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Monday, October 5 and Friday, October 9 • 12:00 – 1:00 pm SURJ Action Hour Feeling rage and deep sadness about racism and white supremacy, but not sure what to do? Join SURJ for an hour of action! We'll meet over Zoom on Mondays and Fridays at noon to provide concrete steps you can take—calling elected officials, signing petitions, etc.—to combat racism against Black and Indigenous people and communities of color. (Closed captioning will be available in the main room of Action Hour calls.) Register to reserve your spot! Register here for October 5. Register here for October 9. Monday, October 5 – Thursday, October 8
Volunteer for YES on Prop 15 / Schools & Communities First! Phonebank with SF Rising and textbank with SURJ Bay Area this week! Passing Prop 15 will reclaim resources from corporations who haven't been paying their fair share of property taxes and move $12 billion a year to schools and local community services, particularly impacting communities of color. SURJ is mobilizing to be part of this critical campaign, led by people of color, and we need you! Corporate special interests are fighting this hard. To pass Prop 15, we need to talk to as many voters as possible about why they should vote YES. No experience required, just sign up and you'll be trained and supported at each event. Volunteer for YES on Prop 15: Phonebank - Monday October 5 • 5:00 – 8:00 pm Phonebank - Tuesday October 6 • 1:00 – 4:00 pm Phonebank - Tuesday October 6 • 5:00 – 7:30 pm Phonebank - Thursday October 8 • 5:00 – 8:00 pm More dates found here. Tuesday October 6 • 6:15 – 8:00 pm Intro to SURJ San Francisco Meeting Are you in San Francisco, fed up with racial injustice, and want to do something about it? The San Francisco chapter of SURJ (SURJ San Francisco) invites you to learn more about how you can show up in this moment as an anti-racist ally. Find out about our organizing principles and philosophy and learn how you can plug in to this unprecedented moment in history. A Zoom link will be sent via email after you RSVP. Thursday, October 8 • 1:00 – 2:00 pm Virtual Event - Grounding Our Movements in Disability Justice Ableism forms and informs every systemic oppression that exists. In this SpeakOut virtual event, disability justice educator, activist and attorney Talila "TL" Lewis explores past and present links between racism, classism, (cis)sexism, ableism, and other forms of systemic oppression. Lewis will contextualize and explore the racist-ableist roots of eugenics, white supremacy, enslavement, institutionalization, and incarceration, among other systems, so participants can identify how disability and ableism are implicated in and/or excluded from their work. Tickets sliding scale $5-$25. More info and to register to watch live or later. Saturday, October 10, 17, 24 • 11:00 am – 1:30 pm Racial Justice In Motion Emotions live in our bodies. Join SURJ Marin for a three-session series for SURJ members and allies who want to deepen their personal exploration of racism and allyship through movement. The series will begin by connecting with the body, sensations, and emotions. The second session will explore the personal stories and patterns we hold in our bodies around race. The third session will integrate the work by exploring how to take everything you've learned into the world to create the change you want, maintain a commitment to racial justice, and create balance with the rest of your personal life. Sessions are facilitated by Sylvie Minot. No dance experience is required. Participants are asked to commit to all three sessions. Suggested donation: $5 - $500. Learn more and register here. Tuesday, October 13 • 6:00 – 8:00 pm Youth and Families Call to Action Join the SURJ Youth and Families Committee for a discussion of the urgent need for white families to break white silence and get involved in the movement for racial justice with passion and accountability. In this evening of political education and action, we will deepen our understanding of the harmful impact of incarceration on families and explore ways to take action in the upcoming election and beyond. We will discuss the impact that redistribution of wealth and resources could have on our families, neighborhoods, and education systems. We’ll take collective action around these issues, while empowering ourselves to move into the everyday conversations and ongoing actions needed to create racial justice in America. Please note this event will be capped at 100 people. Zoom link upon registration. Saturday, October 17 and Saturday, October 31 • 11:00 am – 1:00 pm Saturday Virtual Dialogues: Creating a Call-In Culture Join SURJ Bay Area for this recurring virtual discussion to build resiliency and move into a more active role in dismantling white supremacy. We explore how to deeply listen to each other to create a culture that supports calling people into the movement from a place of love. Large group and small group dialogues are grounded in principles related to theories of social change and anti-racist white identity development. This space is open to any white person interested in honest conversation, reflection, and confrontation with race, racism, and white privilege. Topics change each time. Register for October 17. Register for October 31. Thursday, October 22 • 6:45 – 9:00 pm Intro to SURJ Virtual Meeting Are you feeling angry by the continued killings of Black people by the police and vigilantes and want to do something about it? Come learn about SURJ Bay Area and find out how SURJ moves white people to act for justice, with passion and accountability, as part of a multi-racial majority. Hear about our current work and activities including SURJ's pathways for engaging in the work such as Study & Action, committee work, upcoming workshops, and events. We'll answer your questions and share how you can get involved in the movement for racial justice. Register here. October 27 – December 17 • Weekly Meetings • 6:30 – 9:00 pm SURJ Study & Action 6-Week Online Series Are you looking for a learning community to challenge racism? Do you want to learn more so that you can become a resource for your community? Would you like to find out how to take action locally and be accountable? Join us online as we examine white supremacy and resistance movements to build skills to challenge racism and take action in our communities. Through weekly reading and facilitated groups, we study the histories and systems of that which we resist, deepen our understanding of injustice, and learn to take strategic, effective action to dismantle white supremacy and support Black and people of color-led organizations fighting for for racial justice. Study & Action is free, but you must RSVP for your choice of 1 of 3 days (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays). Space is limited, so early signup is recommended. Actions You Can Take This Week! VOTE: SURJ Bay Area 2020 Ballot Proposition Voter Guide – Feeling slightly overwhelmed by the number of propositions on this year's ballot? Are your friends and family asking you how they should vote? This guide offers in-depth info on critical racial justice ballot measures and encourages the following votes:
Put Up a Black Lives Matter Sign – SURJ has Black Lives Matter lawn and window signs and postcards available for easy pickup in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro. These are free but if you want to help cover costs, you can donate here. Grab some for friends and family too! Pickup locations are listed here. LISTEN TO A PODCAST: The Word is Resistance: a SURJ Faith Podcast – For the next several months on the podcast, we’re thinking with you about freedom. We are asking: What does it mean to be free? What does it even take to be free? Is freedom individual or collective? What do we need to be free *from*? What do we need to be free *for*? Listen here and subscribe through your podcast platform. SIGN A PETITION: Justice for Daniel Prude - Recently-released police bodycam footage shows Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old Black man in need of mental health assistance, being murdered by police in Rochester, NY, in March. Color of Change is demanding Rochester DA Sandra Doorley arrest and charge the recently-suspended police officers who murdered Daniel. Trained medical and mental health professionals—not cops—should respond to medical calls. Learn more and sign the petition here. The SURJ Rochester chapter is also asking for support in their efforts to get justice for Daniel Prude. Learn more on their Facebook page and website. National Call to Action for Jacob Blake – On August 23, Jacob Blake was shot by Kenosha, WI, police officers at least seven times at close range—as his three sons watched. The 29-year-old father is now paralyzed from the waist down and doctors do not yet know if the injury is permanent. Sign the petition calling on the Kenosha mayor, district attorney, and Wisconsin attorney general to hold the police officers who shot Jacob Blake accountable. Write and call local and state officials--scripts and contact information are linked here. Donate to the gofundme here. Pressure UPS, Ford, and Humana to support Justice for Breonna – Three companies with large Louisville offices—UPS, Ford Motor Company, and Humana—employ more than 50,000 area residents. Each company's executives have expressed some support for the Black Lives Matter movement, but have stopped short of demanding justice for Breonna. These companies have a lot of power over public life in Louisville. Sign this petition to demand that their executives take a stand and push for the firing, arrest, and charging of the LMPD officers who murdered Breonna Taylor. CREATE CHANGE WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY: Stop Relying on Police: Community Safety for All Toolkit - Sign up to receive the toolkit, designed for faith/spiritual communities and institutions ready to take action to stop relying on police. The toolkit includes a 4-movement model developed to support congregations in moving to action, including assessment tools, political education suggestions, action planning ideas, and support options from SURJ-Faith. SUPPORT LEGISLATION: Phonebank to Defeat Prop 20 - Prop. 20 seeks to embed us more firmly in a culture of punishment. By undoing key aspects of Propositions 47, 57, and Assembly Bill 109 in one sweep, Prop. 20 would erase much of California’s recent criminal justice reform progress by increasing already overcrowded prison and jail populations, increasing taxpayer spending on carceral budgets by hundreds of millions of dollars, and stealing vital funding from community systems of care, prevention, and rehabilitation—programs that actually keep people safe. We are ready to make calls to voters all across CA, and are halfway to our goal of recruiting 100 phonebankers. If you would like to join in these efforts, sign up to attend a training using this link. Advocate for the End of Life Without Parole Sentencing - SURJ Bay Area is a part of the Drop LWOP (Life Without Parole) Coalition which is working to end special circumstances sentencing and towards ending death by incarceration. This Fall, we're gearing up to educate our legislators and the public on a specific form of LWOP sentencing called felony murder special circumstances. Join us to attend virtual meetings between constituents and legislators by filling out this form. Support the BREATHE Act on Social Media – The Movement for Black Lives and allies nationwide have introduced a visionary bill, the BREATHE Act, which will divest our taxpayer dollars from brutal, discriminatory policing and invest in a new vision of safety and justice—a vision that allows all people to thrive and be represented and free. Publicly support the BREATHE Act today by posting on your social media platforms. You can find examples and graphics in this toolkit. DONATE: Make a split gift today to SURJ and the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression - The family of Breonna Taylor and other Black women are leading powerful organizing on the ground in Louisville. Your gift will support front line organizers and the work of SURJ in growing an ever broader base of white people taking action for racial justice alongside them. Support Rematriation by Paying Your Shuumi Land Tax – As the stolen lands around us smolder, the urgency of rematriation—returning Indigenous land to Indigenous people—cannot be understated. Our partners at Sogorea Te’ Land Trust are healing and transforming legacies of colonization, genocide, and patriarchy through vital practices of rematriation, cultural revitalization, and land restoration. Visit their beautiful new website to learn more—and support their essential work by paying your Shuumi Land Tax today. Support Individuals Impacted by Wildfires and COVID-19 – UndocuFund was launched by a coalition of immigrant service providers and advocates to provide direct assistance to undocumented victims of the Northern California fires. Donate today to help assist those impacted by the LNU Complex fires and by COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders in Sonoma County. Support SURJ – Do you work in a major corporation or know someone who does? Many big companies participate in the Benevity giving program. Employees can donate to SURJ Bay Area and the company will match the donation. Call in your friends and colleagues to show up for racial justice by donating to SURJ Bay Area through Benevity and DOUBLING the amount of the donation! 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 Comments are closed.
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