with integrity, imagination, and their whole selves and leverage their position as white men to help create a world that’s more equitable and less oppressive. Event is free, though participants will be asked for donations for the Sogorea Te' Land Trust.
Location: Sierra Club, 2101 Webster St. Suite 1300, Oakland

Sunday, February 10 • 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Antidotes to White Fragility Workshop
Do you sometimes get "triggered" or shut down in stressful, racially-tense situations? This SURJ workshop, facilitated by the White Noise Collective, will explore how the brain and body respond to these perceived threats, help you manage guilt and shame that can arise in learning about race and racism, and build skills that enable greater resilience in moments of challenge. Tickets are sliding scale $15 - $65. Learn more and RSVP here.
Location: Sierra Club, 2101 Webster St. Suite 1300, Oakland

Pledge to Have a Bold Conversation at Your Holiday Table This Season
Calling all white people - instead of avoiding conversations about race around the holiday table, this year pledge to have a bold and courageous conversation about race with family and friends. Watch some tips on how to do that from Color of Change in collaboration with SURJ, featuring actor and SURJ Connector Matt McGorry (Orange Is the New Black and How to Get Away With Murder) in a video on why those conversations are so crucial in the struggle against white supremacy.

Support Immigrant Families Affected by Recent Fires and Rural NorCal SURJ
People who have suffered due to the most recent California fires still need our support, especially our most vulnerable neighbors - particularly immigrant community members, day laborers, and domestic workers. While others may be able to receive FEMA aid, undocumented status prevents many immigrants from getting the help they need when they’re forced from their homes. Support immigrant families by making a donation to 805 UndocuFund Fire Relief. And the Rural Northern California SURJ Chapter in Butte County is fundraising to support fire survivors there who've lost everything and need money for lodging, food, gas, and basic living expenses. Please donate here.

#FreeCyntoia - Call for Clemency
Cyntoia Brown is a 29 year old woman who, at 16 years old, was a victim of abusive sex trafficking and convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the self-defense murder of her assailant. Earlier this month, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that Cyntoia must serve 51 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. This goes against a Supreme Court ruling that juveniles convicted of murder cannot be subject to a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. A growing group of individuals and organizations are demanding clemency, which Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam can grant before he leaves office in January. Call or write him to #FreeCyntoia. Learn more and get scripts from Black Lives Matter Nashville here.

New SURJ Podcast - "BOLD: Conversations About Race"
Check out the NEW podcast collaboration with SURJ National, White People 4 Black Lives, a SURJ affiliate in Los Angeles, and Small Beans, a podcast platform with an established audience of 10,000 - 12,000 people per episode. It’s available at any podcast app (iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, etc.) on the Small Beans audio feed by searching for Small Beans or BOLD. The first BOLD episode includes an interview with Melina Abdullah of Black Lives Matter, Los Angeles. Learn more here.

SURJ Faith Podcasts Focus on Christian Holiday Themes
During this month, SURJ Faith’s Podcast, "The Word Is Resistance," has been reflecting on the themes surrounding the Christian holy times of Advent and Christmas and connecting those themes to the refugee caravan and all that has been happening in that crisis during this time. On the SURJ Faith page on the SURJ National website, there are also lots of resources including information on their current campaign, Community Safety for All as well as a Countering Anti-Jewish Oppression Resource.

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