Pledge To Resist, then Join Our Work for Immigration Justice!

This is where we are, people. Our work is cut out for us. The good news is, everything we do in this moment matters. Everything. And we all need each other. Everyone. Solidarity matters now more than ever. We need you. And you are here, showing up for racial justice. Thank you! We have three concrete things you can do in the next ten days:

1. Join SURJ NYC’s chapter meeting Thursday, February 6th to learn about the US deportation and detention system. The SURJ NYC Immigration Justice team will share about our work, how you can get involved with us, and ways to plug into other resistance work and education that is happening in NYC and nationally. Let’s make New York City—and all of New York State—a safe and caring place for our immigrant communities.

2. Join us in the streets Saturday, February 1st, at rallies across Manhattan and Brooklyn to demand officials show up for targeted communities and refuse MAGA’s authoritarian agenda. See info below!

3. We are asking every single person reading this to take a moment to read and sign SURJ’s Personal Pledge to Protect & Resist. The growing number of total signers is displayed on this new Pledge To Protect & Resist website. Your contact info will not be shared.

"I PLEDGE to show up to protect the rights, safety and dignity of people in my community and resist Trump’s antidemocratic and immoral agenda consistent with the principles of nonviolence."

Of course, some of us are immigrants ourselves. Many of us are children or descendants of immigrants. Some of us are married to immigrants or have immigrant relatives. Here in New York City, we all have immigrant friends, or neighbors, or coworkers; we worship with them, send our kids to school with them, ride the bus and subway with them. Nearly a quarter of people in our state (23%) and over a third of people in our city (36%) are foreign-born. Immigrants ARE New York: any attack on immigrant New Yorkers is an attack on all of us.

Two of the core values underlying SURJ are that we organize out of mutual interest and are accountable through collective action. The Trump administration’s escalation of attacks on the safety and survival of immigrants—and other directly targeted groups like our trans loved ones—may not harm everyone equally at the outset. But each act of violence foreshadows and creates the pretext for the next; by resisting now, we broadcast our conviction and inspire more people to refuse to obey in the future. 

We know what we need to do and we need everyone to take action for immigration justice and against authoritarianism now. It’s time to stand up and fight back. Sign the Person Pledge now, attend an action this Saturday, then join us at the February 6th chapter meeting with the Immigration Justice working group to learn together and fight for immigrants in New York and across the country! 

February 1st Day of Action

In addition to organizing specifically for immigration justice in this moment and signing the Personal Pledge to Protect & Resist, SURJ members are also organizing actions across the country this Saturday, February 1st. Small local groups in NYC have been meeting since December and are taking action together to demand local officials sign the public Pledge To Protect & Resist. They are excited to invite all of us in SURJ NYC to participate! Actions are planned for Saturday early afternoon in Midtown, Upper Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn and Flatbush: see our calendar to find an action near you!

In Solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Leonard Peltier is going home!

There is so much right now to feel grief and fear and anguish about—wildfires decimating an area in LA nearly the size of Brooklyn, a new president who is a wildfire all his own, a fragile ceasefire coming only after 1 in 50 people in Gaza are dead.

This apocalyptic context made yesterday’s news all the sweeter—after 47 years as a political prisoner of our government, Leonard Peltier is going home. Listen to his reaction to the news.

Leonard is a citizen of the Anishinabe and Dakota/Lakota Nations who was active with the American Indian Movement, a group fighting for the rights of Indigenous peoples and protesting police violence. After the death of two FBI agents in 1975, he was unjustly sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, but Indigenous leaders have always maintained that the case was full of discrepancies and Leonard was wrongfully convicted. Amnesty International considered him a political prisoner, and Tribal Nations, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, the 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, various Nobel Peace Laureates, former FBI agents, and even the former U.S. Attorney, James Reynolds, whose office handled the prosecution, have all called for his release.

Throughout his time in prison, Leonard has written many public statements. For this past National Day of Mourning, he wrote: “We. Will. Endure. They cannot take the sacred fire we carry. … Perhaps they hate us because we exist within the forces of Nature. They have no dominion over the wind."

Over the last few weeks, our members have joined the call for Peltier’s release, demanding that former president Biden grant him clemency. It is an honor to be a small part of this victory, and to stand beside five decades of Indigenous and allied organizers who made it possible to bring Leonard home. “While home confinement is not complete freedom, we will honor him by bringing him back to his homelands to live out the rest of his days surrounded by loved ones, healing, and reconnecting with his land and culture,” said Nick Tilsen, NDN Collective Founder and CEO.

To hear more from Leonard and other Indigenous organizers, register for this zoom webinar on Saturday, January 25th.

Amidst all the chaos and danger we’re facing, we hope this news is the bright spot of hope for you that it is for us. May there be many more victories for Indigenous organizing, and may we all have the honor of contributing to them.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Let’s talk about moving money! Why, how much, and where…

There are so many people and groups with great need, and all of us have some resources to share, but the need is always greater than our ability to give. How do we figure out who to give to and how much? Join us for this ongoing conversation about our class experiences, how we relate to money, and how to develop a personal practice for moving money that supports both our well-being and our solidarity with folks most directly impacted by the violence of white supremacy.

Register here to join us for Part 2 of Moving Money on Thursday, January 16th at 6:30pm where we will reflect on our class experiences and strategies on moving money and how we practice this now and moving forward. You will hear from others about how they move money, and develop your own plan for giving in line with your values.

Our moving money practice continues to shift and change as we learn more and as our life circumstances change. Whether you’ve been committed to regularly moving money to several organizations for years, or are considering a first-time contribution to an organization you are passionate about, we hope to see you there!

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

The Year in SURJ NYC

As we close out 2024, we wanted to share some of the highlights of our work this year. Organizing is work, but it can also be joyful. Some of the actions we took this year include:

• Volunteering at a film screening and fundraiser with the Dignity Not Detention (DND) campaign

• Corresponding with people in immigration detention during a DND letter-writing event

• Joining White Men Against MAGA, as well as other SURJ affiliates, to canvass in Chester County, PA before the November election

• Knocking on doors for Jamaal Bowman with canvassers from SURJ Westchester and SURJ National

• Co-hosting a “Bring Your People” event with SURJ Westchester and SURJ National

• Organizing an in-person SURJ NYC Chapter Meeting in Central Park

• Participating in actions of civil disobedience as part of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)’s Seder in the Streets

• Attending the National Day of Mourning in Plymouth, MA on Thanksgiving

• Celebrating our community by attending the Release Aging People from Prison (RAPP) gala and Justice Committee (JC)’s Justice State of Bind fundraising events (more info below!)

Another important way SURJ NYC supports justice work is to move money to our Accountability Partners and other movement organizations, such as the Justice Committee (JC), the Manna-hatta Fund, Releasing Aging People from Prison (RAPP), New Yorkers for Reparations, and Communities United for Police Reform (CPR).

SURJ NYC moves money together in a few ways! We collect funds for our partners and other movement causes at monthly chapter meetings, in our weekly eblasts, and on social media. SURJ NYC members also raise funds directly for organizations, on our own, and in formation for events like Justice State of Mind and Releasing Aging People from Prison's gala. And, we re-distribute SURJ NYC funds to our partners.

We are proud to report that in 2024, SURJ NYC moved over $155,000 to our Partners!

We hope that you will join us to continue this important work in 2025 and beyond. Happy New Year!

In solidarity, 

SURJ NYC

Immigration Justice events in January

As we well know, 2025 is going to be a crucial year for immigration justice organizing, and members of SURJ NYC are already meeting this moment with care and energy. Over the last few weeks our Immigration Justice Working Group has helped organize multiple events with the Dignity Not Detention campaign, as well as welcoming new SURJ members to our work, while folks across our chapter have been taking part in urgent mass calls and trainings with local and national immigrant rights leaders.

We know now is the time to take action to resist mass deportation, detention, and militarized immigration enforcement, which will destabilize our communities and strain state resources. With movement leaders stressing the need to get our folks in formation before Trump takes office, we invite you to join our Immigration Justice Working Group in traveling to Albany on January 8 for a New Yorkers United Against Mass Deportation Rally and Press Conference.

At this action we will be part of a broad coalition calling on New York State legislators to urgently pass four legislative solutions to protect New Yorkers against the federal government’s mass-deportation agenda. This includes the Dignity Not Detention Act, which would get New York State out of the business of ICE detention, along with other bills addressing issues of policing, legal counsel, and clemency.

Join us to demand action for the protection of all New Yorkers! Sign up here by January 3 to attend the rally (transportation will be provided). Then, fill out this form to let our Immigration Justice Working Group know you are attending, so we can connect you with other folks going from SURJ NYC.

If you can’t make it on January 8, or are ready for further organizing, you can also join our working group’s monthly meeting on January 14 and in-person retreat on January 28. And stay tuned for our February chapter meeting, which will be focused on immigration justice!

In solidarity, 

SURJ NYC

Gear Up to Fight Back Under Trump!

Over the next ten weeks, SURJ National is mounting its largest-ever political education and action training program!

Gear Up: A 10 Week Training Program for White People to Fight Back under Trump is a powerful opportunity to build our skills, community, and power in the lead up to 2025. We have just six weeks to prepare, get in formation, and GEAR UP for action before Trump is inaugurated on January 20th.

This is THE big thing SURJ is doing in the lead up to the next administration to resist Trump’s MAGA agenda and fight for multiracial Democracy, and we are excited SURJ NYC is playing a part. Join us!

How you can participate:

1. Sign up for four National Training Calls, each of which will feature guest speakers of particular expertise to the session’s topic.

2. Choose to participate in EITHER a Local NYC Circle or online in the National Circle. SURJ NYC organizers will try to match participants with local hosts for in-person “Circles”-- groups of 3-10 people who will meet a few times over the course of the next two months to learn together.

The Gear Up program guide has more information and will be updated regularly. Please bookmark it or keep it handy.

If you missed last week’s first National Training Call, “Trump, MAGA, and 77 Million Votes: How did we get here??” with longtime movement leaders and strategists Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson and Linda Burnham, no worries: you can get caught up to Gear Up! See the National Training Calls page of the Gear Up program guide for the recording and slides.

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a huge deal for every organization that relies on donations in order to operate - your inbox is probably flooded right now. If you just need a quick way to move your money to anti-racist organizations this Giving Tuesday, this is that link.

SURJ NYC will be splitting everything we receive through this link over the next week evenly between our partners at Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP), the Mannahatta Fund, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), Justice Committee (JC), the Dignity Not Detention campaign (DND), and SURJ NYC.

Think about what you feel comfortable giving, then double that - maybe it’s a little uncomfortable, but possible? Maybe even doubling that is also ok? We don’t expect anyone to go without the things they need, or to stretch so far that they’re concerned about survival, but for many white people the reality is that we have access to resources beyond what we need.

If thinking critically about your resources and class position is something that makes you uncomfortable, anxious, or is something you simply haven’t done, we invite you to join our chapter meeting this Thursday, December 5, 6:30-8:30pm. This meeting will focus on unpacking our relationships to class and money, which will help prepare us for our January chapter meeting, where we will each figure out who we want to move our money to, and how much we can move.

We look forward to being in community with you as we all work toward aligning our resources with our values.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Thanksgiving Is Coming, Yet Again

It’s been a long few weeks (few months? few years?). We’re all really tired. And still, Thanksgiving is coming. And still, we have a commitment to Indigenous solidarity that comes into extra-sharp focus at this time of year. So we’ve been thinking about how we can honor this commitment both gently and rigorously. (Gently and rigorously feels like a mantra for our times, doesn’t it?)

In our Indigenous solidarity (IS) coordinators meetings, we have a book club. For 15 minutes at the end of our meetings, we talk about a little something we’ve read together. It’s gentle because we only read very small things, and rigorous because we are diligent about carving out time for this study even when we’ve got tons of urgent business to attend to.

A few weeks ago, we read this piece* for book club. It’s behind a paywall and our gift link may not have worked, so we’ll quote it pretty heavily below. If you’ve already read it, feel free to skip past the indented bits. The moral of the story is this:

[T]he actual history of what happened in 1621 bears little resemblance to what most Americans are taught in grade school, historians say.

But the specifics of the history are harrowing:

…the Wampanoag Nation whose people once numbered somewhere between 30,000 to 100,000…who now number about 2,800.

In 1614, before the arrival of the Pilgrims, the English lured a well-known Wampanoag — Tisquantum, who was called Squanto by the English — and 20 other Wampanoag men onto a ship with the intention of selling them into slavery in Malaga, Spain. Squanto spent years trying to get back to his homeland. During his absence, the Wampanoags were nearly wiped out by a mysterious disease…Known as “The Great Dying,” the pandemic lasted three years. By the time Squanto returned home in 1619, two-thirds of his people had been killed by it.

In 1620, the English aboard the Mayflower made their way to Plymouth... The Wampanoags watched as women and children got off the boat. They knew their interactions with the Europeans would be different this time. “You don’t bring your women and children if you’re planning to fight”... The Wampanoags kept tabs on the Pilgrims for months. In their first winter, half died due to cold, starvation and disease.

Ousamequin, often referred to as Massasoit, which is his title and means “great sachem,” faced a nearly impossible situation, historians and educators said. His nation’s population had been ravaged by disease, and he needed to keep peace with the neighboring Narragansetts. He probably reasoned that the better weapons of the English — guns versus his people’s bows and arrows — would make them better allies than enemies.”

In the spring of 1621, he made the first contact. “It wasn’t that he was being kind or friendly, he was in dire straits and being strategic,” said Steven Peters... “We were desperately trying to not become extinct.”

By the fall, the Pilgrims — thanks in large part to the Wampanoags teaching them how to plant beans and squash in a mound with maize around it and use fish remains as fertilizer — had their first harvest of crops. To celebrate its first success as a colony, the Pilgrims had a “harvest feast” that became the basis for what’s now called Thanksgiving. The Wampanoags weren’t invited.

Ousamequin and his men showed up only after the English in their revelry shot off some of their muskets. At the sound of gunfire, the Wampanoags came running, fearing they were headed to war…Told it was a harvest celebration, the Wampanoags joined, bringing five deer to share. 

During book club, all of us were stirred up by learning this specific piece of history. Some of us were angry, some sad, some a more complex kind of upset. But all of us were struck by how we’ve been lied to our entire lives. Even the details of what people ate and wore at “the first Thanksgiving” are total bullshit:

There was likely no Turkey…There was fowl, fish, eel, shellfish and possibly cranberries from the area’s natural bogs.

[S]choolchildren who make construction-paper feathered headdresses every year to portray the Indians at the first Thanksgiving are being taught fiction. The Wampanoags didn’t wear them.

Something about the way that everything we make out of colorful paper as kids is made up is deeply upsetting. The way that what actually happened has been twisted, turned 180 degrees—presented as a meal of mutual care when in fact the Indigenous people offered all the care and got massacred for their trouble—made us all feel really deeply betrayed.

It can feel pretty destabilizing to face the ways that white supremacy has been force-fed to us since we were small children, the way that we’re recruited to the cause of racism and genocide so early and without our consent.

That’s what acting in solidarity with Indigenous people feels like: revoking our consent for white supremacy. Here are three gentle and rigorous ways to revoke your consent for white supremacy this week, in honor of what really happened at “the first Thanksgiving.”

1. Give a monthly donation to the Manna-hatta Fund, which moves money to Indigenous organizing in NYC. It’s gentle because setting up a monthly donation is a set-it-and-forget-it sort of thing. It’s rigorous because when you set it up, you’ll commit to a monthly amount you can really feel.

2. Stream the National Day of Mourning gathering on Thursday at noon. We’ll be there in person, so you may catch us in the crowd. It's gentle because all you have to do is tune in. It’s rigorous because you have to tune in on a holiday instead of turning away.

3. Talk with your family about what they learned about Thanksgiving growing up, what you’re learning now, and how that makes you all feel. It’s a gentle beginning to lifelong conversation we have with our loved ones. There may not be a natural place in the rhythm of your holiday gathering to insert this kind of conversation, but you’ll figure out a way, and that’s the rigor. This resource can help with what to talk about and how.

We hope you’re taking very good care in these tender times.

In gentleness and rigor,

SURJ NYC Indigenous Solidarity Coordinators
Alison, Grace, Katharine, Kristin, Kyle, and Sarah

* Hedgpeth, Dana. “This tribe helped the Pilgrims survive for their first Thanksgiving. They still regret it 400 years later.” The Washington Post, 4 November 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/11/04/thanksgiving-anniversary-wampanoag-indians-pilgrims.

Let's Talk About Money!

Moving money is one important way that white people can advance justice, whether by empowering communities of color or funding movement organizations. But deciding where to give, and how much, can be a challenging and emotional process. Over our next two chapter meetings we will come together to understand our own relationships to money and class and how they inform our decisions about giving money. These important discussions will help us create plans for our giving that align with our values, while also working to resolve feelings, such as anxiety or guilt, that may be rooted in our relationships with class and money. The first meeting will focus on unpacking these relationships, while the second will focus on how we decide about who to give to and how much—so please register for both the December and January meetings.

In the meantime, you can move some money today to support Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP), whose second annual Gala is coming up on December 2nd. Donate to help RAPP celebrate Families on the Frontline: Generations of Resistance. The Gala will honor leaders in the movement and offer tribute to the women, femmes, and nonbinary people of RAPP, whose unwavering dedication sustains communities, builds chosen families, and fuels the ongoing struggle.

There are also many upcoming opportunities to join the SURJ NYC Anti-Mass Incarceration Working Group in canvassing for RAPP. Canvassing takes place at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal (Manhattan side), on Thursday, November 21st; Friday, December 6th; and Monday, December 16th from 6pm-8pm, and is followed by food and conversation. Please join us!

Not Sure What To Do Next? Come To An Orientation!

If you are new to our work, welcome! We’re the New York City chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ). Whether you’re feeling angry or bleak or numb or fired up, we’re so glad to have you with us! The next four years are going to be hard, but the fights for racial justice in New York City need us now more than ever, and we’re ready to fight by your side.

Not sure what to do next? Come to our SURJ NYC Orientation on zoom on Thursday from 6:30pm - 7:30pm. You’ll learn about the work we are doing on issues ranging from policing to housing to immigration, the partners we work with, and how you can get involved. 

Can’t make it on a weeknight? Sign up to get action security trained—we need all the marshals we can get helping keep us safe while we’re in the streets for all of the protests to come.

In the past year we have fought for a city budget that funds our communities not criminalization, participated in civil disobedience to stop the genocide in Gaza, worked alongside our partners in challenging the New York State parole and immigration detention systems, supported the families of people killed by the NYPD, and more. With Trump in office, attacks on our communities and rights are going to escalate and we need each of us to fight back and keep building the future we want.

We’re so glad to have you with us!

SURJ NYC

Whether You’re Ready to Fall Apart or to Fight, Come and Be with Us

When I woke up to the election news this morning, my gut sank into my toes. 

Then, I started texting SURJers. I sent "I'm really glad to be seeing you today" to folks who I have a meeting with this afternoon, and "the fact of how good we take care of each other is a port in the storm today" to my Indigenous solidarity team, and "I'm really glad to be fighting beside you tomorrow" to some of the folks planning our chapter meeting.

Because of this community, this morning I have both the comfort of dozens of people I love and respect, and deep clarity about what to do next. This is my organizing home, and it’s what keeps me going.

If you could use a port in the storm, a place to feel the grief and rage and shock and despair you might be feeling in this moment, come and be with us. If you’re twitching out of your skin, ready to throw down to fight for the world we want right now, come and be with us. 

We’ll be doing both tomorrow night, 6:30-8:30PM, at our November chapter meeting. RSVP here. If you can’t wait that long, join SURJ National’s mass call tonight.

If you can’t make either, sign up for one of the actions below. The fights for racial justice in NYC need us now more than ever, and we’re ready to fight by your side.

There are thousands of people on this email list, and I don’t know most of you. But I am entirely sincere when I say that I am so so grateful to be with y’all this week, fighting for the world we want.

In love and power,

Grace from SURJ NYC

It's Election Day!

Election Day is here. New York City polls are open until 9pm. Find your polling place here and don’t forget to flip your ballot over to vote YES on Prop 1 and NO on Props 2-6!

(Proposal 1 would enshrine reproductive and LGBTQ rights in the New York state constitution. Proposals 2-6 are a dangerous power grab by Eric Adams to weaken checks and balances in NYC’s charter.)

Already voted? Join the SURJ NYC Election Circle in phone banking throughout the day.

No matter the results of the national election, we know there is so much work to do in the fight for racial justice in New York City. Work like this:

After five years of delays, a discipline trial has finally been scheduled for Lt. Jonathan Rivera, who beat, tasered, shot and killed Allan Feliz after illegally detaining him in a traffic stop. Rivera has a long history of misconduct and abuse and this trial will help determine if he is fired.

November 12th, 13th and 15th, we have the opportunity to show up for the family of Allan Feliz and demand accountability for his murder.

We need volunteers to help take notes during the trial, provide lunch for the Feliz family and their supporters, and pack the courtroom and press conferences to show the mayor and the NYPD that New York City is watching. Sign-up here for in person and remote opportunities to support.

Not able to volunteer? Consider making a donation to the campaign.

This is just one of many ways to continue to take action for racial justice and to build the world we want. The conditions may change, but the fight continues.

Onward,

SURJ NYC

Vote No on Props 2-6 (and Canvas with Us)

Did you know that there are six propositions on the back of your ballot? Flip it over and vote YES on Prop 1 and NO on Props 2-6!

Proposal 1 would enshrine reproductive and LGBTQ rights in the New York state constitution. Learn more about the NY Equal Rights Amendment here.

Proposals 2-6 are a dangerous power grab by Eric Adams to weaken checks and balances in NYC’s charter (the equivalent of a constitution for the city). They would give more power to the mayor and make it harder to pass legislation to benefit New Yorkers. They also create unprecedented special rights for the Department of Corrections and NYPD to expand how they avoid transparency and accountability. These proposals are on the ballot after the most rushed and undemocratic charter process in two decades. Learn more about Props 2-6 here. Want to do more? Donate today to help print more materials and expand the reach of paid ads to ensure New Yorkers know about these propositions.

In national election news, last weekend twenty SURJ NYC members and another twenty people from other SURJ chapters and White Men Against MAGA traveled to Chester County, PA to talk to voters. Chester County is a diverse, white-majority area where SURJ was asked to canvass for strategic impact by our partner Seed the Vote. We had a great time speaking with voters and had fun taking action together!

There were many residents who were not planning to vote or were not sure who they’d support: canvassers were able to move them to commit to voting for Harris through empathetic conversations. There were also many Harris supporters who needed help figuring out how to vote. This election is going to be close, and every vote counts. Can you join us to doorknock next weekend? We will be canvassing in Chester County, PA every day from Friday November 1st through Election Day. Sign up here!

Finally, regardless of the outcome of the election, our work continues! Sign up for our November chapter meeting on Thursday November 7th from 6:30-8:30pm where we’ll be together to process and move forward.

Onward, 

SURJ NYC

Mark Your Calendar for November 7th

We’re in the final stretch. There are two weeks till election day. Can you help us get out the vote? SURJ NYC members are going to canvass in Chester County, PA, a majority-white suburb of Philadelphia for the final five days of the election season. Sign up to canvass with us for any number of days from Nov 1st - 5th! We are organizing transportation and lodging. Can’t make it to PA? There are lots of opportunities to phonebank with SURJ as well. Try to join at least one phonebank!

And then, the election will be over. Then what? Maybe you have made calls, knocked on doors or donated money or maybe you have fought white supremacy in other ways–attending rallies or signing petitions or marching. No matter the result of the national election, the fight for racial and economic justice is by no means over; in fact it remains even more relevant and critical than ever. We live in a city with a crisis of police accountability, a state that continues to imprison our elders, a country that has demonized immigrants, and a world in which children are being killed daily. And our work, to bring white people into the task of creating a future where people of all races work together to care for each other and keep everyone safe and free, must continue. We are inspired by the words of Kelly Hayes in the Introduction to Let this Radicalize You; “[O]rganizing is the work of bringing worlds into being….Together, we will fight for this world, to keep it.”

So please join us at our November chapter meeting on November 7th from 6:30-8:30pm on zoom to share your experiences and feelings and deepen our relationships with each other. Regardless of the election results (or lack of results) we’ll be together to process what’s going on and figure out what’s next.

This meeting will also be a great place to learn about what SURJ NYC is doing after the election and how to get involved. If you are new to SURJ NYC, you will get an opportunity to meet long-term members one-on-one to explore making SURJ NYC your organizing home moving forward. And we will all leave with concrete actions we can take together in the near future to challenge white supremacy. We hope to see you all there!

Onward,

SURJ NYC

Get Ready for NYC Ballot Proposals

The presidential election has captured the nation’s attention in recent weeks. Our chapter has joined SURJ National to make calls to block MAGA and Trump. If we elect Kamala Harris, we’ll have more likelihood of success in our continued organizing post-election for racial justice and progressive policies. We’ll continue to throw down in the presidential race between now and November 5th.

But regardless of who wins the presidential election, we’ll need strong progressive voices in Congress and locally. In New York, we need to ensure we keep our state blue in the face of rising conservative power. There are also important proposals we’ll need to vote on, including some that organizations we follow identify as an attempted power grab by indicted Mayor Adams. 

Here’s what you can do:

1. Research down ballot candidates using this guide, and vote for them on the Working Families Party line. In New York, the WFP needs 130K votes to keep their line.

2. Vote YES on Proposal 1, which would enshrine reproductive and LGBTQ rights in the New York state constitution. Learn more about the NY Equal Rights Amendment here.

3. Vote NO on Proposals 2-6, which would change our city’s charter to give the mayor more power relative to the City Council. Learn more here.

4. Join JFREJ’s Political Education Town Hall on Oct 23 from 7:30pm-9pm to find out what to expect on the November ballot, how to make sure you’re registered, and much more.

Also, help spread the word! Often, we find we are the ones our friends and family turn to to fill them in days and sometimes hours before it’s time to vote. Start talking with your loved ones now so they know exactly what to expect on their ballot on election day.

Until Next Time,

SURJ NYC

Hurricane Helene Highlights the Importance of Our Political Work

At least 100 people have lost their lives to Hurricane Helene across the South. Millions remain without power, water, and cell phone service. In Western North Carolina, where SURJ had been knocking doors and making calls for weeks, the immediate relief need is so acute that SURJ can’t immediately resume calling or canvassing. The basic infrastructure of phones and roads is now lacking, and people are focused on meeting their basic needs. See the moving resources section below for ways to support the disaster relief financially.

However, far from being a time to “not politicize” disasters, it’s essential to draw attention to the existential threat that a Trump presidency would have on us. Project 2025, which was created to be implemented during a second Trump presidency, would cut relief to hurricane victims and eliminate the National Weather Service, NOAA, and FEMA. 

In the wake of disaster and in the face of the threat of this horrific approach to disaster response and climate change, we are doubling down on our conviction to stop a pernicious MAGA and elect Kamala Harris!

In addition to ongoing phonebanking, SURJ NYC is organizing two weekend canvassing trips to key swing states! Door-to-door canvassing is one of the most effective ways to increase voter turnout – it’s also a great skill-building experience and fun!

SURJ NYC Trip to Western NC
Friday, Oct 18th – Sunday, Oct 20th
SURJ NYC is heading to Asheville, NC for a weekend of canvassing with SURJ National. Our NYC chapter crew will spend the weekend together, canvassing beneath the Blue Ridge Mountains and staying together in Asheville, where we’ll knock doors with SURJ members from around the country. If you can commit to at least two days of canvassing, financial support is available for travel and lodging, if needed.

NOTE: there may be updates to this trip due to the dynamic situation in Asheville, but for now it is still on.

SURJ NYC Canvassing in Philadelphia
Friday, Oct 25th – Sunday, Oct 27th
The following weekend, SURJ NYC is going to canvass a little closer to home with UNITE HERE Philly! Join us for one, two, or three days. For those committing to at least two days of canvassing, financial support is available for travel and lodging, if needed.

For both trips, we will canvass, hang out, and stay overnight with other SURJ NYC members. Come for a fun weekend doing important work to elect Kamala Harris and local down-ballot candidates!

Are you interested in joining us for either canvassing trip? Fill out this form! 
Not sure if you can join but you’re curious? Fill out the form anyway!

If none of these dates work for you, please check out other canvassing options in swing states with SURJ National and Seed the Vote.

We can’t wait to see you there!

SURJ NYC

Canvass for Parole Justice

This fall, the Anti-Mass Incarceration Working Group (AMI) will be supporting our partners at Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) by canvassing at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. In this case, canvassing means having short conversations with people who are waiting to take the ferry. We ask them if they believe in second chances, share a little bit about the campaign, answer any questions they may have, and ask them to sign a postcard to show their state Senator Scarcella-Spanton that they are in support of the parole justice bills RAPP is hoping to pass during the next state legislative session. This is an excellent way to practice talking to people about important topics and we’ve found that people are more often than not happy to listen and sign.

Passing Elder Parole and Fair and Timely Parole would begin to mitigate the damage that New York State’s racist and draconian sentencing laws and parole system has done to Black and brown communities throughout New York State. Elder Parole would allow anyone who is 55 or older and has served at least 15 years to appear before the parole board and have a chance at coming home. Fair and Timely Parole simply ensures that the system works as most of us believe it does, determining whether someone can return home based on who they are today, and not on their initial sentence. Together these bills get us one step closer to abolishing the prison industrial complex.

The more state legislators co-sponsor the bills, the more likely it is that they will actually go to the assembly and senate to be voted on, at which point they will have enough support to pass. We believe that with enough support from her constituents, Senator Scarcella-Spanton can be moved to cosponsor this bill. We need your help to talk to our Staten Island neighbors, let them know what’s going on, and show the senator that her constituents support Parole Justice. We will be canvassing on Monday, 9/23, Monday, 9/30, Monday, 10/21 and Friday 10/25. Please sign up at these links to get the specifics and where we’re meeting each of these days. We will train you and provide you with at least 1 buddy, and we usually get a bite to eat together afterward.

Can’t make those dates but want to get involved? Join us at our monthly Anti-Mass Incarceration Working Group meeting tonight, 6:30pm-8pm on Zoom, and next month on Tuesday, 10/15, same time and place.

And be sure to mark your calendar - the first Parole Justice Advocacy Day of 2025 will be Tuesday, January 28! This is a great day of community and advocacy that is hugely energizing and heartwarming.

Onward,

SURJ NYC

Sign-Up for the Fall Community & Action Safety Training

If we want a world without police and prisons, white folks need to learn to stop relying on the police and start keeping ourselves and our neighbors safe. In doing so, we resist the ways that policing propaganda capitalizes on the fears of white middle- and upper-class people. We can also marshal at actions, leveraging the less-violent response that police often have toward white bodies and aiming to reduce overall risk for the community.

This month is our last installment for 2024 of Community & Action Safety 101, an in-depth training that teaches skills and tactics you can use as part of an action security team and in your daily life to work toward that world without police. The training takes place over two Sunday afternoons, a week apart, in person.

Here’s what a few of our participants have said about it:

“This training was a great reminder that new/alternative routes to safety are possible AND people are actively doing them already!! The lineage of where the training came from, and the training in general, was really encouraging, a concrete reminder there's so much reason to be hopeful and believe things can change/are changing.”

“By the end of the two-day training, I'd had the opportunity to thoroughly reflect on, discuss and practice risk assessment, de-escalation, and how to manage my own fear response in the face of power imbalance. These tools, along with learning about the history of community lead safety traditions within social justice movements, left me feeling empowered and prepared to volunteer as a marshal at an action the very next week.”

“I would really urge everyone who has any interest in community and action safety to take part in the training. I’ve taken part in my fair share of direct actions but didn’t think training was for me—I’m too old, I thought, and too tired, leave it to younger folks. Even if you don’t want to marshal, as white people showing up for direct action it’s important to understand the risks from police and what’s involved in helping keep our communities safe. I marshaled an action the week after I completed our training, and it was uplifting to be part of a team helping to make the action as safe as possible.”

The next two-part training will be on Sunday, September 22 and Sunday, September 29 from 12:00pm to 3:30pm in Bushwick.

We’re excited to continue growing this collective practice with you.

Onward,

SURJ NYC

Announcing the SURJ NYC Election Circle!

At last week’s chapter meeting, we launched the SURJ NYC Election Circle, a local home for everyone engaging in electoral organizing this fall. We’re working in coordination with SURJ National and are excited to announce that we’ll have a dedicated NYC breakout room on a lot of National’s “Many Over the MAGA” phonebanks. Come call white voters with us! 

We are also hosting additional Election Circle events to get to know each other and build our skills. All the details are in this document, which we’ll keep updated, so check back frequently! 

The first phonebank we will be at together is on Sunday 8/11, register here! The first Election Circle event is a zoom meetup on Thursday 8/15. We’d love to see you there whether you have been to a phonebank yet or not; it’ll be a chance to debrief, problem solve, practice, and build community.

We’re excited to work with you to defeat Trump and elect Kamala Harris, and electoral work is just one part of our strategy. Who’s in office affects the terrain on which we will continue to organize long after the election. Come join us in this fight and find a community that you can stay involved in no matter what happens in November. 

Onward,

SURJ NYC

Find Your Political Home With Us

Like many of you, we’re fired up to stop another Trump presidency, and we need your help! This Thursday we’re kicking off a team that will call white voters through SURJ National’s phonebanking program and also build a community that’s ready to keep working beyond the election, no matter the outcome.

We are excited to welcome you into that community, which is an important political home for many of us. To give you a sense of what it’s like, we asked Grace, a SURJ NYC member since 2016, to share her experience:

“In every movement moment in the last decade—when Trump was elected in 2016, when George Floyd was murdered by cops in 2020, when a literal insurrection happened in 2021—I have felt fired up to get shit done, to fight hard for a different world. It’s been unbelievably powerful to be in the streets or on zooms with thousands of people, feeling our collective power. 

Those moments are amazing, but they’re not what’s kept me going for the last 8 years. What’s kept me going is the people I’m in the streets with and the place I go to talk about it after: SURJ NYC. Our local chapter is where I go when I’m trying to figure things out, when I need to cry or scream or just show up empty, when I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing. These people, here in this chapter, have become some of my most beloved friends and most trusted advisors.

This election is going to be a fight. I want to be fighting next to you, and I want to be in community with the folks I’m fighting next to.”

Join us on Thursday August 1st from 6:30-8:30pm on zoom. You’ll meet new people, find a community to fight alongside, and identify ways to get involved in this election and beyond.

If you can’t make it to the meeting but want to stay in the loop, fill out that registration form anyway! There’s a box to check to tell us you can’t make it, and we’ll follow up with you after the meeting. 

See you there!

SURJ NYC