Weekly Newsletter - January 29, 2018

Wednesday, January 31 • 6:00 - 9:00 pm
A New Way to Stop Police Brutality: #NoJusticeNoDeal
This community town hall focuses on police accountability and community safety in the context of current negotiations between the S.F. Police Officers Association and the city of San Francisco. Hosted by Faith in Action Bay Area.
Location: St. John the Evangelist Church, 1661 15th Street & Julian St, San Francisco
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Thursday, February 1 • 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Restore the Vote: Overturning Voter Suppression Workshop
This engaging SURJ workshop will provide the context for the Voting Restoration & Democracy Act of 2018, including essential understanding of voter suppression history in the United States and California. Learn concrete actions you can take to help restore voting rights to 162,000 incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated individuals in California. This effort is led by Initiate Justice. Free but please RSVP.
Location: Greenpeace Warehouse, 955 7th St., Oakland

Friday, February 2 • 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
United Against White Supremacy Symposium
This symposium will examine how white supremacy operates in our daily lives and explore new ways of thinking and legal strategies to confront and dismantle it. Panels address gentrification, affirmative action, immigration, and incarceration. Speakers include Eva Patterson and Ian Haney Lopez.
Location: UC Berkeley School of Law, Boalt Hall, 215 Boalt Hall, Berkeley

Sunday, February 4 • 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Uprooting Racism Workshop with Author Paul Kivel
The emerging Walnut Creek SURJ chapter is sponsoring this free workshop with SURJ co-founder and author Paul Kivel, who will be presenting material from his book Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Social Justice. The workshop will provide practical tools and advice on how white people can work as allies for racial justice, directly engaging the participants through questions, exercises and suggestions for action.
Location: Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church, 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek

Sunday, February 4 • 3:00 - 5:00 pm
A Conversation with Kali Akuno of Cooperation Jackson 
Join East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) and Center for Political Education in welcoming Kali Akuno of Cooperation Jackson (MS) to discuss his new book, Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Black Self-Determination in Jackson, Mississippi. Kali will be in conversation with Najari Smith of Cooperation Richmond and Jackie Byers of Black Organizing Project about the struggle for economic democracy and Black self-determination from Jackson to the Bay Area.
Location: First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St, Oakland

Tuesday, February 6 • 7:00 - 9:00 pm
"The Long Shadow" with Filmmaker Q & A
In this powerful documentary (see the trailer), director Frances Causey investigates the roots of our current racial conflicts. A daughter of the South, Causey and her team passionately seek the hidden truth and untold stories that reveal how the sins of yesterday feed modern prejudice, which burns undiminished despite our seeming progress. By telling individual stories, Causey movingly personalizes the costs and the stakes of continued inaction.
Location: The New Parkway, 474 24th St, Oakland

Saturday, February 10 • 10:30 am - 2:30 pm
SURJ Study & Action: 4-Week Intensive
Meets 4 Saturdays: 2/10, 2/24, 3/3, 3/10
Are you looking for a learning community to challenge racism? Do you want to learn more so that you can become a resource for your community? Would you like to find out how to take action locally and be accountable? Join us as we examine white supremacy and resistance movements to build skills to challenge racism and take action in our communities. Through weekly reading and facilitated groups, we study the histories and systems of that which we resist, we deepen our understanding of injustice, and learn to take strategic, effective action to dismantle white supremacy and support Black and people of color-led organizations fighting for for racial justice. Free but must RSVP as space is limited.
Location: Sent upon enrollment, East Bay

Saturday, February 10 • 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Racial Justice Story Time
SURJ Bay Area's Youth and Families Committee and Rice and Beans Cooperative will be leading this Racial Justice Story Time which will engage the whole family with books and activities to help start conversations about race and social justice issues. The free event is best suited for kids ages 2-8, but all are welcome. Snacks provided. Please RSVP - space is limited.
Location: Oakland Public Library, Rockridge Branch, 5366 College, Oakland

Sunday, February 11 • Two sessions: 10:15 am - 1:00 pm & 1:15 - 4:00 pm
SURJ Bystander Intervention Workshops 
We've all been there. Someone in a public place says or does something to another person that makes us feel uncomfortable or even scared for that other person. Learn how to intervene in those situations, including tactics from de-escalation strategies to some basic self-defense. This workshop will provide a baseline for reducing harm and acting in effective solidarity with people being harassed or assaulted. Tickets are sliding scale $10 - $20.
Location: Suigetsukan Dojo, 103 International Blvd., Oakland • 10:15 session 1:15 session

Thursday, February 15 • 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Restore the Vote: Overturning Voter Suppression Workshop
This engaging SURJ workshop will provide the context for the Voting Restoration & Democracy Act of 2018, including essential understanding of voter suppression history in the United States and California. Learn concrete actions you can take to help restore voting rights to 162,000 incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated individuals in California. This effort is led by Initiate Justice. Free but please RSVP.
Location: Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave., Piedmont

Wednesday, February 21 • 6:45 - 8:45 pm
Introduction to SURJ Meeting
Want to get involved with SURJ Bay Area? Come learn about our current work and activities! You'll also hear about SURJ's new 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.
Location: Sierra Club, 2101 Webster, Suite 1300, Oakland

Campaign to Restore Voting Rights to People in State Prisons and On Parole
Sign up for a shift with SURJ to gather signatures to get the Voting Restoration and Democracy Act (VRDA) on the California ballot in November 2018. The VRDA, spearheaded by Initiate Justice, would restore the right to vote to approximately 160,000 people in state prisons and on parole in California. Once you sign up for a shift, we'll email you a few days beforehand with the name and contact info for your team lead, as well as an exact meet-up location. We'll provide a brief on-the-spot training, but you can also read the 2-page talking points and instructions here. Feel free to bring friends.

Sign the Petition to End Berkeley's Participation in Urban Shield
The Berkeley City Council will vote on whether or not to pull out of Urban Shield in February or March. Help us increase the pressure on the Mayor and City Council to hold them accountable to pulling out and voting against police militarization, racism and xenophobia. Sign the petition and share widely with Berkeley residents!

Defend Community Leader Aunti Frances from Eviction
Aunti Frances is a beloved Black disabled activist, elder, former Black Panther, and community leader in the North Oakland/South Berkeley community who is facing a no-fault eviction. The community is mobilizing to show the landlords, the Morphy family, that this isn't just a personal issue, but a larger community crisis that we won't allow to happen quietly. Defend Aunti Frances is also using her case to connect to and mobilize support to wider struggles against gentrification and evictions. Follow the campaign here and sign the petition here.

Support Silicon Valley Rising Campaign
SURJ Peninsula Chapter is supporting the Silicon Valley Rising campaign that’s calling on Google to be a good neighbor and make sure its San Jose mega-campus does not displace the diverse communities of San Jose. Silicon Valley Rising is a coalition of labor, faith leaders, community-based organizations and workers in the South Bay. Learn more about the campaign here and sign the letter to Google 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.

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