It goes without saying that 2020 has been a completely unprecedented, difficult, and overwhelming year. The loss and anguish experienced by so many in our communities cannot be overstated. We’re incredibly thankful to all of you who have dedicated time and energy toward the fight against white supremacy. Whether you were one of the many new folks who joined this year or you’ve been with us from the beginning, we’re grateful for your work this year and look forward to moving into 2021 with you.
To wrap up 2020, we’ve pulled together highlights from our six work areas, which are the driving force behind much of SURJ NYC’s work. The five working groups hold monthly open meetings that all SURJ members are welcome to attend, and meetings for the parent/educator/youth project area are always posted in this newsletter. If you’re interested in getting more involved in any of these efforts and have already attended an orientation, you can email surjnyc@gmail.com for more information.
Anti-Mass Incarceration
This year, the Anti-Mass Incarceration (AMI) working group deepened our relationship with Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) and started a new relationship with the Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (CAIC). We phone banked, wrote letters, showed up at rallies, and educated ourselves on aging in prison, solitary confinement, and other aspects of the prison industrial complex.
Base Building/Deep Phonebanking
Deep Phonebanking continued to experiment with engaging people who are signed up for SURJ and began to track how many people we speak with. From June to December, DP called more than 1,000 people and had conversations with nearly 400 of them.
Communications
The communications team makes the work happening at SURJ visible. 2020 saw a tenfold increase in followers across all our platforms with hundreds of new people stepping forward to volunteer in meaningful ways. Working round the clock, our comms team created and shared meaningful and educational content, drove a $100k redistribution effort, turned people out for Black-led protests, and moved resources to Black-led grassroots mutual aid projects.
Housing Justice
Beginning as an organizing effort of SURJ NYC rent strikers in May, the Housing Justice Working Group became official in September. We’ve advocated for Albany to #CancelRent, stop evictions, and raise the housing voucher. We’ve also supported eviction defense citywide and fought to keep homeless residents safe in hotels during COVID-19.
Parent/Educator/Youth Group
Since launching in July 2020, the Parent/Educator/Youth Group has met nine times to discuss racial inequities in schools during COVID, DOE’s Diversity Plan, “unscreening” schools, and the elections’ impact on education. We’ve also facilitated practice sessions on how to talk to children about racism and how to talk to other white parents about the impact of individual choice on school segregation. Members have taken action with AQE and BLM At NYC Schools.
Police Accountability
This year, the Police Accountability Group:
Welcomed many new members as a result of the uprising this summer
Made calls to Albany to Repeal 50A and pass the other bills in the Safer NY Act in support of our partners at Communities United for Police Reform
Made calls to city councilmembers to defund the police for #NYCBudgetJustice
Doubled the amount we raised last year for Justice Committee and increased their number of monthly supporters
Organized weekly call blasts for the Justice for Delrawn Small campaign
In 2021, we will continue calling in white New Yorkers about defunding the NYPD, while following the lead of BIPOC and queer organizers who started this movement. We hope you’ll join us!
We hope your last few days of 2020 are restful, and we’re excited to enter the new year alongside you with a sense of possibility and a renewed commitment to the fight against white supremacy.
In solidarity,
SURJ NYC