SURJ Boston

Actions & Updates

April 20, 2019

DONATE: WESTERN MASS SURJ REPARATIONS CAMPAIGN

Western Mass SURJ has been working on a cross-class reparations campaign in close partnership with a multiracial coalition of grassroots organizers. They are collecting reparations payments on behalf of and in coalition with Stickii Quest and ShaeShae Quest, who are Black queer and trans organizers living in Springfield. These payments will go towards the purchase of a house in Springfield in late 2019. Read more about this exciting campaign and DONATE here.

SURJ BOSTON 2019 BUDGET FUNDRAISER

We are now fundraising to cover our 2019 internal expenses (meeting space, accessibility, childcare, etc.). Donations can be made through Network for Good and our parent organization CCI. Be sure to write “SURJ” in the “purpose of donation” box so that funds can be properly attributed to SURJ. Please donate to SURJB out of funds separate from what you would give to POC-led partner organizations and campaigns or CCI; we don't want to take any resources away from these groups!

Prison Abolition

Support Sisters Unchained

Sisters Unchained is a program dedicated to the collective leadership, healing, and creative expression of women and non-gender conforming people of color who are impacted by incarceration. They currently have people on the waiting list for their programs, so give today so they can bring more women and GNC folks into their work!

SUPPORT PARTICIPATORY DEFENSE

SURJB is working to partially fund meals for Families for Justice as Healing's Participatory Defense weekly sessions. At these sessions, court-involved community members work together to defend themselves against the racist court system! Note your donation is for Participatory Defense in the "additional info" line. Ongoing need is $75 per week, and any amount helps! Donate here.

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 LGBTQ/HIV+ prisoners' letters, learn about their struggles, and help out the Black and Pink family!

Saturdays in Lower Allston: from 12 -3pm at Swissbäkers. Contact Eli at eli@newgreyhair.com or Facebook page; wheelchair accessible. Note: this drop in's last day will be May 25.
Wednesdays in JP: 7-9pm at First Baptist Church, 633 Centre Street Jamaica Plain, MA. Contact Annie at annieatwater@gmail.com ; wheelchair accessible.
Sundays in Cambridge: 3-6pm at Democracy Center, 45 Mount Auburn St in Cambridge; partially wheelchair accessible, no accessible bathroom.

Boston Ujima Project

Ujima, Solidarity Economics, & Reparations 101

Workshop - Saturday, May 11, 1-4pm
Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St, Floor 5 in the Blue Room

Ujima is an ecosystem-based approach to community economic development. Our model democratically centers control with Boston’s working class communities and communities of color - those most impacted by and least consulted with about economic development projects in our city. Ujima uses a democratic process to invest in and shift resources toward businesses that meet our collective community standards, as part of a reparations framework of wealth and power redistribution.

Public Ed

May 1: Boston Public school Committee Meeting

6 pm, Bolling Build, 2300 Washington St, Roxbury [Dudley Square]

BPS will vote on the next Superintendent. Come support BPS students, teachers and families.

Fund Our Future Day of Action

Thursday, May 16
Lobby Day: 1-5pm
Rally: 5pm
Massachusetts State House

This is a critical event as the State House has three bills pending to address education funding and ONLY the Promise Act includes funding for low income students. Members of SURJB Public Ed Action Partnership will be there. Look for more info next week on how to find us.

Organize for the Promise Act

Know anyone in Wellesley, Weston, or Wayland that is interested in equity in Public Education?

Please have them contact Tonya Tedesco (tonyatedesco@gmail.com). In conjunction with BEJA & MEJA, we are doing suburban outreach to win support for the Promise Act.

Housing Justice

Canvas with City Life/Vida Urbana!

The Housing Justice group is recruiting volunteers to join City Life/Vida Urbana’s ongoing canvassing work to help City Life learn about what housing issues are happening locally, and spread the word about City Life so people can connect with housing justice organizing work and legal support at City Life's weekly meetings. If you are interested in getting involved with canvassing, email Hannah at hannah.poor143@gmail.com

Immigration Justice

SIM camp

Every year undocumented youth and their allies come together to strategize, learn new trainings, and build community through the Student Immigrant Movement . Volunteers are needed to help with this year’s base building camp on April 26-28. Sign up at http://bit.ly/simcamp2019volunteer

Golden Stairs Immigration Center

Support the GoFundMe campaign of activist attorneys who are building a nonprofit to centralize their pro bono legal services for vulnerable, low-income immigrants and asylum seekers. Their missions is to assist asylum seekers, stop deportations and family separation, and provide access to counsel for non-citizens who would never otherwise be able to afford these vital services.

CALL-IN TO SUPPORT ICE DETAINEES

While February's 70 person strong hunger strike has ended, we must continue the pressure for better conditions at the facility and for all detainees to be immediately released. Please read the full list of grievances sent from the detainees and call Sheriff Tompkins @ (617-704-6655), Suffolk County DA Rollins (617-619-4000), and Governor Baker (617-725-4005) to demand humane conditions and the shutdown of the ICE facility.

Boston Immigrant Justice Accompaniment Network

Join our network of members fighting the injustice of our racist immigration system of detention and deportation through rides, donations, letters, advocacy, home hospitality, and much more.

Join: bit.ly/joinBIJAN | Donate: beyondbondboston.org
Share: bit.ly/BIJANflyer | Host: bit.ly/BIJANhousing

Movement for Black Lives

BLM Boston Campaign 21

BLM Boston regularly works to coordinate financial support for Black women and children fleeing abuse and/or experiencing housing insecurity. Become a monthly donor to BLMB to help them create a pool of resources for urgent needs! PAYPAL for one-time donations is m4blmboston@gmail.com.

Community Change Inc.

SURJ Boston is a project of Community Change Inc (CCI), 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.

Knapsack Anti-Racism Group: Systemic racism now and what can we do

Thursday, April 25, 6:30-8:30, downtown Boston

We are impacted by systemic racism on a daily basis, in many facets of our lives. Before we can work to address it, we need to recognize that it's there. We'll discuss the forms of systemic racism we experience or witness, and we'll share what we know about current efforts to address it. For more details and to RSVP go to http://meetu.ps/e/GBLx1/6nQYs/d. Or email knapsack.group@gmail.com