Summer Activities Heating Up
In a typical election season, minutes can feel like hours and days more like months. In this current election season, which continues to unfold in ways that feel anything but typical, it’s a lot to keep up with. A news cycle that’s breaking even while we sleep. Tirelessly pivoting and holding onto hope with every tumultuous turn. We wouldn’t blame you for feeling a little, well, tired.In times like this, it’s good to reground in what really matters. Like turning down the noise and amplifying the causes we know will shape the 2024 elections and our communities for years to come. Creating the blueprint for the progressive future we’re committed to building, at home and abroad. Then finding new ways to refocus our collective energy and resources where they count most. Read on for more ways to organize, act and make an impact.Together, we can!
In this issue:
- Mass meeting to defend Ilhan Omar’s seat a big success
- Attend a West Bank share-back & build solidarity from afar
- Stand against censorship of Palestinians & supporters in healthcare
- Explore abolition as a personal & collective practice
- Attend a National Reparations Conference
Don’t Agonize, Organize! Mass Meeting to Re-Elect Ilhan Omar Goes Well
Over 50 people came together at New City Church in Minneapolis on Saturday July 27th to build energy and momentum for the election campaign season. Ilhan Omar, 5th District Congressional representative and member of The Squad in Congress, stopped by to thank us for helping with her primary campaign and to describe the joy she gets from serving in Congress.
SURJ National staffers Z! Haukeness and Celina Culver described SURJ’s commitment to blocking Donald Trump’s return to office and building a strong multi-class, multi-racial coalition to counter fascism. The general mood in the room was far more optimistic about the fall elections because Kamala Harris is the Democratic Party’s nominee! SURJ-TC will have many opportunities to work towards her victory in Wisconsin, a swing state, as the fall progresses. SURJ National will be calling on us to make some visits to our sister-state across the St. Croix!
In the meantime, though, we have two weeks to turn out the vote for Ilhan Omar in her primary election August 13th. Sign up with Take Action MN for door-to-door canvassing and phone banking – every little bit helps!
Share-back from the West Bank: The Violence of Occupation in Masafer Yatta
Join other SURJ-TC members at Moon Palace Books on Wednesday, August 7th at 6:00pm to hear Josina Manu Maltzman’s eyewitness account of human rights violations in Masafer Yatta and what we can do about it from Minneapolis. Limited free copies of The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi will be distributed to participants. Registration required. Masks required. ASL interpretation available on request.
RSVP here: https://www.shorturl.at/Shi6N
Stand Against Censorship of Palestinians and Their Supporters in Healthcare!
In June, an employee-planned event at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) centered on Palestine was first approved, then called off, by hospital leaders. Employees say they organized the event to discuss Palestinian culture and history, including an update from a local queer Palestinian doctor on how current events in Palestine affect healthcare workers locally and abroad.
Learn more about the postponed event and actions being taken by HCMC employees in the wake of the postponement, including their petition to stand against censorship and stand with Palestinian supporters in healthcare.
Abolition Accountability Circle: Exploring Abolition as Personal and Collective Practice
Join fellow members of SURJ-TC for bi-weekly virtual meetings centered on learning about abolition as a daily, personal act and as a series of actions we can take together in our fight for racial and economic justice.
Meetings are virtual and open to all. This series is facilitated by SURJ-TC’s action and mobilization team.
Bi-Weekly on Mondays (Series began July 15th)
2:30 PM-3:30 PM CST
Virtual
RSVP to: dr.rddrake@gmail.com.
Black August National Reparations Conference
Join Black Lives Matter Minnesota for a powerful event dedicated to discussing and advocating for reparations for the Black community. This in-person conference on Friday August 10th and Saturday August 11th will be held at the Hilton Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Hotel, 3900 American Blvd. The keynote speaker is Friday Jones, the vice-chair of the Los Angeles Reparations Advisory Committee. Come together with like-minded individuals to learn, share, and strategize for a better future. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a meaningful conversation and make a difference! Register here! This event is free and open to everyone.
Volunteer with SURJ-TC
SURJ-TC works as a local chapter for SURJ National. Our work is local and so are our volunteers. Within this volunteer-driven culture, we strive always to make our work as transparent and non-hierarchical as we know how while holding ourselves accountable to organize white people to build the political will to end white supremacy and implement our theory of change (i.e., self-education, action, and calling in more white people).
We welcome volunteers in our working groups and teams and can offer a variety of tasks and areas of interest. Currently we have the following opportunities available:
- SURJ-TC Communications Working Group is looking for volunteers to help with monthly email set-up and social media posting support.
If you’d like to find out more or are interested in other ways to get involved, email showingupforracialjusticemn@