SURJ Boston

Take Action Together

⭐☎️ 📋 ✊ ACTION HOURS

Every Wednesday 12 to 1 PM
Want to host your own?

• Trainings the last Wed of the month 1-1:30pm! (just stay logged in)

Register here for action hours and invite friends to action hours on Facebook. Now with extended dates through December!

Overwhelmed by the number of actions you see each week? SURJB Active Members guide participants through calls, emails, petitions, fundraisers and more as we build the movement for racial justice! We provide more context on the calls to action and insight on how our actions help to advance the struggles we are working on.

Training Ourselves and Supporting our Partners

💵 SURJ Boston Relational Uprising Training and Partners Fundraiser

This year SURJB has a cohort of five leaders attending four months of Relational Uprising trainings in an effort to expand upon and deepen our chapter's culture and practice of relationship-based organizing. We are hosting a fundraiser to help cover the costs of the training, and to match what we spend on our own leadership development with investment in BIPOC-led organizations that also work to bring up the next generation of leaders.

Can you help us raise $7,000?

Of that amount, $1,600 will help cover training costs, and $5,400 will be split evenly between Community Change Inc, Sisters Unchained, Student Immigrant Movement, and Dorchester Not For Sale. You can donate here.

SURJ National

☎️ Swing Georgia Left: Voter Outreach Work

Saturday, October 17th, 1:00 - 4:30 PM and every other following Saturday

SURJ National is organizing us to repeatedly call a set of 100,000 white voters in Georgia between now and the November election. These are voters who are not receiving calls from the Democrats or others, and we will be engaging them in deep conversation, with the goal to help them realize their common stake with people of color in making transformative change in our country.

You can sign up for any of the upcoming phone banks on SURJ National's website. You can also sign up to make calls to recruit phone bankers on Thursdays, or support these efforts by making a donation to both SURJ National and the New Georgia Project.

Indigenous Solidarity

⭐PROGRESS: Christopher Columbus Statue To Be Replaced By Italian Immigrant Statue In North End’s Waterfront Park

Thanks to the leadership of Indigenous organizers, the city of Boston has announced that the Columbus statue in the North End’s Waterfront Park will not be put back up after its beheading this summer, and instead will be replaced with a different statue honoring actual Italian immigrants. Thanks to all who signed the petition!

⭐NEWS: Protesters march to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day

Over 300 people turned out for the SINKING COLUMBUS rally and march yesterday! It was a beautiful event. Read Mahtowin Munroe’s post for more detail. For more on the campaign to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day, see these videos for native testimony to Newton City Council and join the Indigenous Peoples Day MA Facebook group.

⭐SUPPORT LOCAL INDIGENOUS ORGANIZING: Donate to UAINE

As Indigenous organizing ramps up in October and November for Indigenous Peoples Day and the National Day of Mourning, and the continued push for the Indigenous legislative agenda, please join SURJ Boston in raising $1000 for the United American Indians of New England (UAINE). Donate at this link and email us at SURJBindigenousSolidarity@googlegroups.com to let us know how much you gave!

⭐️🍎FILM DISCUSSION: THE CONDOR AND THE EAGLE

Friday, October 16, 2020 7-9pm

This award-winning documentary demonstrates the ongoing collective climate awakening and the imperative of urgent change, featuring Indigenous women leaders. Registrants for the film discussion will receive a link to watch the film prior to the event. The virtual event is hosted by the First Church in JP UU, and the panelists for the film discussion are Erika Perez, Mayans without Borders (Guatemala); Jean-Luc Pierite, NAICOB; Sherri Mitchell, Wicuhkemtultine Kinship Community & Learning Center. All proceeds will benefit their organizations. Register here.

☎️ CONTACT YOUR REPS: CHANGE THE STATE FLAG AND SEAL!

The House of Representatives has not yet voted for a review of the racist Massachusetts state flag and seal. Call and email your reps TODAY during this extended legislative session and urge them to vote to change the flag and seal, and to ban Native mascots! Follow the link for an easy way to send messages to your elected officials.

We appreciate and acknowledge that we live (and are guests) on Indigenous land. We want to be mindful and respectful of this, treating the land (and our environment in general) like any place we would be as a guest. To get informed about the land you live on: native-land.ca and usdac.us/nativeland

Confronting White Supremacists

✊ JOIN OUR ANNOUNCEMENT LIST

Join our Confronting White Supremacists Announcement List to hear from us about opportunities to learn more and take action against non-state white supremacists and fascists in New England.

⭐✊KICK FASCISTS OUT OF BOSTON!

Sunday, October 18, 11:30AM-3:00PM
Copley Square

Super Happy Fun America, the same group of white nationalists who brought us a Straight Pride Parade and a series of racist rallies and who have been busy praising Kenosha murderer Kyle Rittenhouse, is planning to be back in Boston again on October 18th. This time, they are rallying against “democrat violence”. Right-wing groups like the Proud Boys and SHFA have been the perpetrators of violence in the past, and this rally is their way of preparing themselves to enact more violence in the coming months. Fascism is no match for a united people -- commit to joining us for this rally organized by Solidarity Against Hate-Boston by completing this form.

🍎✊THE DATA SCIENTIST EXPOSING US WHITE SUPREMACISTS: “THIS IS HOW YOU FIGHT NAZIS”

In this interview with the Guardian, anti-fascist activist Emily Gorcenski explains the basics of modern anti-fascist research work.

🍎 Political Research Associates (PRA) Fall Webinar Series

PRA is a “social justice think tank” doing key research and political education work on the full spectrum of far-right activity and ideology in the US. Their fall webinar series is packed full of learning opportunities.

Read more about each topic and register for webinars here.

• Thurs, 10/15 at 4pm ET - Mobilizing Misogyny in the Service of Authoritarianism
• Thurs, 10/22 at 4pm ET - Christian Zionism: The End Times Agenda in U.S. Domestic and Foreign Policy
• Thurs, 10/29 at 4pm ET - Election Eve: State of Democracy Report

Mutual Aid and Supplies Collection

💵 Alert: Food and Critical Supplies Needed

Our mutual aid partners (Cape Verdean Association of Boston, 12th Baptist Church, and VietAID) continue to remind us that critical supplies like food and sanitary products continue to be in high demand. As this crisis continues and our society adapts to this “new normal” we cannot let our neighbors be forgotten, now is the time to give if you can. Please donate each week if you are able to help our neighbors stay afloat in a crisis that disproportionately affects those already most targeted by racism and white supremacy.

This week we’re asking folks to focus on the following items for 12th Baptist and CVAB:

• Nonperishable foods, particularly ethnically appropriate food (Vietnamese, Chinese, Caribbean, Cape Verdean) - HIGHEST NEED
  
• Diapers
• Toilet paper

For VietAID they are accepting the following donations:

• Oatmeal (boxes of individual packets)
• Mac n’ cheese
• Tuna

We have drop off sites in Allston, Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Jamacia Plain, Roslindale, Roxbury, Somerville, and West Roxbury. Please email surjbmutualaid@gmail.com for more information.

Public Education

🍎 BTU and MassCOSH School Walkthroughs

The Boston Teachers Union and representatives from MassCOSH (Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health) walked through 105 Boston Public School buildings using a safety checklist for COVID-19 readiness; they found that most of the schools toured do not meet the requirements needed to open safely. Read the full report here and read the Boston Teachers Union’s article on the walk through and the results here.

📋 SUSPEND THE ADMISSIONS EXAMS!

Less than 507 signatures left to go! Let's get this over the finish line! The Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA) is asking for folks to sign this petition to ask the BPS School Committee to act swiftly in adopting the recommendation of the BPS Opportunity Gap Task Force and suspend the exam based admissions policy for Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy and the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Sciences, and we further call on the School Committee to direct the BPS to design an alternative selection process that does not use an exam for SY 20-21. The entrance exams are frequently a barrier for black and brown students and with the disruption to the school year due to COVID-19, they are even more problematic.

💵 SUPPORT Unafraid Educators

Please consider donating to the Unafraid Educators COVID-19 Relief Fund for students and families in Boston Public Schools who need financial support during this time. Also, please share the form with those who might need it.

Housing Justice

⭐️✊WEEK OF ACTION: STOP EVICTIONS AND FORECLOSURES!

Last week, community members from around Massachusetts marched, rallied, and phone banked to stop the 100,000 evictions that are coming if the MA government does not pass the Guaranteed Housing Stability Act (H.5018) now. Check out some of the events that were held here. The fight is not over yet!

• Wednesday, 10/14 at 5pm: Join in a march or car caravan to Governor Baker's house in Lynn, MA. Details here.
• Thursday, 10/15 at 10am: Join in a rally at Boston Housing Court. Livestreamers and marshalls needed. Sign up with other SURJ members here.

☎️ CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS: DEMAND HOUSING RELIEF FOR MA RESIDENTS

October 17th is fast approaching! According to housing advocates and agencies, more than 100,000 Massachusetts households can't pay their rent or mortgage and we are headed for a housing "catastrophe". A MA bill stops evictions until October 17, and a new national one till December 31, but those only buy us a few months. The Guaranteed Housing Stability Act (H.4878/S.2831) would:

• prevent evictions for at least another year
• prevent rent hikes
• establish a Housing Stability & Recovery Fund to relieve small owners

Call and email your legislators using this easy tool. Ask them to support the Housing Stability Act H.4878/S.2831. If they’re a co-sponsor, ask them to request that Speaker of the House Robert Deleo and Senate President Karen Spilka schedule an immediate vote.

⭐️ 📋 ALERT: SIGN TO PROTECT ESSENTIAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT!
We are still collecting signatures. The lawsuit has not been dropped. Boston residents-- sign the petition and send an email to demand Monty Gold to drop the lawsuit against the Pine Street Inn's project - one of the largest affordable and supportive housing projects in Boston. Help us reach our goal of 1900 signatures by Monday!

✊ VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: FLYER TENANT ASSOCIATION BUILDINGS

Help City Life/Vida Urbana and SURJ flyer (socially distant) tenant association buildings the last Saturday of the month to provide residents with important information. If you're interested, please sign up using this form.

SIGN UP FOR HOUSING JUSTICE ACTION ALERT LIST

Learn about upcoming events and actions happening in real-time and how to get connected with SURJ B’s Housing Justice group and support the Boston area housing justice movement. Sign up here.

Prison Abolition

⭐️ 📋 ✊ Week of Action: Building Up People Not Prisons

• Building Up People Not Prisons has been building power toward ending the incarceration of women and girls (and everyone) for a WHOLE YEAR!
• So what up?
  • We’re challenging undemocratic processes in the legislature, demanding that they listen to the people most impacted and not just the Sheriffs
  • We’re working to defund the police and move high paying public sector jobs back to Black and brown Boston residents
  • We’re advocating for our loved ones as Middleton Jail, Essex County Jail, MASAC, and MCI Shirley (among others) face new outbreaks of COVID19.
  • We’re supporting Families for Justice as Healing’s incredible work to create people-led processes for budgeting and more.
• ⭐️Check out this column in the Boston Globe about the importance of No Cost Calls! Send a letter to the editor in support! Check out this guide to letter to the editor writing.
• ⭐️Make your calls this week, and especially pass on to your networks outside of Suffolk County, so we can show Sheriffs and Senate Leadership that the people support No Cost Calls!

💵 DONATE TO HELP A YOUNG FATHER

$7000/$9000 needed! Let’s help Jordan during his reentry as he works and supports his family.

💵 DONATE TO HELP KIMYA'S HOUSE

Kimya's House is a re-entry home run by and for formerly incarcerated Black women -- open on time in spite of setbacks from the pandemic.

⭐️📋SIGN THESE PETITIONS TO PROTECT OUR PEOPLE FROM POLICE AND PRISONS!

Support the Families for Justice as Healing demands for the new Boston Police Department contract with the city by signing this petition!

Immigration Justice

⭐🍎💵JOIN COSECHA MA AND LAMPLIGHTER BREWING CO. TO CELEBRATE LOCAL IMMIGRATION JUSTICE ORGANIZERS!

With the extended MA legislative session, Cosecha and others engaged in the fight for dignity for immigrants find ourselves at a point of reflection, celebration, and perseverance. In this combination beer tasting, teach-in, and concert, we’ll hear directly from some of the organizers who have led us this year, in the fight for licenses for all in Massachusetts as well as the coordination and distribution of mutual aid to hundreds of immigrant families across the state. And we’ll fundraise together with a shared goal: to pay these organizers what they deserve!

⭐💵HELP AN ACTIVIST ASYLUM SEEKER IN A TIME OF LOSS

Please give what you an to support Irma, an activist leader who is part of Movimiento Cosecha and the BIJAN community in a time of loss.

🍎Muslim Justice League: Learn more about the #StopCVE/#StopTVTP Campaign with a New Toolkit

The Department of Homeland Security has just announced the grant awards for their 2020 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) program. This program is the latest version of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), a government surveillance program that exploits community need by deputizing social service providers to police the politics, religious practice, and other behaviors of community members. Since its inception, CVE has consistently targeted Muslim communities across the US. Learn more today with this toolkit put together by MJL and the #StopCVE Coalition and share on social media.

💵Quinceañera of Rebellion: SUPPORT SIM

On November 6, Student Immigrant Movement will be virtually celebrating their Quinceañera of Rebellion. Join them to honor the stories of resistance and persistence of undocumented youth. Every week leading up to the gala they will be highlighting a SIMmer! Get your tickets here.

In honor of their 15th anniversary, a donor has stepped forward to match all donations made in September, up to $4,000. Help them reach this donation goal by becoming a Dream Sustainer here.

💵 SUPPORT MASSACHUSETTS JOBS WITH JUSTICE

Massachusetts Jobs with Justice is continuing to celebrate their month of movement-building and movement-giving. Follow them on Facebook to learn more about their ongoing work and campaigns. You can donate or become a monthly sustainer here!

💵 SUPPORT THE BOSTON IMMIGRANT ACCOMPANIMENT NETWORK BEYOND BAIL FUND AND LEGAL DEFENSE

BIJAN is a be part of the National Bail Fund Network, a coalition of abolitionist organizations that raise funds to pay bail for people in pretrial detention and immigration bond for people in ICE detention. These intertwined systems are harmful and racist, disproportionately depriving Black and Brown people of their freedom in a system of mass incarceration that exists to reinforce white supremacy and create profit. We hope that you will continue to support the many important bail and bond funds, including Beyond Bond and Legal Defense!