WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - JULY 23, 2018

Festival of Resilience | Reject Hate in the Bay 
Sunday, August 5 • 2:00 pm  
White supremacists, Trump supporters, and fascists will be holding a rally in downtown Berkeley on August 5, 2018 as part of a week-long, nationwide "commemoration" of the hateful acts that took place nearly a year ago in Charlottesville, in which DeAndre Harris was beaten and Heather Heyer murdered.
SURJ and a coalition of Bay Area organizations are calling on all members of our community to assemble together to stop white supremacist and state violence from growing, and to reiterate our message: "No Hate in the Bay."
We've got to tend to the relationships and values that fuel, nourish, and inspire us to build a vision of collective liberation, to loudly and publicly reject hate, and to redouble our efforts in building a truly just and liberatory world. The Festival of Resilience will begin with a memorial in Ohlone Park, and march to MLK Park with local artists, activists, musicians, comedians and everyday people.
(Read an analysis of last year's events from a SURJ member here.)
Location: Ohlone Park, Berkeley
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Monday, July 23 • 4:00 pm
Stop Urban Shield: Berkeley Final Vote
Berkeley residents: we need your support to withdraw Berkeley Police from Urban Shield once and for all! After a year of research and consideration, Berkeley City Council will make a final vote on the City's participation in the upcoming militarized, racialized and xenophobic SWAT team training and weapons expo that brings together local, regional, and international police-military units. Call your council person and show up to the vote! Find more information and a call script here.
Location: 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley

Thursday, July 26th, Friday, August 3rd - Sunday, August 5
Beyond Separation: Racial Equity Intensive Training
Explore the meaning of whiteness in an encouraging and supportive learning community. In this weekend intensive, you'll examine how whiteness structures our society, our relationships, and ourselves. Topics covered include: how whiteness informs our personal and professional lives, how racism manifests at individual, cultural, and systemic levels, and how our personal and collective well-being depends on the dismantling of white supremacy.
Location: Oakstop, 1721 Broadway, Oakland, CA (Friday evening only) & Flight Deck, 1540 Broadway, Oakland, CA
Friday, Aug 3, 6:30pm-9pm (at Oakstop)
Saturday, Aug 4, 10am-5pm (at Flight Deck)
Sunday, Aug 05, from 11am-4pm (at Flight Deck)

Saturday, July 28th • 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Sanctuary Homes and Neighborhoods Workshop
Come learn about a new initiative in Rockridge to build a network of mutual support amongst neighbors. This workshop will focus on domestic workers. If you work in someone else's home or you employ someone in your home, this workshop is for you. The project aims to support immigrants and others who are especially vulnerable in the current political climate. Learn what to do if you or someone in the neighborhood is approached by ICE. Get resources to help make your home and neighborhood a workplace that is fair and supportive. Everyone is welcome! This workshop is organized by Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network and Mujeres Unidas y Activas.
Location: Rockridge Branch Library 5366 College Ave., Oakland

Sunday, July 29 • 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Antidotes for White Fragility Workshop
Do you sometimes get "triggered" or shut down in stressful, racially tense situations? This workshop, facilitated by 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 - $25, and no one turned away for lack of funds. More information and registration available here.
Location: Sierra Club, 2101 Webster St., Oakland, CA 94612

Friday, August 14 • 6:45 - 9:00 pm
August Introduction 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 Study and Action groups as well as committees, upcoming workshops, and events. We'll answer your questions and share how you can be part of the movement for racial justice. RSVP to attend today!

Location: Movement Strategy Center, 436 14th St. Suite 500, Oakland
Tuesday, August 14th • 6:50 PM
Film: The Feminist on Cellblock Y (Uncommon Law)
See this documentary about Richard Edmond Vargas, who has served a sentence in Soledad prison since he was a teen, and has taught his fellow prisoners about toxic masculinity, vulnerability, and feminism. Richie is being released from prison this month, and will join us to discuss his experience and this film. Co-presented by Initiate Justice, the organization founded by Richie and his wife Taina Vargas-Edmond.
Location: The New Parkway Theater, 474 24th St, Oakland, CA

Friday, September, 14 • Save the date
AROC 10 Year Anniversary Dinner
Save the date to join the Arab Resource & Organizing Center on September 14 to celebrate 10 years of grassroots organizing, cross-movement building and community defense as they continue to fight together for a new world. More details, including start time and tickets will be available soon here.
Location: Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St., Oakland

Volunteers Needed for SURJ Food
The food working group is looking for cooks and food donations for SURJ events like trainings and actions. Help is needed with a variety of tasks, from calling around to foodservice providers and asking for donations, grocery shopping, cooking, food delivery, and food distribution if it's a big event. Having a car is helpful for many of the tasks, but not necessary. Volunteering is a great way to nourish the movement! Email Bryan at berkeleyfarb@gmail.com to join the volunteer list.

A Dozen Things You Can Do Right Now To Help End Trump’s Family Separation PolicyLooking to channel your outrage over the Trump administration's horrific immigration policies? His Executive Order is a smokescreen and a distraction — we have to keep up the pressure. Immigrant families are still suffering due to his administration's "zero tolerance" policy which criminalizes immigrants including asylum-seekers. Turn your anger into action. Here are some ways how. To support continuing action and to stay up to date, sign up here to receive emails on events and actions, or text JOIN IN to 977-79.

Sign the Pledge to Build a World Without Police
SURJ National is inviting white people across the country to examine our relationship to policing, especially given the increasing numbers of incidents of white people calling the police to report Black people for doing everyday things, including sitting in a Starbucks, having a barbecue, sleeping in their own dorm, renting an AirBnB, eating at Waffle House, golfing, walking through their own neighborhood, being an 8-year-old selling bottles of water, being a firefighter doing his job, and much more. We invite you to take action — whether that's educating yourself about the history of policing in the U.S., examining alternatives to policing, or pledging to not call the police. Learn more here.

Tell Amazon to Stop Doing Business with Racist Hate Groups!
In a recent study, the Action Center on Race and the Economy and the Partnership for Working Families found that despite its stated policies, Amazon is serving as a platform for neo-Nazis and white nationalists to push their ideas, grow their movements and make money. Sign this petition today and tell Amazon to stop doing business with racist hate groups!

Join the Fight to Expand Rent Control and Repeal Costa-Hawkins!
The Affordable Housing Act, which would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act and allow cities and towns to pass stronger rent control laws, will officially be on the ballot this November! Landlord associations are preparing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to sink this ballot initiative. Join the grassroots campaign organized by our partners at the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) to speak to voters about the ballot initiative and advocate for stronger rent control legislation. To get involved, please email SURJcanvassing@gmail.com. Learn more about Costa Hawkins here.

Join the SURJ - Faith National Campaign
SURJ - Faith is a national effort aimed at organizing congregations and faith communities to take action for racial justice and to support the Movement for Black Lives. This campaign has a tool kit and resources that people can share with their faith communities. Learn more about the campaign 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