WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - MAY 28, 2018

Monday, May 28 • 10 - 11:30 am & Tuesday, May 29 • 5:00 pm
Two Days of Action to Protect the West Berkeley Shellmound
Join us on Monday for an interfaith prayer gathering to honor the Bay Area's indigenous ancestors at the West Berkeley Shellmound, the oldest Ohlone sacred site. On Tuesday, we will voice opposition to the desecration of the sacred site at the Berkeley City Council meeting. Show up at the beginning of the meeting, submit for public comment, and state that you are in support of the Shellmound and want them to take action to save it from development. The site is at risk of desecration by a five- story condo and shopping development. Contributions can be made to the Shellmound Legal Defense Fund.
Locations: Interfaith Prayer Gathering: 1900 4th St, Berkeley, California 94710
City Council Meeting: 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley

Tuesday, May 29 • 8:30 - 5 pm
Join the Fight for Net Neutrality in Sacramento
This Tuesday May 29th we’ll be overwhelming Comcast and AT&T’s lobbying power in Sacramento and showing support for SB 822, California’s comprehensive Net Neutrality bill. SB 822 is the strongest Net Neutrality bill in the country, and the large Internet Service Providers are spending millions to try and stop it. Net Neutrality is crucial to making sure lawmakers hear Black and Brown voices and respecting digital civil rights. Color of Change has teamed up with the Center for Media Justice to bus people from Oakland to Sacramento. Learn more and RSVP here.
Location: Oakstop • 1721 Broadway, Oakland

Tuesday, May 29 • 5 pm
Advocate to Defund OPD at Budget Review
The city of Oakland budgeted $12.4M for OPD overtime this year, and yet they are projected to spend $29.5M. They committed to ending this practice in 2015. OPD receives 40 percent of Oakland's general fund. Join this budget review session to demand a redirection of funds to programs that will benefit the people of Oakland.
Location: City Hall • 1 Frank H Ogawa Plaza, Oakland

Sunday, June 3 • 2:00 - 4:30 pm
Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice  
SURJ Peninsula Chapter invites you to an interactive forum with author and long-time Bay Area organizer for racial, economic and gender justice, Paul Kivel. He’ll be offering a framework to understand racism within personal relationships, institutions, and culture. This event is free, please RSVP. Donations will be collected for the Real Community Coalition, a grassroots group organizing against gentrification and criminalization in East Palo Alto.
Location: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship • 2124 Brewster Ave. Redwood City

Sunday, June 3 • 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Two-Spirit Storytime
Join Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits, Golden Gate Mothers’ Group, Our Family Coalition, Natural Resources and SURJ SF this Pride Month for the first Two-Spirit Storytime. Two-Spirit Elder L Frank (Tongva/Ajachmem/Rarámuri) will be opening for us and Ruth Villasenor (Chiricahua Apache/Mexican) will be sharing a 2S story with us. Drag Queen Landa Lakes (Chickasaw) will be reading 47,000 Beads and local authors Angel and Koja Adeyoha (Eastern band of Cherokee and Lakota) will be available to sign and talk about the book. This is a free event, learn more and RSVP here.
Location: Natural Resources • 1367 Valencia St. San Francisco

Saturday, June 9 • 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Immigrant Solidarity Rapid Response Training
Join SURJ, the Immigrant Liberation Movement, and Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership for a solidarity training for immigrant freedom and justice in the East Bay. Participants will train in monitoring ICE activity, accompanying impacted families and other ways to strengthen existing local immigrant defense. Tickets are sliding scale, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. RSVP for tickets & location here!
Location: Shared upon RSVP

Monday, June 11 • 7:30 pm
Trans Activist, TV Host, and Journalist Janet Mock at the Nourse Theater
Join writer, TV host and storyteller Janet Mock in conversation with activist Mia Birdsong at the Nourse Theater. Mock is known for tackling stigma through storytelling and has served as an editor at People.com, reporter forMarie Claire, Interview, and The Advocate and has penned essays for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Lenny. Called a “fearless new voice” and “trailblazing leader” who “changed my way of thinking” by Oprah Winfrey, Janet was a featured speaker at the historic Women’s March on Washington. She is the author of Surpassing Certainty and the New York Times bestseller Redefining Realness. This program is a benefit for the Transgender, Gender Variant, Intersex Justice Project
Find tickets here.
Location: Nourse Theater • 275 Hayes St, SF

Tuesday, June 12 • 6:30 - 9:30 pm
The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race
Writer and scholar Anthony Ocampo focuses on issues of immigration, race and ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. His acclaimed book, The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race, looks at demographic shifts in the U.S. that are changing the way immigrants and their children understand race. Come out for a lively presentation that deepens our conversations about race, racism, and race relations. The event is free, but please register here.
Location: Impact Hub Oakland • 2323 Broadway, Oakland

Wednesday, June 20, 2018 • 6:45 - 9:00 pm
Introduction to SURJ
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 will 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. Share and RSVP here.
Location: Movement Strategy Center • 436 14th St. Suite 500, Oakland

Poor People's Campaign: Week Three of Nonviolent Direct Action
The war economy disproportionately impacts people of color and the poor. Instead of investing in social or economic programs that would invest in the future, our country has prioritized investing in weapons and war. In the third of six sustained weeks of Nonviolent Moral Fusion Direct Action, join the California Poor People's Campaign to advocate for the redirection of tax dollars to schools and basic infrastructure, and creating economic programs that give people life in their communities. Learn more and RSVP here.

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 RSVP, please email SURJcanvassing@gmail.com.
Volunteer dates:
Saturday June 2nd - 9:30 am
Sunday June 3rd - 2 pm
Monday June 4th - Any time from 9 am - 5 pm
Tuesday June 5th - Any time fro 9 am - 5 pm

End Predatory Prison Phone Rates
On Mother's Day, 2.7 million children relied on a phone call to celebrate with their incarcerated parent. Yet for many of these families, a short call is all they were able to afford, because greedy companies like Global Tel Link and Securus continue to charge families excessively high rates for the right to talk to their loved ones.
Last month, Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois introduced the Inmate Calling Technical Corrections Act of 2018 (S.2520) which would address eliminating predatory prison phone rates. While the bill has broad bi-partisan support, we need to urge Sen. John Thune, chair of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to hold a hearing for, and support the bill. Voice your support today.

Join the SURJ - Faith National Campaign
Invitation to Prophetic Imagination: Community Safety for All
SURJ - Faith is organizing a national campaign that asks faith/spiritual communities to examine their relationship to policing and police violence. This campaign is an act of accountability to people of color who are asking white people to join them in imagining and taking action toward a world without policing. It's also aligned with the Vision for Black Lives. Learn more about the campaign. There are also resources and information that people can share with their faith communities.

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.