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Actions for Racial Justice

Ways to get involved with racial justice organizing:

Get Involved

Housing Justice

MON 7/23, 6:30pm, CLVU & Boston DSA - The Housing Crisis and Socialism

Join the Boston DSA Housing Working Group and City Life/Vida Urbana to talk about the housing crisis, socialist understandings of housing, and tenant organizing! Both DSA members and CLVU members and organizers will present on housing issues and how to organize around them, with a discussion and Q&A to follow. The event will be held at CLVU headquarters at 284 Amory St in JP in the Brewery Complex (go in main entrance, take elevator up to 1st floor.) FB event here.

THURS 7/26 7pm, Backyard City Life/Vida Urbana Celebration & Fundraiser

Please join members of RISE (Roslindale is for Everyone) Housing Justice Working Group for a backyard celebration and fundraiser in honor of City Life/Vida Urbana’s 45th Anniversary! More info here.

DONATE: Sponsor Boston Delegation to Homes for All Assembly - #RenterPower!

This week, from July 18-22nd, a fierce, committed group of organizers and residents committed to housing justice in their communities are together in Atlanta at the Homes for All National Member Assembly to build #Renterpower! 24 members from eight Boston-based grassroots organizations participated in the Assembly, which aims to build national unity around a 10-year organizing strategy for a vision of housing justice. Donate now to support expenses for Boston-area organizations to send members to the Assembly and help build #Renterpower in Boston when they return! Read more and donate here.

SIGN THE PETITION: Support elderly women renters at Our Lady’s Guild House

Our Lady’s Guild House (OLGH) has operated in the Fenway for more than 60 years as a residence providing affordable housing for women of all ages and income levels. Rents at OLGH have rapidly risen since 2012 to the point that dozens of disabled, older, and low-income women have already been pushed out to make way for short-term residences and AirBNBs aimed at students and young professionals. This tax-exempt charitable organization is engaging in blatant age discrimination and causing unnecessary displacement. Please show that you support these women’s right to remain in their homes by signing here.

Immigration Justice and Anti-Islamophobia

We Won't Be Complicit
Monday, July 23, 5:30 PM
Colleges and corporations in the Boston area benefit from multimillion dollar contracts with ICE and #WeWontBeComplicit. The efforts to unmask them and demand change continue. We will not stop exposing, educating and resisting. Please donate here to support this action to cover costs (sound system, bail fund, etc.): https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bostonaction

Mourning Our Legislators' Moral Failure & Demanding Action
Tuesday, July 24, 12:00 PM
Join us to lament our legislators' lack of action and moral courage in failing to protect immigrant families in MA. We will observe a moment of silence, mourning for the lack of leadership and compassion towards other human beings. We will be inspired by our faith leaders and will deliver black ribbons to our legislators to decry their lack of support and compassion. We will demand action before the end of the legislative session July 31.

March on NEU - Abolish ICE
Tuesday, July 31, 5:30 PM
Northeastern University has received $2.7 million from an ongoing research contract with ICE. The agency is also listed as an employer for Northeastern’s student co-op program. The university benefits from and provides services to ICE, making them complicit in the agency’s criminalization and dehumanization of the immigrant community. Join us as we march on Northeastern University to demand that they end their multi-million dollar contract and student co-op program with ICE. This event is part of Cosecha's Abolish ICE National Day of Action (National Facebook event here).

Beyond Bond & Legal Defense Fund
More than 1,000 people are held by ICE every year in South Bay House of Correction in Boston. Some are from our local communities, others are sent to South Bay from the border and have no family or friends in Boston, but everyone in ICE jail is cut off from community support, legal recourse, and basic human rights. The new fund bonds our neighbors out of detention so they can be reunited with their families and have a chance to fight deportation. Please help us raise $100,000 over the next two months. Organized by the Boston Immigrant Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN, pronounced "Beyond"). Click here to donate and for more information.

Political Education Webinar
Wednesday, August 8, 8:00 PM
SURJ National is hosting a political education webinar on "The Alt-Right and Immigration." Click here to register.

Centro Presente needs volunteers
Centro Presente needs volunteer ESL and Citizenship teachers. Email Meredith Gamble at mgamble@cpresente.org to get involved!

Boston Immigrant Justice Accompaniment Network
Support those caught up in the harm of our racist immigration system. Sign up here.
Please join us in taking action by ensuring members of our communities have the resources they need to fight their deportations and stay connected to their families (click here to donate and circulate).

Black Lives Matter

BLM Boston Giving Campaign
BLM Boston is in need of funds to assist real folks (3 families) who have emergency needs and are displaced right now. "We can help them into permanent housing but need your help. Our need is $3,675.00 (total to help these 3 families)." PAYPAL for donations is m4blmboston@gmail.com. For longer range, recurring support join Campaign21 which moves us from emergency, crises driven giving to solidarity sustained giving.

BLM Boston live on Insight Radio
Every week on Thursday at 7pm, Black Lives Matter Boston hosts a radio show featuring members of the black community in Boston who are doing amazing things. Website

Standout for Black Lives Matter by Dorchester People for Peace
Thursday, July 26, 5:30 PM, Ashmont T station
Spread the Word!  All are welcome! Hold our banner and Black Lives Matter signs and hand out fliers.

Prison Abolition

Pack the Court for Derrick Washington
***Another change of date: the trial will now start Monday, July 30th, starting at 8:30am every morning and running til around 1pm. The trial might last the whole week. Come for however much you can!

Derrick Washington has waited 10 years for his day in court after being tortured by guards -- find more information here. We will show up to support him! We need people the week of July 30, let us know which days you can make it. RSVP as part of SURJB here.

Court Watch
We're looking for court watchers who want to challenge culture of white supremacy and punishment in our courts. Court Watch MA is a collective effort led by Families for Justice as Healing, ACLU, National Lawyers Guild, Massachusetts Bail Fund, and MA Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Register for a training & find information here.

Support for Hunger Strikers
Families For Freedom has been in contact with several immigrant prisoners housed at Bristol County House of Corrections, where a major hunger strike involving over 60 immigrant detainees has been underway. The hunger strikers are resisting deplorable conditions including nearly nonexistent medical care, inedible food, abuse from facility employees, and exorbitant commissary prices. Their central demands are: (1) Adequate medical care; (2) Food with nutrition; and (3) Lower commissary and phone rates.
The strikers at Bristol County have asked for the public to provide support by calling in to the facility and the ICE field office and demanding that the strikers’ concerns are met:
Bristol County Detention Facility: 508-995-6400
ICE Field Office Directors Thomas Brophy and James Rutherford: 781-359-7500

Stop CMR483: Keep Families/Friends in Touch With Incarcerated Loved Ones
The Massachusetts DOC has implemented a new regulation limiting the number of visitors and only if they are on a pre-approved visitor list. Sign the Petition Against Visitation Rights Restraints.

Black & Pink Volunteer Drop In
Times are drop in/drop out, so come for as long or little as you'd like. You will need a laptop. Come read prisoners' letters, learn about their struggles, and help out the Black and Pink family!

Public Education


Petition to demand PILOT Payments
A petition calling for our mayor and city councilors to demand our institutional neighbors contribute to the future of ours schools and community. Institutions such as Harvard, Northeastern, BC, BU which together neglected to pay $36 million in PILOT payments and continue to underpay. Sign the petition by clicking here!

Community Change Inc.

SURJ Boston is a program of Community Change Inc, a Boston-based organization shining a spotlight on the roots of racism in white culture with the intention of dealing with racism at its source.

Educate Yourself

Anti-Racism Collaborative

  • Confronting Systemic Racism and Systematic Racism & The Legacy of Education courses can be found on ARC's website

Knapsack Anti-Racism Group

Join Knapsack for more information

White People Challenging Racism

  • Moving From Talk to Action: Find classes and Sign up on the WPCR website

See our full calendar of events

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