What skills, tools and approaches are useful in encouraging white people to sustain balanced engagement with anti-racism/racial justice education and work? How can we cultivate resilience (as opposed to white fragility) in ourselves, our communities, and our movements?

White Fragility is defined by Robin DiAngelo as “A state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation (2011).”

What skills, tools and approaches are useful in encouraging white people to sustain balanced engagement with anti-racism/racial justice education and work? How can we cultivate resilience (as opposed to white fragility) in ourselves, our communities, and our movements? Resilience is, in part, defined as:

1. Staying with the conversation

2. Giving and receiving information and feedback from facilitators and peers without becoming highly defensive, reactive, or shut down/dissociated for long period of time

3. Managing the guilt and shame that can arise in learning about the history and current reality of race and racism in the US.

This workshop will explore the role of the body, community, spirituality, intellectual knowledge and other themes that you bring from your experience. We will cover basic information about how the brain and body responds to perceived threats, and explore how to work with this toward greater resilience in moments of challenge.

This workshop is for all experience levels. Participants will be invited to discuss in small groups, move around the space, and hold their bodies in different shapes for 1-2 minutes if available. Content will be presented in both verbal and written formats.

Sliding Scale: $15-$85. No one is turned away for lack of funds. Preregistration is required due to limited space and a pre-workshop assignment.

ASL Interpretation: Requests must be made at accessibility@surjbayarea.org no later than 9 PM, September 12.

EVICTION SUPPORT NEEDED: Tomorrow morning, Friday in Berkeley. Camp across from Seabreeze Deli, University & Frontage Rd.
CalTrans is coming between 7:30 & 11:30am. Come ready to assist residents and document. #WhereDoWeGoBerk

— Indybay (@Indybay) September 20, 2019

“Where do we go?” March to the West Berkeley Town Hall Meeting

Join the unhoused residents of the Seabreeze and I-80/University encampments in a march to the West Berkeley Homeless Town Hall Meeting. If you are housed, please march with us in solidarity.

Objective: This is a march to demand an answer to the question: “Where do we go?” Homeless residents at these encampments are tired of the constant harassment, citations, and arrest. All want a clean and safe place to stay. They want a lawful place to stay. Instead of harassment, they want an answer: “Where do we go?”

Where: We will meet at the Seabreeze Market, 598 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94710

When: We will gather at 1:30 p.m, Sunday, 9/22/19. We will begin the march at 2 pm.

Route: Is approximately 1.9 miles. Exact route TBA. We will march to 999 Harrison Street, Berkeley

Want to Help: We need paper for signs, pens, water, food, rides back from the meeting, rides to meetings, etc. We need a bullhorn too.

Bring: Please bring signs, drums, etc. We will also make signs at the Seabreeze Market.

In order to raise awareness about the reality of the climate crisis, as well as the actions in the coming days, we will be disrupting traffic and performing outreach to every car stops. Low risk and high rewards, we’ll offer trainings day of.

Use swarms, banners, theater, dance & music to disrupt traffic & communicate with drivers.

A Night for the Buffalo: Buffalo Field Campaign 2019 Road Show presentation

Marking 22 years of front line action for the wild buffalo, the 2019 Buffalo Field Campaign Roadshow is coming to the Bay Area on September 27.

When: Friday, Sept. 27, 7 pm  

Where:  the Art House Cultural Center, 2905 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley

Buffalo Field Campaign co-founder and field organizer Mike Mease brings captivating stories and striking film footage direct from the land of the buffalo, in a multi-media presentation, with Indigenous soul music by flutist Mignon Geli..

The Buffalo Field Campaign works to end the slaughter and harassment of the last wild herds of buffalo in their native habitat in West Yellowstone, Montana.

BFC used video documentation, non-violent direct action, education and lobbying to change archaic laws targeting buffalo. Volunteers from around the world spend every day, sunrise to sunset, monitoring, documenting and running patrols on skis, snowshoes and other means to defend buffalo as they migrate in their traditional winter habitat.

They bring new stories every time they come to the Bay Area, so come on out on Sept. 27 for a very special event!

We ask for donations at the door, NOTAFLOF.  Wheelchair accessible.

Info: bach [at] headwaterspreserve.org, buffalofieldcampaign.org or 510-548-3113.

Get together with other filmmakers, writers, and actors in the area to co-create amateur scripts and films together.

All skill-levels are welcome. No equipment or experience required.

Bring light snacks and drinks.

***Please bring ideas, but this is NOT a pitch night or a recruiting social for you existing project. The point is to find out what we can create together.

Join SURJ San Francisco in a human billboard outside the Ferry Building demanding justice for immigrants.

We will be working on signs at 10 am starting at 10am at 1270 Sanchez Street (see https://www.facebook.com/events/2483115868436862/ for more info), and then traveling to the Ferry Building together.

Join us for either or both.

We’ll be training rebels at Ohlone Park in Berkeley in preparation for next Wednesday’s swarming and the die-in for life. If you’d like to meet other rebels and get looped into next week’s actions, please join us!

11:00am – 12:00pm: Potluck picnic

12:00 – 1:30pm: Learn to swarm!

1:30pm – 2:30pm: Die-in rehearsal

*Note that you do not need to attend a training in order to participate in next Wednesday’s action. Just show up at Civic Center Plaza and we’ll loop you in!

Democratic socialist politicians like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez are calling for Medicare for All and a Green New Deal. Teachers from West Virginia to Oakland are striking for public education and winning, and tens of thousands of people across the country are getting involved in the project of building democratic socialism in the US. But what is democratic socialism?

Let’s talk about it.

If you’re a new DSA member or just curious about democratic socialism, come out to Democratic Socialism 101 and find out how to get involved in DSA’s fight for democratic control of the things that matter on the job and in your community and the things we all need to lead a dignified life.

Look for the DSA banner and red t-shirts!

Since the 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign brought democratic socialism back into the mainstream, the Democratic Socialists of America went from about 6,000 members to 60,000 nationwide, making it the largest socialist organization in the US in more than 50 years.

Accessibility Information: Event is located in an outdoor park

EVICTION DEFENSE NEEDED: Tue Oct 22 – Wed 23, 8am-4pm. Camp behind Home Depot at E8th/Alameda Ave. Support needed, bring supplies, cameras to document. Be prepared to defend residents who refuse to move.

EVICTION DEFENSE NEEDED TMRW Tue Oct 22-Wed23 Camp behind Home Depot. E8th/Alameda Ave Support needed 8am-4pm Be prepared to defend residents who refuse to move

— Anti Police-Terror (@APTPaction) October 22, 2019

EVICTION DEFENSE NEEDED: Tue Oct 22 – Wed 23, 8am-4pm. Camp behind Home Depot at E8th/Alameda Ave. Support needed, bring supplies, cameras to document. Be prepared to defend residents who refuse to move.

EVICTION DEFENSE NEEDED TMRW Tue Oct 22-Wed23 Camp behind Home Depot. E8th/Alameda Ave Support needed 8am-4pm Be prepared to defend residents who refuse to move

— Anti Police-Terror (@APTPaction) October 22, 2019

Caltrans is coming on Thursday, Oct. 24 and 25 for Berkeley Homeless. Upstairs/Downstairs will be hit on Thursday. Gilman and Ashby/Shellmound on Friday.

The majority of the residents and have approved an occupation of the two encampments. Meaning residents are inviting homeless throughout Berkeley to move to the Seabreeze/I-80 Underpass to stand collectively together. Currently, homeless in downtown Berkeley are being harassed and many are being cited with violation of the sidewalk ordinance. A one time occupation where we can stand together will demonstrate how many are tired of being kicked around. This (see below) is what I shared on FB. Please feel free to share our message with everyone. We need help. Thanks so much!

Please read and share. Are you homeless in Berkeley? Are you housed and want to stand in solidarity with us.We are asking all homeless who are tired of being kicked around, harassed, vilified, hated and alone to join the encampments at the Seabreeze and under the I80 underpass. We have room for your tent. Caltrans is coming this Thursday, October 24th. Come and pitch your tent so we can collectively tell the Bay Area that we are human and that we exist. Alone you can be harassed but we can stand together as human beings to demand an answer to “Where do we go?” So many citations are being issued in downtown Berkeley each week. There are evictions all through Oakland this week. All are welcome to join us. This is a nonviolent action. Know that you are worthy and you are not invisible. A movement has started, join us. #wheredowegoberk

Caltrans is coming on Thursday, Oct. 24 and 25 for Berkeley Homeless. Upstairs/Downstairs will be hit on Thursday. Gilman and Ashby/Shellmound on Friday.

The majority of the residents and have approved an occupation of the two encampments. Meaning residents are inviting homeless throughout Berkeley to move to the Seabreeze/I-80 Underpass to stand collectively together. Currently, homeless in downtown Berkeley are being harassed and many are being cited with violation of the sidewalk ordinance. A one time occupation where we can stand together will demonstrate how many are tired of being kicked around. This (see below) is what I shared on FB. Please feel free to share our message with everyone. We need help. Thanks so much!

Please read and share. Are you homeless in Berkeley? Are you housed and want to stand in solidarity with us.We are asking all homeless who are tired of being kicked around, harassed, vilified, hated and alone to join the encampments at the Seabreeze and under the I80 underpass. We have room for your tent. Caltrans is coming this Thursday, October 24th. Come and pitch your tent so we can collectively tell the Bay Area that we are human and that we exist. Alone you can be harassed but we can stand together as human beings to demand an answer to “Where do we go?” So many citations are being issued in downtown Berkeley each week. There are evictions all through Oakland this week. All are welcome to join us. This is a nonviolent action. Know that you are worthy and you are not invisible. A movement has started, join us. #wheredowegoberk

What will it take to truly address the systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism, and war economy plaguing our country today? The answer is presented in the Poor People’s Campaign Moral Budget, which lays out the policies and investments to address the widespread and systemic injustices we face.

We invite you to come together with other supporters of the Poor People’s Campaign to learn more about these solutions through our Moral Budget Reading Group. This will be a space for us to develop our collective understanding of the policies we’re working towards and how they will affect the lives of the people in our communities.

The next meeting will happen on Saturday, October 26th from 3-5pm. We’ll be discussing the chapter “Investments in Democracy & Equal Protection Under the Law” (pages 14-30).

You can view the Moral Budget on your computer here: http://ppcbayarea.org/moral-budget. We’ll also have printed copies available for purchase for $10 at the meeting.

We hope you’ll join us to be part of this reading group. Forward together, not one step back!

SUPPORT NEEDED TUES & WED 8AM-4PM High St camp @ Alameda Ave/E8th (nr HDepot) is getting demolished and towed. Need help to document and share food.

— Anti Police-Terror (@APTPaction) October 29, 2019

SUPPORT NEEDED TUES & WED 8AM-4PM High St camp @ Alameda Ave/E8th (nr HDepot) is getting demolished and towed. Need help to document and share food.

— Anti Police-Terror (@APTPaction) October 29, 2019

The United Front Against Displacement, an organization composed of Homeless and housed activists, is holding a rally Tues., Nov. 5 at 8 am on West Grand and Wood St., (2217 Wood St.) to defend the Wood Street encampment. The residents have been repeatedly threatened by the City of Oakland with the towing and seizure of their vehicles, shelters and personal property.

The City of Oakland and the Oakland Police Department have been harassing a local encampment on Wood Street, issuing them a series of “notices to tow” by claiming that their shelters were abandoned or inoperable, subject to tow and removal. Residents have been given three contradicting warnings to vacate.

Confusion has been heightened as city officials have backed away from previous promises of expanded services in the area. Residents and activists have mobilized over the last year against treatment by the city of Oakland by rallying at the Oakland City Hall. At the Nov. 5 action, residents and homeless advocates will come together in an attempt to stop the evictions on Wood St. and West Grand Ave. and fight back against this latest upcoming attack on their community.