Help people find their stake in electing Zohran

Do you have a longtime friend with whom you can talk for hours, but when the NYC Mayoral election and Zohran Mamdani come up, things feel tense, almost as though you’re operating on two fundamentally different sets of information?

Is there a canvassing or phone banking conversation that you keep replaying in your head, wondering if you missed an opportunity to persuade a potential supporter?

We've been there - and with the November 4th General Election just under two months away, now is the perfect time to practice these conversations. Join the SURJ NYC Calling-In team next Wednesday, September 17 from 7:30 - 9:00 PM for a special workshop: Calling In for Change: Persuasive Conversation Skills to Elect Zohran for NYC.

Calling-In techniques teach us how to stay calm and focused, listen fully, and build connection and identify common ground, all skills that can help lay the foundation for conversations that move through tense moments and invite people into movements. 

In this workshop, we'll draw on these practices and brainstorm ways to utilize them to gain support for Zohran Mamdani and other progressive candidates, whether you are navigating a canvassing conversation or whether you are trying to identify common ground with a loved one. You'll also get a supportive space to practice the scenarios that are top of mind for you.

Each of these conversations is an opportunity to strengthen our collective work to Show Up for Zohran, and we hope you’ll join us to learn and practice together!

In Community,

SURJ NYC Calling-In Team

PS: Join SURJ NYC to canvass for Zohran every Saturday afternoon til the election. This Saturday, September 13th, 1:00-4:30pm, we will canvass in Sheepshead Bay, right off the Q train. This is an area that the official campaign is not reaching, so canvassing with SURJ is high leverage: you may be the only person a voter in the area hears from about how Zohran’s plan is in their interest and all of ours. Help us build on the strong momentum from last Saturday's canvassing kick off.

 
SURJ Showing Up for Zohran
 

Let’s Work Together to Elect Zohran Mamdani

My first canvassing experience was with a group of SURJ NYC members for Zohran Mamdani’s primary campaign in June. Although I was nervous, it was a relief to connect with my SURJ community beforehand, to ground into our shared values and reasons for showing up, and to know that we were walking into the day together. It was worth the risk — I felt such a strong sense of personal investment once Zohran won the primary that I am excited to continue engaging in conversations with more voters. 

As the general election approaches, SURJ NYC will focus on speaking to white working class voters the Zohran campaign is not reaching. The Mamdani campaign is running an incredible canvassing operation, but there are parts of the city it is not covering. Southern Brooklyn is an area consistently won by Republican candidates. However, Zohran has shown that his policies appeal to a broad spectrum of New Yorkers. Even in these Republican strongholds, there are areas where Zohran won over half of the vote in the Democratic primary. Voters in Southern Brooklyn are facing the same issues of affordability, access to childcare, and soaring rents that impact New Yorkers across the city. 

The stakes are high for this election. We are going to speak with white voters in Southern Brooklyn because we know that Zohran’s priorities will resonate. We also know that when we organize out of mutual interest, we can make change happen. Whether you are brand new to canvassing or a seasoned expert, we’d love to have you!

Join us this Saturday, September 6th at 11am in Tompkins Square Park to kick off our fall canvassing for Zohran. SURJ members will meet beforehand to get to know each other, discuss strategies, and then head out to canvass together.

Beginning Saturday, September 13th, we will start canvassing Southern Brooklyn. We will meet every Saturday from 1:00pm-4:30pm through November 1st. We are starting in Sheepshead Bay and may move to other areas of the city. Since we will be focusing on areas that are farther from the campaign’s base, anticipate a bit of a subway commute. We will always meet by a subway station and will send exact meeting locations in the week before the canvass.

You are welcome to join us for one Saturday or all of them — it’s up to you!

More Opportunities to Show Up for Zohran:

SURJ National Webinar Wednesday 9/3 at 7:00pm - Rising Fascism, Rising Resistance Webinar with Jamaal Bowman. Organizers on the ground in DC will offer an analysis of this current moment and will provide clear next steps about how to show up for Zohran and stand against fascism. 


SURJ NYC September 17th 7:30-9:30pm - Calling In for Change: Persuasive Conversation Skills to Elect Zohran for NYC. Build skills for approaching conversations about Zohran during phone-banking and canvassing as well as with friends and neighbors. Come practice with us!

Hope to canvass with you soon,
Nicole and the SURJ NYC Showing Up for Zohran Team

Help Shape the Future of SURJ NYC

“I don’t want to be part of a club. I want to be part of a movement.” - Mariame Kaba

Over the last few years, SURJ NYC’s Accountability Group has been exploring how we can be accountable: to each other, ourselves, other SURJ NYC Working Groups, SURJ National, people of color, and our politics. Through this process, the Group has found a need to clarify the roles and expectations for those who want to make SURJ NYC their organizing home. This newly proposed membership structure aims to support all of us to understand our role in this movement work.

By welcoming folks to make a deeper and more sustained commitment to SURJ NYC, and offering an opportunity to formally become a member of our community, the proposed membership structure will lay the groundwork for making deeper kinds of commitments to each other. It would clarify the roles of both non-members and members, including expectations around moving money, calling in our networks, and taking impactful actions to change material conditions. The structure would also transition the Coordinating Committee to a newly formed Leadership Crew that will commit to stewarding SURJ NYC, help with our day-to-day operations, and work together to shape the collective vision and strategy of our chapter. It would also simplify the chapter-wide decision-making process by inviting member participation outside of chapter meetings, opening up the opportunity to devote more meeting time for work that is necessary and relevant. For more information, find out what’s proposed as well as potential next steps in the full proposal.

Join us at our SURJ NYC Chapter Meeting next Thursday September 4th from 6:30-8:30pm to participate in our consensus decision-making process! We will discuss the proposal, address clarifying questions, and share our individual levels of agreement to ultimately come to consensus. Whether you’re a new member or have been part of the decision-making process previously, we’d love for you to read the proposal and share your thoughts around the future structure of SURJ NYC. If you are not able to attend the meeting but would like to share your input, please complete this form.

In community,

SURJ NYC

Canvass Kickoff for Zohran on Sept 6th

Zohran Mamdani’s landslide victory in the Democratic primary took the political establishment by surprise. Now Cuomo, Adams, and their billionaire backers are scrambling to put up a fight. Zohran’s plan for a more affordable NYC has generated incredible energy across the city, but this election is not a done deal. Zohran has what it takes to win, but we have to put in the work.

Join us on Saturday September 6th at 11am in Tompkins Square Park to kick off our fall canvasses for Zohran! We’ll have some snacks, get to know each other, talk about our strategy to elect Zohran, and then head out to canvass together. Whether you’ve never canvassed before or are a seasoned expert, we need you!

Q: Why should I canvass with SURJ NYC?

A: Do you want to make new friends, canvass with a supportive community, and level up your skills? So do we! We’ll meet together as a group before each canvass and have lots of opportunities throughout the fall to debrief and learn from each other. We will be canvassing in areas where we can talk to white voters about their shared interest in Zohran’s agenda.

Q: I can’t make it on the 6th, how can I join this cool canvassing team?

A: Keep an eye on this newsletter in the coming weeks for a schedule of canvasses!

Q: How can my friends outside of NYC get involved?

A: SURJ National has selected Zohran’s campaign for their national phonebank program! This program has shown great results through its model of open-ended conversations, and is a super fun and supportive environment. But if you’re in NYC and able to join us to canvass, we encourage you to prioritize that – face-to-face conversations are the most impactful!

Ready to go? Join us on Saturday September 6th at 11am in Tompkins Square Park!

Onward,

SURJ NYC

All Out for Allan Feliz

Late on Friday July 3rd, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch issued a preliminary decision to reverse the guilty verdict against Lieutenant Jonathan Rivera for killing Allan Feliz. SURJ NYC's Beyond Policing Working Group issued the following statement:

For the past five years, the family of Allan Feliz, while deeply mourning the death of Allan, has fought for the bare minimum of accountability—fire Jonathan Rivera. It’s the very least Commissioner Tisch can do after Lieutenant Rivera recklessly attacked and shot their son, brother, father and partner. And now the Commissioner is reversing the decision to terminate Rivera? Commissioner Tisch’s cynical reversal of her own Deputy Commissioner’s decision regarding the charges against Lieutenant Rivera is a blatant disregard for public safety and appears to be a transparent attempt to curry favor with the NYPD. It makes a mockery of her supposed commitment to accountability. Tisch’s own Deputy Commissioner Maldonado found Lt. Rivera acted in clear disregard of the law in killing Allan Feliz and recommended he be fired. We call on Commissioner Tisch to reverse this decision and fire Lieutenant Rivera.

In spite of how it’s been portrayed, this is a preliminary decision by PC Tisch. The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) has five business days to respond before she makes a final decision. This means we have until Friday, July 11th to make sure she knows NYC is demanding she #FireJonathanRivera!

A Movement Victory, A Movement Moment

Zohran Mamdani has scored a yuuuge win in the Democratic Party primary for New York City Mayor! Unofficial results show Mamdani winning 56% to 44% for Cuomo. As Michael Lange noted, Zohran forged a new coalition and even after last Tuesday's first round results, Mamdani had “won more first place votes (432K) than Eric Adams won total votes (404K) through all rounds of ranked-choice-voting.”

This is a movement victory

We are proud that SURJ NYC endorsed Mamdani and asked members to rank Zohran #1 in addition to ranking four other candidates and to not rank Cuomo. SURJ NYC had never before endorsed a political candidate, but we reached our decision easily because of Mamdani’s compelling vision and because a consensus candidate and ranked-choice strategy was emerging across a broad array of movement organizations and union locals. Our chapter organized canvassing teams to knock doors with the Mamdani campaign and Working Families Party, and we phone banked SURJ NYC members to rank Zohran #1, not rank Cuomo, and text their people. We are proud to be among the many, many organizations that collectively engaged over 50,000 volunteers to make over 2.3 million calls and knock on over 1.6 million doors to propel Zohran to victory!

We also know that this is not the end of the road in the race for NYC Mayor. Mamdani is the Democratic Party nominee and will also be on the Working Families Party line in November. He will face Republican Curtis Sliwa, Independent Eric Adams, former federal prosecutor Jim Walden, and possibly Andrew Cuomo again (insert undead joke here). Republicans, corporate media, and Israel-lobby-funded Democratic electeds will continue to smear Mamdani. The bipartisan billionaire class will pour massive amounts of dark money into the race in an attempt to defeat him. We do not know how the race will shape up or what the needs will be, but we will be in it to win it!

We need all of us!

For this month’s SURJ NYC chapter meeting, we are hosting a mass meeting in Central Park! Join July 12th: think food, fun, and friends!

Summer to Grow: Join SURJ NYC to Turn Up the Heat
July Chapter Meeting in Central Park!
Saturday, July 12th, 2-4pm

Do you know someone who is excited by Zohran’s win but has not taken action? Invite them! Someone who is a bit unsure about Mamdani and could find support in community? Invite them so they meet others who have moved to active support for a vision for an affordable NYC.

More on this movement moment

Zorhan Mamdani’s Win Could Change Everything, writes progressive political strategist Waleed Shahid. Mamdani “ran on a clear and grounded message: freeze rents, make buses free, build public grocery stores. His stance on Israel and Palestine wasn’t buried, and it wasn’t isolated. It was part of a broader argument about dignity, housing, and whose voices matter.”

Liza Featherstone writes that Zohran Mamdani’s Canvassing Operation Is What Democracy Looks Like. CAAAV Voice executive director Sasha Wijeyeratne details how Mamdani’s stunning city-wide coalition of working-class, immigrants, and young leftists and progressives was built on many years of organizing in Asian communities. And Heba Gowayed writes in The Guardian that Zohran Mamdani has the Palestinian protest movement to thank for his win.

Ginia Bellafante highlights how Zohran and NYC Comptroller Brad Lander shared a vision, a public bromance, and a ranked-choice strategy. The highest ranking Jewish elected official in NYC, Lander proved himself a consummate mensch: “We are not going to let anyone divide Muslim New Yorkers and Jewish New Yorkers,” said Lander “our safety, our hopes and our freedoms are bound up together.” In the On the Nose podcast, Jewish Currents staffers Peter Beinart, Arielle Angel, Mari Cohen, and Alex Kane break down how Mamdani bested the Pro-Israel machine.

Onward,

SURJ NYC

Last day to vote for Zohran #1, and don’t rank Cuomo!

If you’re one of the 305,896 New Yorkers who voted early in the primary election - thank you! If you haven’t voted yet, today’s your last day! We know it’s hot out there, but there’s so much at stake this election, and we have a real chance at electing a mayor who is aligned with many of our values as anti-racist voters. Find your polling location here, then we urge you to rank Zohran #1, and not to rank Cuomo at all.

The latest Emerson poll shows Zohran trailing Cuomo by just 3 points in first-choice votes, and pulling ahead after completing the full ranked choice vote tally! This election is going to be close, but we can win if we turn out to vote! Can you text three friends to make sure they are going to vote and know to rank Zohran and not Cuomo?

You can brush up on how ranked choice voting (RCV) works, but the basic idea is to use all your options, and only rank people you could live with if they got elected.

There are other races on the ballot, too. SURJ NYC hasn’t made any other endorsements, but you can read up on the comptroller, borough president, city council, district attorney, and judicial races at these links.

Thank you to everyone who has shown up with us to canvass, phone bank, and help get the word out about Zohran. It’s been an exciting election season, and if he wins the primary, we’ll be ready to throw down to help him win the general election in November. We likely won’t know the primary results for a week or so due to RCV, but we’re thankful to have been in this race with all of you.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Get Out the Vote with Us!

The mayoral election is neck and neck. Polls show Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo in close competition for the top spot. This election is going to be decided by who turns out to vote.

In addition to the opportunities to canvass with SURJ NYC that you can see below, we are also hosting a big Get Out The Vote phonebank the night before Election Day. We are going to try to call every person on our SURJ NYC newsletter list to talk to them about ranking Zohran #1, not ranking Cuomo, and telling their friends!

We’ll be using a dialing tool so you’ll have a lot of real conversations. Whether you’re a phonebanking pro or you’ve never phonebanked before, we need you! We need at least 25 people to join to make it through our whole list. Can you join us?

We're Starting a Book Club!

Every other week, the Indigenous Solidarity working group coordinators meet to do all of our very important business (and to show off our craft projects, talk about birds, and say hi to each other’s pets). For the last few years, we’ve saved the last 15 minutes of every coordinator's meeting for discussing one chapter of a book we’re reading together.

Book club is one of the ways that we learn about de-colonial practices from Indigenous people, and weave those learnings into our organizing. We talk about what we loved and were challenged by in the text, of course, but we also talk about how it informs the way we want to work together. Our work has changed deeply because of what we read and process together.

But also, it just feels good. Lots of times we read aloud to each other, in person or in voice notes. Sometimes it’s sweet, like when one of us is moved to tears when we’re reading. Sometimes it’s silly, like when we’re gamely trying to pronounce unfamiliar words or scientific terms. Every time we discuss a chapter together, our worlds feel a little bigger.

Book club is a really special part of our meetings, and it’s something we want to share with you.

That’s why we’re starting a book club open to anyone. Once a month for just an hour we’ll meet on zoom to talk about a very short chapter of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. We say “book club,” but we mean more than that — we’ll have a real check-in about how we’re doing, a little book discussion, and then we’ll all take action together.

You can show up however you are on book club day. If you’re exhausted and frustrated, we’ve got you. If you’ve read the chapter three times or you didn’t get around to it, you’re welcome. If you need to be cooking dinner or nursing a kiddo while we chat, that’s totally cool. We just want to see you and spend some time growing together, whatever that looks like each month.

Doesn’t that sound nice?

Our first meeting is on July 14th; here’s your link to RSVP. Order the book from an Indigenous-owned bookstore here, but if you can’t for any reason just let us know and we’ll make sure you get a copy. 

See you on July 14th! We seriously can’t wait to hang out with you. 

With care,

The SURJ NYC Indigenous Solidarity Working Group

Handling Our Passion With Compassion

Last month, the SURJ NYC Calling In team had the honor of hosting Loretta Ross herself at the second session of our book club focused on her new book, Calling In: How to Start Making Change With Those You’d Rather Cancel.

During the extended Q&A session, Loretta reminded us that we don’t need to agree with other people to listen to them, and that when we’re clear on our moral compass “you’re not threatened by other people’s ideas - you’re enriched by them.” Rather than requiring a bottomless reserve of courage to approach a hard conversation, it’s more about “not letting my fear determine how I show up or what I do.” She also encouraged us to take heart that “time, truth, evidence, and history” are all on the side of those in human rights movements.

When sharing takeaways from the conversation, one participant reflected, “Building a calling in culture is learning to handle our passion with compassion,” or in Loretta’s words, “not turning our passion for social justice on each other.” If this feels like a muscle you’d like to build, please join us on Monday, June 16th, 7:30-9:30pm for our Calling In Workshop, during which we’ll explore the fundamentals of a Calling In approach and practice concrete strategies and tactics you can use to navigate difficult conversations with skill and care. 

As Loretta reminded us, these skills not only help us tend to and strengthen our interpersonal relationships, they are also vital for building resilient, inclusive, and powerful movements for justice and human rights. Please join us as we strengthen our skills to cultivate our community and grow our movement, in SURJ NYC and beyond.

With gratitude and solidarity,

The SURJ NYC Calling In Team

P.S. Calling In skills are also great for canvassing! Join our chapter meeting on Thursday, June 5th from 6:30-8:30pm to get familiar with exactly what happens during a canvass and practice in a comfortable setting.

Practice Canvassing With Us!

There's one month left before NYC elects a Democratic nominee for mayor and you can influence who that is! Talking to people in your community -- your friends, family, and neighbors -- is the most impactful form of voter engagement. But we know having these conversations can be scary. Come to our SURJ NYC chapter meeting on Thursday June 5th from 6:30-8:30pm to get familiar with exactly what happens during a canvass and practice in a comfortable setting. You’ll gain skills you can use while door knocking or talking to your friends.

We know so much is at stake in this election and we can't let Cuomo win. Come join us!

- SURJ NYC

You Can Influence The Mayoral Election!

Last week SURJ NYC announced our endorsement of Zohran Mamdani for Mayor and DREAM for NYC (Don’t Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor)! We encourage New Yorkers to:

  • Rank Zohran #1 on your ranked-choice ballot for Mayor

  • Rank four more candidates

  • NOT rank Andrew Cuomo at all

This week we’re sharing more ways to get involved in these campaigns!

Zohran Mamdani:

Join SURJ NYC members to canvass for Zohran:

Canvassing is the most impactful way to reach voters and is a lot of fun! Peggy says, “I had a great time canvassing on Saturday! Great weather, great company, great conversations, especially helping people understand ranked choice voting.”

You can also join SURJ NYC members at the Working Families Party #RankTheSlate rally and canvass on Saturday, May 24th at 11:15am in Fort Greene Park! We’ll hear from WFP’s slate — Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Zellnor Myrie, and Zohran Mamdani — and then head out to knock doors across Brooklyn.

Can’t make any of these dates? Sign up to get updates on future opportunities or to host a SURJ NYC meet-up at a canvass.

DREAM for NYC:

Ready to make sure that Cuomo is not the Democratic nominee? Sign up to volunteer with the DREAM campaign! You’ll get connected with a project or get an invite to a WhatsApp Community where you can pick from available opportunities.

Download stickers, fliers, and social media images you can use to tell your community not to vote for Cuomo. You can also buy stickers and other merch that help fund videos and other ways of getting the word out. And you can help by sharing on social media!

Onward,

SURJ NYC

SURJ NYC Endorses Zohran Mamdani and DREAM for NYC!!

We’re excited to announce that SURJ NYC is endorsing two campaigns this year: Zohran Mamdani for Mayor and DREAM for NYC (Don’t Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor)! At last week’s chapter meeting, we approved a proposal encouraging everyone:

  • Rank Zohran #1 on your ranked-choice ballot for Mayor

  • Rank four more candidates

  • DON’T rank Andrew Cuomo at all

The Democratic primary is June 24th, with early voting starting on June 14th, so it’s time to hit the ground running!

For years, SURJ NYC and our accountability partners have been organizing around issues that are greatly impacted by the mayor. The office has many powers and responsibilities, from appointing heads of city agencies to negotiating and approving the city budget alongside the City Council. The mayor can also veto local laws enacted by the City Council. We’ve long recognized the power of the budget as a moral document and a statement of values that has real material effects on the lives of every New Yorker.

Andrew Cuomo’s campaign stands in direct opposition with our values as anti-racist voters. As governor, he faced sexual harassment accusations, covered up COVID-related deaths at nursing homes, repeatedly blocked tenant protections, and cut homelessness programs while rewarding his real estate donors with massive tax breaks. As mayor, he promises to increase the size of the NYPD and increase the use of involuntary commitment laws. That’s why we’re urging New Yorkers: don’t rank Cuomo on your ballot.

Zohran Mamdani, on the other hand, is running a campaign to meet the needs of working-class New Yorkers on a platform aligned with SURJ values and politics. With a decisive and growing lead in polling over other Democratic candidates, Mamdani is the strongest challenger to frontrunner Cuomo and our best shot at electing a progressive mayor. We encourage you to rank Zohran #1 on your ballot!

In a ranked choice voting election, it’s important to fill all spots on your ballot. Only rank candidates who you could live with if they won, with your first pick at the top. You can find some good explainers on the system from NYC Votes and The City. We’re endorsing Zohran for the #1 spot and encourage you to look to other values-aligned organizations that have endorsed other progressive candidates to fill out the rest of your ballot. Candidates endorsed by the Working Families Party, the United Auto Workers, JFREJ’s political arm The Jewish Vote, NYS Tenant Bloc, and Make the Road Action include Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Zellnor Myrie, and Jessica Ramos.

Rank Zohran #1, and fill your ballot with other progressive candidates who are not Cuomo!

So what’s next? Early voting starts in under five weeks, so it’s time to throw down for these campaigns!

Join SURJ NYC members to canvass for Zohran:

Join New Yorkers Against Cuomo every Thursday for an action outside the building he claims to live in, highlighting how Cuomo doesn’t actually live in New York City and doesn’t take accountability - even on the campaign trail. Sign up here to get connected.

Can’t make one of these dates? Fill out this form to let us know how you want to get involved. You can canvass or phonebank for the DREAM and Zohran campaigns, help out our communications team, or help us coordinate electoral work.

We’re excited about the possibilities of what the future of New York City could look like if we had a mayor who was truly aligned with our values. Let’s make it happen!

Onward,

SURJ NYC

From May Day to the Mayoral Race

Last week’s May Day action was powerful. Over 6,000 people took the streets of the Financial District to say no to the billionaire agenda and yes to the power of the people. Hear longtime SURJ NYC member-leader Barbara share why she was marching.

What’s next? The NYC Democratic Primary Election is just two months away! 

At Thursday’s chapter meeting, SURJ NYC will consider a proposal to endorse two mayoral campaigns:

  1. The DREAM for NYC campaign, an educational campaign calling on New Yorkers not to rank Andrew Cuomo on their ballots.

  2. Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for mayor.

Join us at our SURJ NYC chapter meeting on Thursday May 8th from 6:30-8:30pm to participate in our consensus decision-making process! SURJ NYC makes big decisions that affect all parts of our chapter via this consensus process. We will discuss the proposal, address clarifying questions, share our individual levels of agreement, and eventually come to consensus on something we can all live with. Your input matters; please join us!

Please read the full proposal document in advance of the meeting. If you are not able to attend the meeting but would like to share your input, please complete this form. 

See you there!

Onward,

SURJ NYC

Help Decide SURJ NYC's Mayoral Election Priorities!

The NYC Democratic Primary Election on June 24th is fast approaching. There are more than 10 candidates running, not counting Eric Adams who earlier this month pulled out of the Democratic primary and declared his intention to run as an Independent in the general election. Under the city’s relatively new system of Ranked Choice Voting, voters can rank up to five candidates on their ballots.

While Andrew Cuomo has a significant advantage in name recognition and current polling over all the other Democratic candidates, Ranked Choice Voting provides an opportunity for a more progressive candidate to prevail.

At next Thursday’s chapter meeting, SURJ NYC will consider a proposal to endorse two mayoral campaigns:

  • The DREAM for NYC campaign, an educational campaign calling on New Yorkers not to rank Andrew Cuomo on their ballots.

  • Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for mayor.

Join us on Thursday May 8th from 6:30-8:30pm to participate in our consensus decision-making process! SURJ NYC makes big decisions that affect all parts of our chapter via this consensus process. We will discuss the proposal, address clarifying questions, share our individual levels of agreement, and eventually come to consensus on something we can all live with. Your input matters; please join us!

Please read the full proposal document in advance of the meeting.

See you there!

SURJ NYC

March With Us On May Day!

May Day, or International Workers’ Day, is celebrated around the world on May 1st. The day dates back to May 1st, 1886, when workers in Chicago began a multi-day strike to demand an 8-hour work day. The strike, which has come to be known as the Haymarket Affair, turned violent when police attacked the protestors. On May 4th, a bomb exploded in Haymarket Square, killing police officers and civilians. Ultimately eight men were charged guilty of conspiracy to murder and four were hanged, despite that no evidence was ever produced that any of them had any relationship to the bomb.

To honor the Chicago workers, the International Socialist Conference in 1889 named May Day a labor holiday, birthing what many nations now call International Workers' Day. In the US, labor groups organize annual May Day rallies and actions, and this year’s is going to be big!

Musk, Trump and their fellow profiteers are trying to create a race to the bottom — on wages, on benefits, on dignity itself. They want to erase labor rights, break our unions, and silence immigrant voices. This May Day we are standing united with working people across the country.

Join us at the NYC May Day Solidarity Day of Action on Thursday May 1st, a part of a nationwide series of actions! SURJ NYC will meet at the Abraham de Peyster Statue in the northwest corner of Foley Square at 4:45pm. RSVP here to join us!

Because May Day is the first Thursday of the month, we are moving our May Chapter Meeting to Thursday May 8th from 6:30-8:30pm. Come participate in a chapter-wide process to decide on SURJ NYC's mayoral election activities! You’ll learn more about the race and how to get involved in the final two months before the primary.

Onward,

SURJ NYC

We Will Never Stop Working Towards Repair

It’s been just over 70 days since this President came to power. His administration has unleashed chaos upon the country and the world, but we are still fighting. Trump, Musk, and their supporters are reacting to our strength in numbers.

They are afraid of losing power, so they are trying to instill fear in all of us. They increase policing, criminalization, and poverty. They demonize DEI programs, Palestinian resistance, immigrants, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities or with any trait they deem different from them. It’s all part of their plan to maintain what they perceive as safety: control and money.

While we need to keep fighting back we also need to remember we were winning. And we can't just resist; we need to keep fighting for that world that is possible. Part of building a new world will require repair.

SURJ NYC supports reparations for slavery, and currently, there are many ways to get involved in this cause.

Here in New York, a State Reparations Commission is meeting and holding public hearings. The next one is on April 10 in the Bronx. SURJ NYC is devoting our April 3 Chapter Meeting to discuss reparations; you can register to join here.

In New York City, the Commission on Racial Equality passed Local Laws 91 and 92 to publicly acknowledge the history and harm of slavery and to study how the New York City government contributed to slavery. The first draft of the report will come out on July 1, 2025.

Nationally, lawmakers and citizens alike are pushing for reparations. HR40, a bill to study reparations for slavery, has been reintroduced to Congress. On May 17, the National Reparations Network is holding a rally in Washington, DC, on May 17.

Come join us to learn more about the history of reparations work and to get involved in the current activism.

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC

Push back against ICE detentions in NY

This past week, we’ve seen thousands of New Yorkers (including many of us here in SURJ NYC) mobilize to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian rights activist and legal permanent resident who was taken from his home by ICE just last week. His abduction has been felt deeply across the country, from those fighting for the liberation of Palestine to all who care about protecting their right to free speech and protest. We cannot allow this blatant act of state repression to have the chilling effect it hopes to. Now, more than ever, is the time to be focused and consistent in our advocacy, and unwavering in our commitment to free speech, racial justice, immigration justice, and a free Palestine.

Our struggles for justice are connected. Mahmoud’s continued detention in an ICE detention center in Louisiana– far away from his lawyer and pregnant wife– is just one example of how the immigration system rips families apart and denies people access to their basic rights. Showing up for Racial Justice NYC’s Immigration Justice Working Group has long been fighting to throw a wrench in ICE’s detention and deportation systems, and we call on you to join us in this fight.

One focus of our working group’s efforts is ending New York’s complicity in ICE detention through advocating for the Dignity Not Detention Act, which would get New York out of the business of immigration detention and family separation. Detention is a critical component of the deportation pipeline; and hindering ICE’s ability to detain folks reduces how many people can be deported. From weekly phone zaps to lobby days in Albany (the next one is in April, see our Calls To Action page for more info), we have a multitude of ways for you to plug into this work. To learn more, you can also attend the Dignity Not Detention (DND) campaign’s in-person orientation on Friday, March 28th!

We know our strategies work and momentum around DND is building. Since this legislative session began in January, fourteen additional lawmakers have signed onto the Act. Now is not the time to slow down or wallow in despair. It is critical that we continue to channel our outrage into action; that we continue to show up for Mahmoud; and that we continue to speak out against the systems of oppression that harm our neighbors and rip our communities apart. 

In solidarity,

SURJ NYC Immigration Justice Working Group

Ready to reimagine difficult conversations?

Calling in is one of SURJ’s core values, and a calling in practice is one of the most important tools you can have for your toolkit in turbulent times.

And at a time when many tough conversations feel even more fraught, we’re all in for a boost of inspiration - Loretta Ross, a longtime African American reproductive justice activist, MacArthur Fellow, Smith College professor, and informal mentor to SURJ’s Calling In team, has just published Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel.

To make the most of the moment, the SURJ Calling In team invites you to an upcoming virtual book club to unpack the importance of, and practice the skills necessary for, a Calling In perspective. 

Part memoir, part how-to, Calling In shares personal examples of calling in as well as situations that warrant “calling out” strategies, which may not help to build relationships or grow our progressive political movements, but can stop immediate harm or can be “speaking truth to power.” Ross advises that we need to “call ourselves in” first, so our own emotional baggage does not block authentic conversations. Hear what early readers are saying here.

Ready to dive into the book and Calling In framework in community? Two invitations:

Looking forward to being in conversation and building community with you,

SURJ NYC Calling In Team

How do you want to show up?

Are you doomscrolling? Have you stopped looking at the news? How many conversations have you had recently where someone said, “But there’s nothing I can do”? 

If you are feeling overwhelmed, helpless, or not sure where to begin, join our chapter meeting this Thursday from 6:30-8:30pm on zoom. 

Have you called, emailed, and faxed your representatives, but aren’t sure what else to do? This meeting is for you too!

They want us to feel too overwhelmed to act. But we have power and the way we exercise it is through focused and sustained political commitment. We cannot do everything but we can do something, and that something matters. In this chapter meeting we’ll figure out our political commitments and get the support we need to live into them.

Onward,

SURJ NYC