Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)

I was just on the call for white women and it was useful, practical, and powerful. I encourage white men to attend this.

It's time for the white men to come through! Join us THURSDAY White men, this is our chance to throw down big and open the political terrain to advance our progressive values. White men are Donald Trump’s strongest base of electoral and financial support, yet we have an undeniable stake in electing presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Only by doing so will we have a fighting chance to win what we all deserve: a country that guarantees safe housing, health care for all, and a fair paycheck for a fair day’s work. We also need to be explicit about rejecting MAGA. White men have so much to gain- a strong shared interest- with people of all races and genders in defeating Trump. 

Great work Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) on the national mobilization for white people for a multiracial democracy last night. ICYMI Showing Up for Racial Justice was founded in 2009 in response to Black civil rights leaders calling on white believers in Black civil rights to organize white people. It is a national organization with local chapters all over the country made up of white people engaging other white people in the struggle for justice, all in accountability to Black leaders locally and nationally. Last night thousands of SURJ members joined to learn about SURJ's plan to block MAGA by mobilizing white volunteers to doorknock, call, and text white voters in key states and listen to them. For white people passionate about blocking MAGA and growing the white stripe of the rainbow coalition that makes up the majority of voters in the United States, I highly recommend joining and supporting SURJ. Learn more at surj.org For all people passionate about building multiracial democracy, I highly recommend joining and supporting the Working Families Party. We are building a multiracial party of working people to transform our country. https://lnkd.in/gxHD4pyB Working Families Party is hosting a mass call on Friday, July 26 at 3 pm ET/ 12 pm PT. This call is great for people who are not into politics. Highly recommend signing up here: https://lnkd.in/gvwb9hXB #unitepeople #endracism #interracialsiblinghood #interracialsolidarity #multiracialdemocracy Photos below are Jennifer Knox, National Director of Organizing & Tech Innovation at the Working Families Party and Erin Heaney, Executive Director of Showing Up for Racial Justice from last night's call.

SURJ is seeking a Communications Director! Join our growing team fighting fascism and bring hundreds of thousands of white people into fights for racial and economic justice! $100k-$120k, fully remote, great time off polices and a passionate, brilliant team! We're interviewing on a rolling basis as applications come, so please apply ASAP! https://lnkd.in/dm2YGVws

New York's reparations commission is a "step toward dismantling a deep-rooted strategy of racial division that has long been stoked by those in power for their advantage," writes SURJ executive director, Erin Heaney in NYN Media. Read Erin's latest op-ed—linked in the comments—for more on how reparations can help improve life for ALL of us.

SURJ’s work to bring white working-class people—Southerners in particular—into movements for racial and economic justice has deep roots. Our history is tied to and informed by the Original Rainbow Coalition, organizing for Jesse Jackson’s campaigns in the 1980s, the Kentucky miner union’s Battle of Blair Mountain and so much more. Today, as we face an uphill battle against yt supr3m@cy, knowing our histories helps fortify us with lessons that fuel resistance. Thank you to Beth Howard—Appalachian People’s Union director for SURJ, Carla Wallace— SURJ co-founder, longtime political activist Eddie Wong, and Young Patriots co-founder Hy Thurman for this powerful article in Convergence Magazine. Read "Building the White Stripe: The Young Patriots, Jesse Jackson, and SURJ” at the link in the comments.

The racist legacies of the Civil War still haunt this country. Organizing white folks away from a white supr3m@cist agenda is the work we inherited in the ongoing fight against Confederate ideology. The impacts of this ideology can be seen at every turn. It plays out in the rhetoric and policies that oppress and murder people of color, and keep working-class communities divided along lines of race, gender, nationality—and more—in order to serve the narrow interests of the one percent. Our work to fight this ideology and its impacts is far from done, but together we can make a difference. SURJ is proud to partner with best-selling author and political expert Steve Phillips for TWO virtual deep dives into the lessons and strategies in his book “How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good”, moderated by SURJ’s executive director Erin Heaney. ⏰Join our Instagram Live on Thursday, March 14 at 12 p.m. ET 🔗And register to attend our webinar for a deeper dive into the topic on Thursday at 8 pm. ET About the book, Steve shares, “We are at war. A civil war. We’ve been in this war since 1861. This prolonged war is a battle between those who believe America is fundamentally a white nation, and those who believe this is a multiracial democracy. Wars are not just fought with guns and bullets on a battlefield. They’re also fought with words and ideas; with policies and legislation. Those fighting for wh1te supr3m@cy have always been the minority and continue to rely on an old Confederate battle plan rooted in inciting fear, distorting truth, and silently sanctioning terrorism. In contrast, we, the multiracial progressive new American majority have never stopped striving for freedom, justice, and equality for all. In recent years, the new American majority have been fighting with a liberation battle plan of our own. We need to prioritize and invest in progressive leaders and organizations who mobilize voters and have proven that they know how to win. This is how we win this war.” Register: https://lnkd.in/gY28Y6V5

❤️🔥White folks—we’ve gotta get into fighting formation! ❤️🔥 Trump swept the GOP primaries and is now the de facto nominee for president. A MAGA victory over the presidency and Congress in '24 would be dangerous for all of us and threaten the existence of democracy in the U.S. As white people who care about justice, we are clear that undermining white support for Trump is critical work. Alongside Trump’s victory last night, hundreds of thousands of Dems voted “uncommitted” or abstained from a Biden vote in protest of his policy on Gaza. Since Oct. 7, over 30,000 Palestinians—one-third being children—have been killed by the Israeli government. Nearly 2 million have been displaced from their homes, millions more starving and lacking access to clean water or basic healthcare. This is morally unconscionable, and it isn’t good for any of us. Our government pours billions into war and then defunds schools, healthcare, and housing. Changing the Dem's course on Gaza is part of what it will take to defeat Trump, and SURJ is proud to be working on both fronts. We've begun reaching 12 million white voters in strategic swing states to block Trump. And alongside our partners, thousands of SURJ members continue to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire. To pull off our plans, we must grow. Join SURJ communities around the country tomorrow for a Grow the Movement Livestream as we dive into our plan for how we can—and must—take accountability for white people and bring our folks into the movement en mass. 📅 DATE: Thursday, March 7 🕖 TIME: 7 pm ET │ 6 pm CT │4 pm PT 📍 LOCATION: Find one of the 110+ in-person watch parties happening, or join us online—link in comments. 🌟 Our vision—We need YOU with us to help build a vibrant massive coalition that can hang together across differences and mobilize our communities for racial justice. 📺 At your local Grow the Movement Livestream, you’ll join with community as SURJ breaks down the analysis, strategy, timeline, and field of play. Don't miss this opportunity to get involved early and make a vital difference! Together, we can move masses of white folks off the sidelines and into the movement for racial justice. Sign up to join at the link in the comments ⬇️

Hello 👋 from the SURJ volunteers, watch party coaches, members, and staff working behind the scenes to bring you 150 🌱 Grow Our Movement Watch Parties 🌱 across the country on Thursday, March 7th. If you’re reading this, don’t fight fascism alone! Join us by hosting a gathering in your home after Super Tuesday where you and your friends, neighbors, and family can tune into a SURJ livestream to hear our plan for how we can work together to grow a movement big and bold enough to beat back authoritarianism and advance racial and economic justice! SURJ has a plan to bring in tens of thousands of people off the sidelines and into the movement, and we need you with us to help make it happen. ➡️ Check the link in the comments to sign up as a watch party host. 🎂🧶⚽️ If you’ve ever hosted 3 or more folks for your kid’s birthday party, to watch a sports game, or for a knitting club, you can host a watch party. We promise. No other experience is needed. Just a couch, a phone or computer, and 3 people to invite. 🤝 SURJ will set you up with a coach to walk you through the details and we’ll offer training to get you started. Can’t attend our live watch party host training on Feb 29? No problem! Sign up anyway and we’ll send you instructions on how to host a winning watch party. 💬 And if you know someone who you think would be a great host, or who you’d like to host a watch part with—send them this post! Thanks to everyone who made this pic possible including Isabella Townsend, Z! Haukeness, and more!

From rising temperatures to rising authoritarianism, it can feel like any action we take right now is too late. As white people organizing white communities, we have the opportunity to invite our people in with an alternative message: “You’re right on time.”