SURJ Boston

SURJ Fundraiser for CCI

SURJ Boston Winter Fair & Bakeoff to Support CCI
Saturday December 7, 3PM - 5:30PM
The Democracy Center, 45 Mt Auburn St., Cambridge

Join SURJ Boston for our Winter Fair Fundraiser for Community Change Inc.! Come in out of the cold for fun activities & games, warm beverages, good company, and, best of all, the highly competitive SURJ Bakeoff! You'll have the opportunity to sample lots of delicious baked goods, and maybe even bring some home. Kid-friendly activities will be provided. Tickets are sliding scale $5-$20. Kids 12 and under free. Learn more and get tickets.

Can't make it but want to support? Donate to the fundraiser for CCI. CCI is our local parent organization which has organized white people against white supremacy since 1968.

Public Education

FEEL THE THRILL! SIGN THE BILL!

Monday November 25, 3:30-4:30 PM
Join public education advocates on the State House steps to urge Governor Baker to sign the Student Opportunity Act! There will be a fun-spirited "Feel the thrill, Sign the bill" Thriller Flash Mob and rally. Join the dance by practicing over the weekend with the video or show up as a supporter.

Immigration Justice

SAFE COMMUNITIES ACT LEGISLATIVE HEARING

Monday December 2. 9AM - 5 PM
Gardner Auditorium, Massachusetts State House

The Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security will hold a day-long hearing on the Safe Communities Act in the largest room in the State House. Please use the RSVP link to help us plan and organize--and if you can't come, consider supporting our mobilization by calling your legislators, spreading the word, and contributing to our mobilization fund.

BIJAN/BEYOND HOLIDAY PARTY

Saturday December 7, 5PM - 8PM
Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry, 10 Putnam St., Roxbury.

In place of our standard quarterly General Meeting this season, the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN/Beyond) is thrilled to be hosting a community holiday party! Whether you're brand new to BIJAN/Beyond or have been involved for all two years, come by to celebrate and build with us! We will also be sharing more general information on how to plug into our work if you are new or would like to get more involved.

SIM DACA Renewal Fund
The SIM DACA fund is being created to provide economic support to DACA recipients in MA. Applicants have to pay $495 in fees for their renewal application. Many members of our community, including DACA folks, live paycheck to paycheck and often are not able to pay for the application fees. We are asking our community to help the DACA recipients here in MA who are part of our community with any monetary support for their DACA renewal application.

Prison Abolition

Mass POWER Wrap Up and Thank You

Thank YOU to all the volunteers who stepped up for dignity and power for prisoners in the last two months. Statewide, the estimated count is 20,000 signatures. While this is not the 80,239 needed to pass the initiative, it surpassed expectations, and SURJB’s network gathered approximately 3,000 of those signatures! Every signature is a statement of love for someone behind bars.

Next steps:

• Read this thank you message from Derrick Washington at Souza Baranowski, content notice: self harm description.

• Sign Up for Mass POWER’s webinar Monday, 11/25 at 7pm

SIGN UP TO BE A MEAL CAPTAIN FOR FJAH PARTICIPATORY DEFENSE!

Looking to feed the movement? Families for Justice As Healing is asking allies to provide meals to support their participatory defense meetings, where people fighting cases get together to plan their legal defenses and find community support. These meetings are based on the model of Mothers in Charge, a Black woman-led organization in PA.

SURJB is seeking meal captains who would:

• coordinate a meal happening every 2 months (doesn't mean you DO everything, but you make sure everything HAPPENS)
• get groceries, cook for 20-25, deliver to FJAH in Roxbury

Interested? Fill out the form and if you have questions email Ray at rachelbish91@gmail.com.

Donate Retired Cellphones!

Our friend Jude Glaubman is collecting retired cell phones for women leaving incarceration. If you have phones in usable condition to donate, get in touch with Jude at jglaubman@thecouncil.us.

BLACK & PINK VOLUNTEER DROP IN

Black and Pink’s mission is to abolish the criminal punishment system and to liberate LGBTQ+/HIV+ people 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 chatting. Formerly incarcerated and court involved people especially encouraged to attend. Cis, straight and/or free world allies are welcome!

• 1st/3rd 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.

Housing Justice

BOSTON PEOPLE'S PLAN ASSEMBLY: BUILD A PLAN TO END DISPLACEMENT

Saturday, December 7th. 10 AM-2 PM. Location TBD. Time subject to change.
Stay tuned for opportunities to support real solutions to Boston's displacement crisis led by the people most impacted.

TAKE THE RENT CONTROL PLEDGE - WE CAN BRING RENT CONTROL BACK TO BOSTON!

• Communities of color, immigrants, working families - we all deserve affordable, healthy housing.
• Renters, homeowners, and small landlords across the country are rising up and winning rent regulation.
• In Boston, real estate giants and their friends at the state house banned rent control 25 years ago. Rents - and property taxes - have spiraled out of control ever since, pushing families and whole communities out of our city.
• We need to place limits on big corporate greed in order to protect our neighborhoods.
• Sign the pledge here.