The vision, the mission, and the work of SURJ
OUR VISION — We envision a society where we struggle together with love, for justice, human dignity, and a sustainable world.
OUR MISSION — 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.
OUR FOCUS — The Bay Area chapter of SURJ is rooted in the need for racial justice. We come together to advance and uplift the transformative work of our Black, Indigenous, and people of color partner organizations. In concert with our partners, our chapter work focuses on these areas: the prison industrial complex, immigration, police and state terror, and displacement caused by gentrification.
JOIN US — There are many ways to get engaged with our chapter - the first step is to let us know you're interested. You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter and check out Events for upcoming workshops, educational sessions, and actions. Email us for more information at [email protected].
OUR MISSION — 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.
OUR FOCUS — The Bay Area chapter of SURJ is rooted in the need for racial justice. We come together to advance and uplift the transformative work of our Black, Indigenous, and people of color partner organizations. In concert with our partners, our chapter work focuses on these areas: the prison industrial complex, immigration, police and state terror, and displacement caused by gentrification.
JOIN US — There are many ways to get engaged with our chapter - the first step is to let us know you're interested. You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter and check out Events for upcoming workshops, educational sessions, and actions. Email us for more information at [email protected].
SURJ VALUES AND PRINCIPLES
Calling people in, not calling people out
Our focus is on working with white people who are already in motion. While in many activist circles there can be a culture of shame and blame, we want to bring as many white people into taking action for racial justice as possible.
Take risks, make mistakes, learn, and keep going
We know that we will have to take risks. Every day, People of Color (POC) take risks in living their lives with full dignity and right now we are in a moment where young Black people are taking risks every day. We challenge ourselves and other White people to take risks as well, to stand up against a racist system, actions and structures every day. We know that in that process, we will make mistakes. Our goal is to learn from those mistakes and keep showing up again and again for what is right and for racial justice.
Organize out of mutual interest
We use the term mutual interest to help us move from the idea of helping others, or just thinking about what is good for us, to understanding that our own liberation as white people, our own humanity, is inextricably linked to racial justice. Mutual interest means we cannot overcome the challenges we face unless we work for racial justice. It means our own freedom is bound up in the freedom of people of color. For Anne & Carl Braden, it was mutual interest that caused them to de-segregate an all-white neighborhood in Louisville Kentucky in 1954. It was a belief in what was right and the idea of showing up again and again for justice.
Accountability through collective action
There can be an impulse for White people to try to get it right- to have the right analysis, language, friends, etc. What SURJ was called upon to do at our founding in 2009 was to take action- to show up when there are racist attacks, when the police attack and murder POC in the street, their homes, our communities, in challenging structural racism, immigrant oppression and indigenous struggles. We maintain ongoing relationships, individually and organizationally with leaders and organizations led by POC. We also know it is our work to organize other White people and we are committed to moving more White people for collective action. We can’t re-build the world we want alone- we must build powerful, loving movements of millions taking action for racial justice.
There is Enough for everyone
One of the things that dominant white culture teaches us is to feel isolation and scarcity in everything we do. SURJ believes that there is enough for all of us, but it is unequally distributed and structurally contained to keep resources scarce. We can fight the idea and the structures that limit and control global capital by creating a different world together. We believe that part of our role as white people is to raise resources to support POC-led efforts AND to engage more white people in racial justice. Together we can make the world we want and need.
Growing is good
Sometimes we get afraid that if we bring in new people who do not talk our talk or “do it right” it will mess up what we are building. But, if we don’t bring in new people, our work cannot grow. And if our work doesn’t grow, we can’t bring the numbers of white people needed to undermine white supremacy and join POC-led efforts for fundamental change.
Center Class
We reject the harmful stereotypes and the analysis that poor and working-class white people are responsible for racism. Poor and working-class POC and white people have been at the front lines of anti-racist struggles for generations. SURJ is committed to supporting the leadership of and organizing in poor and working-class communities. We need people of all class backgrounds in this work.
Our focus is on working with white people who are already in motion. While in many activist circles there can be a culture of shame and blame, we want to bring as many white people into taking action for racial justice as possible.
Take risks, make mistakes, learn, and keep going
We know that we will have to take risks. Every day, People of Color (POC) take risks in living their lives with full dignity and right now we are in a moment where young Black people are taking risks every day. We challenge ourselves and other White people to take risks as well, to stand up against a racist system, actions and structures every day. We know that in that process, we will make mistakes. Our goal is to learn from those mistakes and keep showing up again and again for what is right and for racial justice.
Organize out of mutual interest
We use the term mutual interest to help us move from the idea of helping others, or just thinking about what is good for us, to understanding that our own liberation as white people, our own humanity, is inextricably linked to racial justice. Mutual interest means we cannot overcome the challenges we face unless we work for racial justice. It means our own freedom is bound up in the freedom of people of color. For Anne & Carl Braden, it was mutual interest that caused them to de-segregate an all-white neighborhood in Louisville Kentucky in 1954. It was a belief in what was right and the idea of showing up again and again for justice.
Accountability through collective action
There can be an impulse for White people to try to get it right- to have the right analysis, language, friends, etc. What SURJ was called upon to do at our founding in 2009 was to take action- to show up when there are racist attacks, when the police attack and murder POC in the street, their homes, our communities, in challenging structural racism, immigrant oppression and indigenous struggles. We maintain ongoing relationships, individually and organizationally with leaders and organizations led by POC. We also know it is our work to organize other White people and we are committed to moving more White people for collective action. We can’t re-build the world we want alone- we must build powerful, loving movements of millions taking action for racial justice.
There is Enough for everyone
One of the things that dominant white culture teaches us is to feel isolation and scarcity in everything we do. SURJ believes that there is enough for all of us, but it is unequally distributed and structurally contained to keep resources scarce. We can fight the idea and the structures that limit and control global capital by creating a different world together. We believe that part of our role as white people is to raise resources to support POC-led efforts AND to engage more white people in racial justice. Together we can make the world we want and need.
Growing is good
Sometimes we get afraid that if we bring in new people who do not talk our talk or “do it right” it will mess up what we are building. But, if we don’t bring in new people, our work cannot grow. And if our work doesn’t grow, we can’t bring the numbers of white people needed to undermine white supremacy and join POC-led efforts for fundamental change.
Center Class
We reject the harmful stereotypes and the analysis that poor and working-class white people are responsible for racism. Poor and working-class POC and white people have been at the front lines of anti-racist struggles for generations. SURJ is committed to supporting the leadership of and organizing in poor and working-class communities. We need people of all class backgrounds in this work.