WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 19, 2018

Ways to Respond to #Climate Fire, Sign the Petition, and Support Rural NorCal SURJ
California is on fire. Thousands have lost their homes and the death toll continues to rise. Here in the Bay Area, our eyes are burning and our lungs are choking with smoke. But we have to see through the smoke. From Bay Resistance, here's a guide with four ways to respond - protecting ourselves and our loved ones, serving our neighbors, aiding fire victims, and fighting for our air and our future. Then sign this petition, calling on Bay Area mayors to treat the smoke like a public health emergency. And the Rural Northern California SURJ Chapter in Butte County is fundraising to support fire survivors who've lost everything and need money for lodging, food, gas, and basic living expenses. Please donate here.

Thursday, November 22 • All Day
Support Indigenous Land Stewardship with a Donation to Sogorea Te' Land Trust
As we gather with family and friends to celebrate thanksgiving and acknowledge #thangstaken, let’s embody our commitment to justice by giving more than thanks. Support the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, an urban Indigenous woman-led community organization that facilitates the return of stolen Ohlone lands to Indigenous stewardship. How? By paying the Shuumi Land Tax, a voluntary, annual “tax” (and tax-deductible donation) for non-Native residents of Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone land. It’s a way to recognize the benefits received from living on stolen land, and to make a contribution to return some of that land to its original inhabitants. Learn more here.
Location: Online

Friday, November 23 • 12:00 - 3:00 pm  
19th Annual Emeryville Shellmound Prayer Gathering
Come out to the 19th year gathering at the ancient ceremonial and largest funerary site of the Ohlone people of the East Bay. This is a family-friendly event and people will be handing out information and educating the public about this sacred site. Bring cookies or snacks to share and a good attitude. Prayers and songs will be offered along with updates on current work and issues facing Bay Area Indigenous communities.
Location: Bay Street Mall, Shellmound St. and Ohlone Way, Emeryville

Monday, November 26 • 5:00 - 7:30 pm
SURJ National Webinar: White Supremacy Culture: What Is It? What Can We Do About It?
Have you ever wondered why our work often gets bogged down in committee meetings? Or why it feels like there's no room for mistakes? Why does "but we've always done it this way" seem to have so much power? In this 90-minute webinar, we will start answering these questions and more by exploring what white supremacy culture is and how it gets in the way of our work. Registration is free.
Location: Online, webinar registration here

Friday, November 30 • 7:00 - 9:00 pm
SURJ Queer and Trans Committee Film Screening of Free CeCe!
Join SURJ Bay Area’s Queer and Trans Committee to watch the film Free CeCe!, a powerful documentary on one of the most controversial imprisonments of a trans woman in America. Free CeCe! follows the story of CeCe McDonald, a transgender woman of color who survived a racist, transphobic attack and was criminalized for her self defense. CeCe’s story highlights the violence of white supremacy, transphobia, and the Prison Industrial Complex and the experience of trans women of color surviving, resisting and leading. Admission is free.
Location: Sierra Club, 2101 Webster St. Suite 1300, Oakland

Saturday, December 1 • 12:00 - 1:00 pm
SURJ Human Billboard: Amnesty Now! Solidarity with Central American Caravan
Join the SURJ Human Billboard in support of the caravan of Central American migrants making its way to the US border. Donald Trump and his white nationalist cronies are overturning years of established law granting amnesty to asylum seekers fleeing violence and persecution. They are mobilizing up to 15,000 troops to repel this caravan and other migrants at the border. Let's greet our neighbors from the south with open arms and solidarity!
NOTE: Come to the Art Build on Saturday, November 24 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. Email mobilization@surjbayarea.org for location.
Location: Grand Lake Farmers' Market, meet at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand, Oakland

Saturday, December 1 • 7:00 - 8:30 pm
How We Get Free: A Conversation on Black Feminism, Politics, and LiberationIn the last several years, Black feminism has reemerged as the analytical framework for the activist's response to the oppression of trans women of color, the fight for reproductive rights, and of course, the movement against police abuse and violence. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Alicia Garza, and Zoe Samudzi, three leading activist-scholars, will bring their unique radical traditions and research experiences to explore questions around race, gender, class, and ultimately, liberation. Admissions: $5-10 sliding scale.
Location: First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison Street, Oakland

Saturdays, December 1 & 8 • 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Emergence-See: White Fragility and the Criminal Injustice System
Building on the powerful debut of "9-1-1, What's Your Emergency?" - a play exploring white fragility, personal narrative, and systemic racism - the playwright Jovelyn Richards and SURJ Bay Area are co-hosting two 1-day workshops for white folx who identify as women and those who have been socialized as women. The goal is to deepen individual and collective understandings of what may drive white women to call the police on people of color; on the immediate impact those calls can have; and how healing is necessary for collective liberation. Space is limited. Register here.
Location: Will be emailed to registrants, Oakland

Sunday, December 2 • 4:00 – 6:00 pm
3rd Annual Day of Execution: Mario Woods
Join Justice 4 Mario Woods for the 3rd Annual Memorial of the Day of Execution of Mario Woods. Mario Woods was killed by SFPD in a firing squad style execution on December 2, 2015. His family and community have been fighting for justice ever since. We will ensure that the city of San Francisco NEVER forgets the injustice inflicted on Mario and his family. More information here.
Location: 3rd and Fitzgerald, San Francisco

Tuesday, December 4 • 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: Sierra Club, 2101 Webster Street, Suite 1300, Oakland

Sunday, December 9 • 5:00 – 10:00 pm
20 Years of Strategy and Struggle for Abolition
Critical Resistance invites you to this community celebration, highlighting 20 years of dismantling the prison industrial complex and building for the world we need. Author, educator and activist Angela Y. Davis will be in conversation with Black liberationist organizer Kamau Walton (Critical Resistance), anti-imperialist organizer and former political prisoner Linda Evans (All of Us or None), and firebrand Southern freedom fighter Mary Hooks (Southerners On New Ground). The evening includes a dinner, reception, and program. Tickets $15 - $45. More info.
Location: First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison St. Oakland

Invest to Rebuild a Local Food Economy in West Oakland with Community Foods Market
West Oakland used to have numerous full-service grocery stores, many of which were owned or operated by local Black families. These stores not only provided reliable access to quality and culturally-appropriate foods but anchored the community. Community Foods Market is on a mission to rebuild a foundation of equity, inclusion, and health for this community - by providing affordable fresh foods, new jobs, education and social programs. It is on track to open in February 2019 - backed by over 500 local shareholders. Residents of California, of all economic backgrounds, are invited to become Founding Shareholders and make a positive social impact while earning a modest financial return. Shares bought by November 23 count toward a $50,000 matching grant.

Donation Drive for The Village in Oakland
Winter is coming and the temperature is already dropping when the sun goes down. Support The Village, an Oakland encampment on public land of unhoused people being assisted by community groups including #FeedthePeople, The East Oakland Collective, Asians4BlackLives, and others. The Village addresses the immediate needs of some of Oakland's more than 6,000 homeless residents, and urgently seeks winter clothing and camping supplies. Find the full wishlist and donation info here.

Change the Name of the Dixie School District in Marin County
SURJ Marin is calling on people across the Bay Area to demand that the name of San Rafael's Dixie School District be changed. Established during the Civil War, the district’s first schoolhouse was built by several pro-confederacy residents who named it Dixie in defiance of those in the area who were pro-Northern. Visit the Change The Name website to learn more and add your name to the list of public supporters. Here you'll also find suggested actions you can take — from writing a letter to the Dixie School District Board of Trustees to suggesting a new name for the school district.

SURJ Faith Resources on Anti-Semitism and White Supremacy
SURJ-Faith curates a "Countering Anti-Jewish Oppression" resource list. There are general resources at the top of the list; the rest of the list provides resources particularly for addressing anti-Semitism/Anti-Jewish Oppression in Christian tradition and other religious/spiritual traditions that utilize the Bible and aspects of Christian theology.
This past February, SURJ-Faith offered a webinar led by members of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) on anti-Semitism and intersections with Christian hegemony and white supremacy. Find that webinar here.
Dove Kent, Former Executive Director at Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, has collected some of her work on anti-semitism at Medium, which you can find at this link. Her most recent piece is a collaboration with Rev. Jennifer Bailey drawing the connections between the violence of racism and anti-Semitism.

Sign the Petition Demanding Answers in Laramie Cop Killing of Latino Resident
Wyoming SURJ is requesting our support! On November 4, Robbie Ramirez, a life-long resident of Laramie struggling with mental health issues, was shot and killed by Sheriff's Deputy Derek Colling, who's been called the most dangerous cop in America. He has two prior kills and was fired from the Las Vegas department for beating a man badly on his own property. Wyoming SURJ is part of a coalition, Albany County for Proper Policing, working with the Ramirez family to demand the immediate release of any video or audio related to the incident, including bodycam and dashcam footage, as well as a complete recording of Colling's prior misconduct, disciplinary records, and citizen complaints. They're asking us to sign the petition so local officials know the whole country is watching.

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