Weekly Newsletter - September 23, 2019

Monday, September 23 • 7:00 – 9:00 pm
An Evening with Land & Water Protectors
Climate Justice SF and Intertribal Friendship House invite you to hear firsthand accounts of Indigenous-led resistance to pipelines. Three of the most effective organizers on Turtle Island – Anne White Hat, Cherri Foytlin, and Mark Tilsen – will talk about about ongoing work against Energy Transfer Partners, community resiliency in the Gulf South, and visions and plans for how to fight back. The event will also feature Mutual Aid Media’s film “L’eau Est La Vie: From Standing Rock to the Swamp.” The event is free but donations for the speakers are appreciated.
Location: Intertribal Friendship House, 523 International Blvd. Oakland

Wednesday, September 25 • 5:00 – 6:30 pm
SURJ National Webinar: 10 Years of Racial Justice
Join National SURJ  for a webinar marking SURJ's 10 year anniversary. Patrisse Cullors, Makani Themba, Carla Wallace, and Pam McMichael will discuss the past, present, and future of SURJ as it relates to the broader movement for racial, economic, social, and environmental justice. Pam McMichael and Carla Wallace are long-time movement organizers and co-founders of SURJ. Patrisse Cullors and Makani Themba are revered movement leaders who will share their perspective of how SURJ's work fits in a broader context and what is needed moving forward. All welcome! Register today.
Location: Online webinar

Wednesday, September 25 • 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Initiate Justice Bay Area Mail Night
Come out to the next Initiate Justice Mail Night to help respond to mail from their incarcerated members who have questions regarding recently passed legislation, their current policy work, and more. This event is open to everyone and dinner will be be served. Please bring a laptop if you can. Initiate Justice works to end mass incarceration by activating the power of the people it directly impacts, organizing both inside and outside of prisons, and working to change criminal justice policy in California. Support Initiate Justice on their 3rd anniversary here.
Location: Urban Strategies Council, 1720 Broadway 2nd floor, Oakland

Saturday, September 28 • 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Stop Massacres in Haiti! Stand with Lasalin!
Join Haiti Action Committee and the National Lawyers Guild SF-Bay Area for the release of a new report, The Lasalin Massacre and the Human Rights Crisis in Haiti. The event kicks off a week of action to support the call by Haiti’s grassroots movement to terminate the presidency of US-imposed kleptocrat Jovenel Moise. The event also commemorates the 1991 coup against the democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, as well as the September 11, 1988 massacre at Father Aristide's church, located in Lasalin, a Port-au-Prince neighborhood with a centuries-long history of resistance to enslavement and empire. Donations $10 - 20. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Location: Eastside Arts Alliance, 2277 International Blvd., Oakland

October 3 • 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Community Town Hall on Policing and Military Equipment
Many communities are concerned about police departments’ acquisition and deployment of military-grade equipment in events ranging from public protests to parades and service of drug warrants. In Oakland, the use of grenade-like projectiles, armored vehicles, and military-grade assault weapons by OPD officers has resulted in harm to residents, controversy, and costly lawsuits. Come out to this event to hear those most impacted by this military equipment, learn about a proposed Oakland ordinance, and share what you want from OPD and the City.
Location: First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison St. Oakland

Saturday, October 5 • 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
SURJ Workshop – What White People Don't See: Applying the Lens of Privilege
You believe in making a difference, but when it comes to racial justice, are your actions aligned with your beliefs? The work begins with looking in the mirror. Without intentional learning and reflection, white people may uphold beliefs and systems that perpetuate injustice. Join SURJ for an intimate and interactive workshop in which we will unpack how whiteness has shaped our lives and discuss how white people who care can take action for racial justice. Sliding Scale $15 - $65. No one turned away for lack of funds. Space is limited so pre-registration is required. Learn more and get tickets.
Location: Movement Strategy Center, 436 14th Street, Suite 500, Oakland

Saturday, October 5 • 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Human Billboard - Get Loud About Closing The Camps
Join SURJ San Francisco in a human billboard demanding justice for immigrants and to close the camps. Bring your own signs or help make them at an art build earlier in the day, at 10:00 am, 1270 Sanchez St., San Francisco (more info here), from where folks will be traveling to the Ferry Building together. Or meet up in front of the Ferry Building.
Location: Ferry Building, San Francisco

Wednesday, October 9 • 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 will 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. There will also be a speaker from one of our partner organizations, Initiate Justice, that's 100% led by people impacted by mass incarceration. The group works to end mass incarceration and change California's criminal justice policy. Register today!
Location: Movement Strategy Center, 436 14th Street, Suite 500, Oakland

Support Abundant Beginnings!
SURJ Bay Area partner organization Abundant Beginnings needs our financial support to continue their programs and to eventually purchase land. Please donate and/or share their donation page widely with the greater community. Abundant Beginnings is a community education and empowerment initiative that is re-imagining how communities can grow learners who think critically, live responsibly, and create meaningful change. They center the needs of those who are currently marginalized from meaningful educational experiences, with emphases on students of color, gender expansive and queer students, and differently-abled learners. Check out this adorable video and then donate HERE.

Read the Latest SURJ Blog Post
Read a SURJ Bay Area member Mickey Luckey's summary of a Symposium on 400 Years of Resistance to Slavery and Injustice. The powerful event, which was held at UC Berkeley at the end of August, was filled with many memorable stories shared by an impressive group of Black scholars and performers to commemorate 400 years of resistance to slavery and injustice.

Support ACA 6 and Voting Rights for Formally Incarcerated Californians
Nearly 50,000 California voters are barred from voting every year because they are on parole. ACA 6 would restore voting rights to these individuals. If the bill passes the California Senate, it will be on the 2020 ballot. Democracy needs everyone, including people on parole who are reentering our communities. You can show your support for ACA 6 by signing this petition and sharing it with family and friends.

Support Eric Garner's Family and those fighting for police accountability in NYC
While the the firing of Officer Daniel Pantaleo, the NYPD cop who killed Eric Garner in July 2014, is a small victory for the Garner family and those working to hold NYPD accountable, there is still much work to be done. You can help by reading and signing this letter of support for Ramsey Orta, the person who filmed the incident and has been imprisoned since 2016; calling Mayor de Blasio (212-639-9675) and demanding that all officers involved in misconduct and the ensuing cover-up be fired; making a donation to Justice Committee and/or Communities United for Police Reform who will continue supporting the Garner family and demanding transparency; reporting the Pantaleo GoFundMe to support Pantaleo post-firing by calling GoFundMe and/orsigning Color of Change's petition.

Fire LAPD Officers Lee and Robles for the Murder of Grechario Mack
Sign and share the petition to fire the Los Angeles police officers who murdered 30-year-old Grechario Mack, father of two daughters. On April 10, 2018, Mack was in the midst of a mental health challenge inside the the Crenshaw-Baldwin Hills Mall when LAPD Officers Ryan Lee and Martin Robles shot him and then stood over him – he was still alive – and fired two more rounds into his body, killing him. Black Lives Matter Los Angeles is calling on LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore to fire the two police. Learn more about the case and sign the petition here.

Support Central Maine SURJ's Know Your Rights Working Group
Central Maine SURJ has started a new Know Your Rights working group focusing on getting Know Your Rights education in the community. Their first training, in partnership with Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, drew a record turnout of 40 people. Translations in French, Portuguese, Somali, Lingala, and Swahili were provided given that many refugees and asylum seekers there are from African countries. Central Maine SURJ is raising funds to support their efforts. Learn more about their plans and make a donation here.

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