Coney Island in Brooklyn: Nathan’s hot dogs, Luna Park, the Brooklyn Cyclones. If you haven’t been — or haven’t been in awhile — you should give it a go.
It’s the back half of summer, and there’s been a lot going on: continued fights against authoritarianism and ICE violence, the end of another devastating SCOTUS term, an undeclared war in Iran, as well as the ever intensifying effects of the climate crisis – wildfire smoke, flooding, and historical heatwaves. There have also been some wins: Dignity Not Detention ending detention contracts in NY, and massive resistance to the monster STAMP data center proposal upstate, for example.
It’s exhausting, and it has been for a long while. Rest is needed to recharge and reconnect to your centered self in organizing for racial justice. The beach at Coney Island can offer this, as can a swim in the ocean or the joys of the amusement parks that line the boardwalk, if that’s your thing.
You wouldn’t necessarily know it from Coney, but a little further up the coast, to the east, sits Marine Park — a salt marsh and public park. Like the rest of the city, this land was originally stewarded by the Lenape people, in what were important hunting and fishing grounds. Over 80% of New York City’s vital salt marshes have disappeared due to shoreline development. These wetlands are crucial habitat for many species of wildlife as well as helping to clean water and prevent flooding. We’ve got crabs. We’ve got shorebirds. We’ve got mussels and fish.
And, this being NYC, we’ve got trash to pick up.
On August 23, 2026, SURJ NYC’s Indigenous Solidarity Working Group invites you to join us in land stewardship, learning and connection at Marine Park in Brooklyn from 11:00am-1:00pm. We’ll learn more about the history of colonization in our city, the effects on this site, and we’ll take action together in person to help clean up this vital shoreline.
One of the best ways to connect and recharge is through land practice; by showing up to the land we inhabit, making a simple offering, and allowing ourselves to be changed by listening deeply to what’s returned. There’s nothing quite as fulfilling and invigorating as the experience of land practice with your organizing community — a recharge for the soul.
Save the date and keep an eye out for future information. We hope to see you there!
In solidarity,
SURJ NYC
P.S. At next month’s chapter meeting on August 6th we’ll learn about an exciting court watching project, discuss how the federal government is escalating against groups and individuals fighting its agenda, and hear from SURJ NYC members who attended a national SURJ training focused on coordinated strategy for the midterms. Learn more and sign up here!