WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - OCTOBER 22, 2018

Monday, October 22 • 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Close 850 Bryant! No New Cops! No New Jails!
The No New SF Jail Coalition continues to steadily fight jail construction while also pressing for a closure of the jail at 850 Bryant. Despite the Board of Supervisors' commitment to close 850 Bryant without building a new jail, we have seen no progress to that effect. In fact, jail population numbers continue to rise, particularly with an increase in police attacks on houseless people. Mayor Breed's approval of 200 new police hires endangers community safety as gentrification and imprisonment in San Francisco are on the rise. Rally to shut down 850 Bryant and invest in community oriented solutions for safety and health.
Location: San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.

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

Monday & Tuesday, October 29 & 30 • 6:00 - 9:00 pm

Tenants Together's Volunteer Counselor Training
This past has been a year of unprecedented growth in the movement for tenants’ rights in California, and across the nation. Join Tenant's Together to join the fight for housing justice. Join a passionate crew of volunteers as a hotline counselor, researcher, outreach or organizing volunteer, and get trained on tenants’ rights! Both training days are required to complete the counselor training. Find more information here. Sign up to volunteer here.


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

Saturday, November 17 • 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Rooting In & Raising Up: Cultivating Race Consciousness in Children, One Conversation at a Time
This is a workshop for anyone who is loving, nurturing, caring for, and raising up white children. It is an invitation for participants to root more deeply in mutual liberation by developing their capacities to have more meaningful conversations about race, racism, and white supremacy with the children and young people in their lives. Using storytelling, prompts, and somatic practices, this workshop will empower us to step into the everyday conversations needed to recognize and name racial injustice, develop positive racial identities, and use this knowledge to interrupt systemic inequities. The cost for this event is on a sliding scale $5-$25. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Location: Oakstop, 1721 Broadway Suite 201
Saturdays, December 1 & 8 • 9:30 am - 3:00 pm

Emergence-See: White Fragility & 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 a 2-day workshop for white folx who identify as women and those who have been socialized as women. Our 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. Participants will walk away with tools for attending to the complexity of personal narratives within themselves and those around them. Space is limited.
Location: TBD, Oakland, CA

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