June 9, 2019
Saturday, June 22, 12 pm-9 pm at Haymarket People’s Fund
42 Seaverns Ave, Boston.
A celebration of organizations doing grassroots organizing in Boston, including:
Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW)
Muslim Justice League
Student Immigrant Movement (SIM)
Families for Justice as Healing (FJAH)
SURJ is committed to raising $2500 to support these organizations. Even if you cannot attend, please help support by donating here! Tickets to the event are $25-100. For more detailed information, the menu, and tickets see the Eventbrite.
Please donate to support the Graham family, who are fighting an unjust eviction to stay in their home. They are organizing with City Life/Vida Urbana, as well as Team Alaska Street, a group of organized neighbors who are supporting them. Their case has gone to court and they have won their most recent motion, but they need financial support for legal fees to continue the fight. Please pitch in to stop displacement of our community members. No one leaves! Please donate here.
Straight pride parade organizers Mark Sahady, John Hugo, and Chris Bartley are known white supremacists who are using "straight pride" as they have used gun rights, "free speech," abortion, immigration and other "culture war" issues to thinly cover for their attempts to build a white supremacist, fascist movement.
Here is more information:
Good summary and rundown, ThinkProgress 2019: https://thinkprogress.org/organizers-behind-boston-straight-pride-parade-neo-nazis-far-right-a3dc225cc7f0
ThinkProgress 2018, background on Resist Marxism of which Sahady is a key organizer and links to attacks in Charlottesville: https://thinkprogress.org/resist-marxism-front-for-far-right-organizing-9bd959325ae1
Antifash Gordon Twitter Thread: https://twitter.com/AntiFashGordon/status/1136283660737482752
SURJ Public Ed's partner BEJA (Boston Education Justice Alliance) is requesting that folks call these reps to support the Promise and the Cherish Act if they live in their district. We need to fund our public schools and colleges by passing these bills this spring – in time for local communities to include the funding in the next academic year’s budget and in time for public college students to avoid tuition and fee hikes this fall. Students can’t afford to wait. More information is here and a phone script for calling is here.
Chyna Tyler of South End/Lower Roxbury
Chynah.Tyler@mahouse.gov (617) 722-2450
Michael Moran of Allston/Brighton/parts of Brookline
Michael.Moran@mahouse.gov (617) 722-2014
Aaron Michlewitz of Back Bay, Downtown Crossing, parts of Chinatown
Aaron.M.Michlewitz@mahouse.gov (617) 722-2990
Liz Miranda of Dorchester, Uphams Corner, Fields Corner
liz.miranda@mahouse.gov (617) 722-2430
*supports the Promise Act (k-12) but not the Cherish Act (higher-ed)
Kevin Honan, parts of Brighton
Kevin.Honan@mahouse.gov (617) 722-2470
*supports the Promise Act (k-12) but not the Cherish Act (higher-ed)
SURJ Public Ed would like to ask folks to show up this upcoming Wednesday June 12th at 5 PM to the final BPS budget vote at the Bruce C. Bolling Muncipal Building, 2300 Washington Street, School Committee Chamber, second floor, Roxbury, MA 02119. Public Ed members will be in attendance.
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.
We continue to urge the Boston Police Department to end its involvement in CVE, including the Youth and Police Initiative Plus (YPIP) program that treats Somali Diaspora youth as potential "extremists." Raise Your Voice: (1) sign the petition at tinyurl.com/StopYPIP and (2) Tweet or post a facebook message -- using #StopYPIP -- if you believe Boston should not treat our communities as national security threats based on religion, race, or where we're from.
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.
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
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.
The first phase of the Clemency Campaign is now until July 31. It's not too late to sign up! We will be mobilizing our communities to send 1 postcard per week asking Governor Baker to release women who:
We are also sending postcards to the parole board since they have decision making power. If you commit to do this PLEASE email Ruckus (enviropacifibinarchafeminist@gmail.com) and Ashley (ashley.tartarilla@gmail.com) so they can keep track.
Are you a quilter? A later phase of the clemency campaign above will need many quilters to support making giant quilt with patches for each women enduring incarceration. If you’re interested, email Ashley (ashley.tartarilla@gmail.com)
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!
Black and Pink’s mission is to abolish the criminal punishment system and to liberate LGBTQIA2S+ people/people living with HIV who are affected by that system, through advocacy, support, and organizing.
These drop ins welcome any kind of abolitionist energy, whether reading and entering mail into the database, writing letters, playing cards, or just chatting. Formerly incarcerated and court involved people especially encouraged to attend. Cis, straight and/or free world allies are welcome!
TOMORROW: Pack the Hearing to demand that Boston's Inclusionary Development Policy create real affordability!
RSVP Here: bit.ly/idp-hearing
Sign the petition: bit.ly/idp-petition
Organizations and residents from across Boston have been working together to create demands for changes to Boston's Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP), which currently mandates developers make 13% of units in new developments affordable at 70% of the Area Median Income. Join us to call for more housing that is truly affordable. Not apartments at 70% AMI and not 13% of units in new developments. We need an IDP that promotes racial & economic justice!
Sunday, June 16 at 12:30 - 2:30 PM at 65 Burroughs St, Jamaica Plain
Boston is in the middle of a displacement crisis. Working class communities of color are being pushed further out of the city, and luxury condos are popping up on every corner. How are residents organizing and fighting back on rising rents and mass evictions? Join the Housing Justice action partnership of SURJ for a potluck brunch and discussion of housing justice work we're part of and supporting. Please bring food to share if you can!
HOMES FOR ALL ASSEMBLY: BUILD A PEOPLE'S PLAN!
Saturday, June 29, 10 am - 4 pm. First Church in Roxbury. 10 Putnam St, Boston
Join local housing justice organizations Right to the City, Keep it 100, Reclaim Roxbury, Boston Tenant Coalition, Dorchester Not for Sale, City Life/Vida Urbana, and Fenway CDC for the Homes for All Assembly! “Tired of neighbors, friends and family getting displaced? Think the rent is too damn high? Tired of widespread luxury development? Then JOIN US for a Boston assembly to build a people's plan!”
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.
Thursday June 27, 2019. 7:00-8:30 pm (Program), 8:30-10:00pm (Music and refreshments). Community Art Center, 119 Windsor St. Cambridge, MA.
Join us as we reflect on the role of white anti-racist activism in 2019. What is the role of white people in fighting for racial justice? How do white people show up?
Myrna Morales will moderate and Patti DeRosa, Paul Marcus, and Fran Smith will speak. This program is co-hosted by CCI and Community Art Center. Cost is $15-$60 sliding scale to cover event costs. RSVP to fran@communityartcenter.org.
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.
CCI Get together: The Watering Hole, July 17, 6-7:30pm
This is a time to be in community with others who are fiercely committed to anti-racism work and the dismantling of white supremacy. We can talk about current events, the work within the community, or just how we are taking care of ourselves during these turbulent times. More details when you RSVP.
Knapsack is a multiracial group hosted by Community Change Inc that is committed to challenging the system of racism in the United States and the world. We engage in dialogue, build community, and support the efforts of racial justice leaders and organizations. We are dedicated to the struggle for shared liberation.
Moving From Talk to Action: Find classes and sign up on the WPCR website
Feeling overwhelmed?
Commit to doing just one thing this week.
We can do this.