WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 26, 2018

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 Free 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 as well as the experience of trans women of color surviving, resisting and leading. Admission is free but please bring a cash donation for Transgenders in Florida Prisons, a grassroots program serving transgender people currently in prisons as well as formerly incarcerated trans folks.
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: There will be a kid-friendly space in Oakland with materials for kids to make signs.
Location: Grand Lake Farmers' Market, meet at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand, Oakland
Location: S.F. Ferry Building, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco (sponsored by S.F. SURJ - more on that event here).

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

Saturday, December 8 • 7:00 - 9:00 pm
People's Assembly for Migrant Caravan Solidarity
What are the root causes of the mass migration of Hondurans and other Central Americans to the U.S. border? What are the ways people and organizations here in the Bay Area can support the material and political goals of the migrants who are seeking asylum? These questions and more will be addressed at this event sponsored by the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity and Migrant Welcome Committee of the East Bay.
Location: First Presbyterian Church, 2619 Broadway (at 27th St.), 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

Support Immigrant Families Affected by Recent Fires and Rural NorCal SURJ
People who've suffered due to the most recent California fires still need our support, especially our most vulnerable neighbors - particularly immigrant community members, day laborers, and domestic workers. While others may be able to receive FEMA aid, undocumented status prevents many immigrants from getting the help they need when they’re forced from their homes. Support immigrant families by making a donation to 805 UndocuFund Fire Relief. And the Rural Northern California SURJ Chapter in Butte County is fundraising to support fire survivors there who've lost everything and need money for lodging, food, gas, and basic living expenses. Please donate here.

Support All of Us or None Community Giveback For Children of Incarcerated Parents
It’s that time of year again when All of Us or None, a project of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, organizes an event to give bikes and other gifts to children with parents in jails and prisons throughout California. The Annual Community Giveback is supported 100% by donations and volunteer time so please support this event by sponsoring the purchase of a bicycle or by making a donation here. You can also mail a donation to: LSPC/Community Giveback, 4400 Market St. Oakland CA 94608.

Tell Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom We Want Criminal Justice Reform
Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom is gathering feedback on what California's priorities should be and he did not list Criminal Justice Reform for consideration. Our partner organization CURB is asking us to please respond to Newsom’s survey and list Criminal Justice Reform in the “Other” category. California's incarceration budget keeps rising, wasting billions that can be more effectively used on education, environmental protection and building out community-based alternatives to incarceration (such as mental health facilities, housing, job training, substance use treatment, etc.).

Pledge to Have a Bold Conversation at Your Holiday Table This Season
Calling on all white people - instead of avoiding conversations about race around the holiday table, this year pledge to have a bold and courageous conversation about race with family and friends. Here are some tips on how to do that from Color of Change in collaboration with SURJ, featuring actor and SURJ Connector Matt McGorry (Orange Is the New Black and How to Get Away With Murder) in a video on why those conversations are so crucial in the struggle against white supremacy.
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 the 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. On November 16, they delivered the first batch of petitions (see video here) to the county clerk who denied the request. They're asking us to keep up the pressure - 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