Weekly Newsletter - July 29, 2019

Thursday, August 1 • 6:30 – 9:00 pm
World Without Walls: An evening with Janna Jihad
Join AROC to hear from Janna Jihad Tamimi, 13 year-old Palestinian activist, one of the youngest accredited journalists in the world - and Ambassador of Shamsaan, a South African children’s rights organization. They will screen Radiance of Resistance, a documentary film featuring the Tamimi family. Janna will be joining as part of her month-long speaking tour of the United States.
Location: Greenlining Institute, 360 14th Street, Oakland

Tuesday, August 6 • 6:45 – 9:00 pm
Introduction to SURJ
Want to get involved with SURJ Bay Area? Come learn about our current work and activities. 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. ASL interpretation will be provided if requested by 5:00 pm on Sunday, August 4th by emailing basebuilding@surjbayarea.org.
Location: Loper Chapel, First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley

Saturday, August 10 • 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Lamentations & Reparations: A Tisha B’Av Response to the Ongoing Harms of Slavery and Its Legacy
Join our communities for a healing evening of prayers, conversation, and acts of Teshuvah/reparations in response to the clarion call from descendants of the transatlantic slave trade for reparations. Benjamin Mertz, director of the Joyful Noise Gospel Singers, will lead singers and non-singers alike in spirituals, civil rights songs, and other music of the African-American diaspora. With spiritual teachers Rabbi Dev Noily, Hazan Shulamit Wise Fairman, Magid Jhos Singer, Julie Batz, Reverend Deborah Lee, and Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb.
Location: Chochmat Halev, 2215 Prince Street, Berkeley

Thursday, August 15 • 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Dean Spade with SURJ: Solidarity Not Charity
Widespread, effective social movements usually include mutual aid strategies as part of their work. Mutual aid is work that directly addresses the conditions the movement seeks to address, such as by providing housing, food, health care, or transportation in a way that draws attention to the politics creating need and vulnerability. In this webinar, we will look at why mutual aid is an important part of building participatory movements, and what is difficult about mutual aid in the current political climate. We will also look at what principles and methods characterize politicized survival work and how it intentionally departs from charity frameworks.
Location: Online. Register here.

SURJ Discussion Guide: When They See Us
The Netflix series When They See Us by filmmaker Ava DuVernay tells the story of the Central Park Five, a group of Black and Latino boys who were wrongfully accused of sexually assaulting a white woman jogger in Central Park in 1989. By telling the story of the now Exonerated 5, the series provides a provocative and emotional look into our justice system and the need to address the biases and corruption plaguing police departments and courts across the US if we want to protect Black and Latino children. Color Of Change has also put out an incredible toolkit, here; use these discussion guides to learn from this powerful series and move into action by pushing for changes to stop similar injustices from continuing.

Know Your Local Immigration Hotline Numbers
Via Bay Resistance: In light of the recent news, we want to make sure that everyone is informed and prepared. Learn the phone number for your local emergency immigration hotline and call if you see any ICE activity. It's important to verify before publicizing any information; spreading misinformation about possible raids can bring unnecessary panic and stress to our communities. Find your county's hotline number, and please share widely.  #PowerNotPanic #AbolishICE

Check Out these Updated SURJ Bay Area Policy Priorities for 2019
SURJ Bay Area's Policy Working Group is working in service to, and in collaboration with our people of color-led partner organizations that work on legislative advocacy. In this update, we look at some of the bills that have successfully crossed-over to their second house (California Assembly or Senate), hopefully on their way to the governor’s desk. Learn more about the organizations we partner with and the bills we're actively supporting. You can be part of this effort by adding your name to our Legislative Action List.

Help Mauna Kea Protesters: Donate to the Aloha ‘Āina Support Fund
In Hawai‘i on July 10th, Governor Ige announced that the transport of earth moving machines for the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea would begin on Monday, July 15. Your support is needed now; KAHEA is announcing a new fund, the Aloha ‘Āina Support Fund, which prioritizes frontline logsitical support for non-violent direct actions taken to protect Mauna Kea from further industrial development.

An Interview With Sarah Stockholm About the De-Escalate Washington Campaign
How do we recruit more white people to work for and support racial justice and immigrant justice? By doing sustained organizing in white communities we’ve not been in before! This is the work SURJ is doing across the country. Watch the short trailer interview or the full-length video interview with Sarah Stockholm, who is the SURJ National Coach for the state of Washington as well as a member of Olympia SURJ, as she discusses the importance of organizing more white communities to support racial justice campaigns like the I-940 ballot initiative, a landmark victory for racial justice this past November. The new law increases police accountability in all Washington communities and specifically addresses the impact of police violence on Black, Native and People of Color communities as well as people with disabilities, mental health issues or who are LGBTQ.

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