weekly newsletter - october 15, 2018

Wednesday, October 16 - Tuesday November 6
Rise Up for Rent Control: Phonebank and Canvass for Prop 10
SURJ Bay Area has endorsed Prop 10 (the Affordable Housing Act), which will be on the ballot this November. Prop 10 will help stop displacement by making it easier for cities and towns to pass strong rent control laws. Doorknock or phonebank with our partners at ACCE to talk to your neighbors about Prop 10. Each event will start with a short training. Doorknock every Saturday from 10-1:30 from now until the election. Phonebank every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4:30-8:30 (or however long you can join) from now until the election.
Location: ACCE offices: 2501 International Blvd, Oakland.

Tuesday, October 16 • 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Voice Support as Berkeley City Council Considers Sanctuary City Ordinance
Come to a meeting of the Berkeley City Council as they consider a sanctuary contracting ordinance from #DeportICE, a coalition of advocacy groups striving to make sanctuary protections real in cities and counties across California. #DeportICE has proposed a municipal ordinance that states Berkeley will not do business with companies that work to identify, profile, target and detain undocumented California residents for ICE. Show up to support this as the Berkeley City Council considers the new law. For more information, click here.
Location: 2134 MLK Jr. Way, Berkeley

Friday, October 19 • 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Renters Rising for the Fall of Costa Hawkins
Join ACCE Action for a night with some of the Bay Area's most legendary artists, coming together to Repeal Costa Hawkins! Performers include Kev Choice, Jennifer Johns, Noñameko, Josh Healey, Tongo Eisen-Martin,  Xavier Toscano, and many others. Tickets are $15 to support Prop 10 in the face of billionaires trying to stop the fall of Costa-Hawkins. More info - get tickets here.
Location: Complex Oakland, 420 14th St. Oakland

Saturday, October 20 • 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Immigrant Justice Movements in the Time of Trump
Hosted by Catalyst Project, this interactive intensive training is designed to support non-immigrants to take strategic, effective and accountable collective action in solidarity with immigrant communities toward the end of deportations, detentions, and discrimination. In the training, we will examine the history and context of immigration and white supremacy, and then move into application: assessing and challenging citizenship privilege in your work, and organizing in your local context. Pre-registration is required. The workshop costs $75.00 per participant; with a sliding scale fee of $25 to $150. Half the fees go to PODER, a grassroots Latino immigrant justice group in San Francisco. More details here.
Location: Oakstop, 1721 Broadway, #201, Oakland

Saturday, October 20 • 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Benefit for #MeToo Behind Bars Lawsuit: Southwest of Salem Film & Panel
Support this fundraiser for four plaintiffs, who have been incarcerated at the women’s prison in Chowchilla, along with the California Coalition of Women Prisoners, have filed the #MeToo Behind Bars lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The plaintiffs all identify as transgender, gender non-conforming or queer. The lawsuit denounces physical assaults, sexual harassment and homophobic/ transphobic insults by correctional officers against them. Rojas, one of the plaintiffs in the case, will be part of a panel discussion after the film, along with Maria Moore from Justice for Kayla Moore and Jen Orthwein from the Transgender Law Center. Get tickets here, $12/general, $10/students or seniors.
Location: New Parkway Theater, 474 24th St. Oakland

Thursday, October 25  •  7:15 – 9:00 pm
The Rent is Too Damn High! Join the Movement to Protect Renters
Join members of the Housing Now coalition and documentary filmmaker Pam Uzzell to discuss rising rents, displacement, and what we can do to stop it. The event features a screening of the documentary short Welcome to the Neighborhood by Pam Uzzell, which traces the historical fight against BART in 1968. Following the film will be a presentation by members of the Housing Now coalition on Proposition 10 - a statewide ballot initiative that would restore the right of local communities to protect families from skyrocketing rents. Learn how we can give power back to local communities to limit rent increases and implement thoughtful laws that address their unique housing situations. The event is free but proceeds collected at the door benefit ACCE Action; please RSVP here.
Location: La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley

Saturday, October 27 • 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Sogorea Te Land Trust October Volunteer Work Party
Join  Planting Justice for a monthly work party at the Lisjan Ohlone Arbor Site. Volunteers will be working on the arbor grounds and preparing for our future water catchment system with the support of the NorCal Resilience Network. There will be a variety of ways to support! Please wear close toed shoes, sun or rain protection, and bring gloves if you have them. Food provided!
Location: 319 105th Ave, Oakland

Sunday, October 28 • 3:00 - 4:30 pm
Racial Justice Book Club
SURJ Marin invites you to their 2nd monthly book club, where attendees discuss books that center race, racism, privilege and racial justice. The book this month is So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo. In this New York Times bestseller, Oluo explores the complex reality of today's racial landscape — from white privilege and police brutality to systemic discrimination and the Black Lives Matter movement — offering straightforward clarity that readers need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide.
Location: Marin City Library, 164 Donahue St. Sausalito

Monday, October 29 • 6:30 - 8:30 pm
SURJ Revisiting Reparations Workshop
What are the origins of the racial wealth gap and how can we leverage wealth to undermine, rather than support, the structures of white supremacy? SURJ’s Fundraising Committee will provide historical context, map the limitations of existing institutional financial support for racial justice, and engage participants to rethink their own access to wealth, networks, and other resources in an effort to develop a "reparations mindset." Tickets are sliding scale $15 - $100. No one turned away for lack of funds. Proceeds go to support one or more of our partner organizations led by people of color.
Location: Sierra Club, 2101 Webster St. Suite 1300, Oakland

Wednesday, November 7 • 6:45 - 9:00 pm
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 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 St. Suite 1300, Oakland

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: National Invitation to Prophetic Imagination
SURJ’s national campaign to involve faith communities in ending police terror is underway and you can get involved! We’ve revamped the structure so that you can now join even if you are the only person in your faith community who is thinking about divestment from policing. We’ll support you and others like you around the country with monthly coaching calls and provocative webinars as you build a small working group to bring this conversation to your faith community. Click here for more information and to sign up.

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.

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Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Bay Area c/o PO Box 22748, Oakland CA 94609