Upcoming Events
Note that all events listed on the calendar are in Pacific Time, even if the event is being hosted in another part of the country.
Or Shalom Jewish Community Presents: Reparations Shabbat
"Reparations in Pursuit of Repairing the World" by Ayeola Omolara Kaplan. Learn more about the piece here.
Reparations Shabbat
Saturday, February 1, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Join Or Shalom Jewish Community and Reconstructionist Communities from across the country for a “Reparations Shabbat”.
In January of 2023, Reconstructing Judaism, the official organization of the Reconstructionist movement, passed a Reconstructionist Resolution on Reparations, committing us as a movement to the work of grappling with racial harm in this country and to engagement in material acts of accountability.
According to the Reconstructionist Movement, “The goal of the Reparations Shabbat weekend is to facilitate both ongoing congregational study and action by identifying ways to join local reparations efforts.”
As a part of this movement-wide effort, Or Shalom is pleased to invite you to:
10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Shabbat Morning Services, during which we will read Parshat Bo as a model for Reparations
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Catered Lunch by and conversation with The Vegan Hood Chefs
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Panel discussion with:
Eric McDonnell, Chair for the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee &
Chris Lodgson, lead organizer with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC)
Join us for the whole day, or the part of the day that calls most to you! Space will be limited, so please register in advance to reserve your spot.
We will be collecting donations for this event, which will be split evenly between SF Black Wall Street, The Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC), and The Vegan Hood Chefs. More details coming.
*There are no stairs to enter this space. Masks are highly recommended when not eating or drinking. For our full covid policy, click here.
Bios
Chris Lodgson is a lead organizer and advocate with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC) and the Sacramento Reparations Collective. Both are grassroots, California-based organizations working for Reparations and Reparative Justice for descendants of persons emancipated in the United States (American Freedmen). CJEC is one of the seven community organizations selected by the California Reparations Task Force to conduct community outreach and education for Reparations. CJEC also helped write the final version of AB-3121, the law that created California's first-in-the-nation Reparations Task Force.
Chris is also the Community Organizing and Policy Manager in the Sacramento office of the Anti-recidivism Coalition (ARC), which empowers formerly and currently incarcerated people to thrive by providing a support network, comprehensive reentry services, and opportunities to advocate for policy change. Originally from New York City, now living in California, Chris has organized and advocated both independently, and with local community-based organizations, as well as with national nonprofit organizations, for over 13 years on both the East Coast and West Coast. In addition, Chris is also a strong advocate for Black-Owned businesses
Eric McDonnell is a People First Advocate, Strategist, Diversity Trainer, Executive Coach, and Keynote Speaker, in pursuit of positive impact in the world. With over 25 years of executive management and leadership experience, Eric provides strategic management consulting support to leaders and organizations in the non-profit, government, philanthropic, and private sectors. Services include – executive coaching, strategic planning, management and leadership development, DEI training, facilitation, and keynote speaking.
In his civic life, Eric served as the Chair of the SF Redistricting Task Force in 2011 and served as Commissioner for the SF Recreation and Parks Department 2013-2021. More recently, Eric served as the Chair for the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee 2021 - 2024. A native San Franciscan, Eric and his family live in the Bayview neighborhood, and he enjoys live music and cycling.
The Vegan Hood Chefs: Ronnishia Johnson and Rheema Calloway are The Vegan Hood Chefs. They specialize in turning many of our soul food and American style favorites into delicious vegan meals. Their passion for community organizing, creativity, and food has allowed them to launch a food initiative to help fight against food justice and social inequity within the San Francisco community. These chefs have recognized how nutrition education and access to healthy foods has contributed to the health conditions of many communities of color. Read more about them here.
Resources to help you prepare for our weekend together, recommended by our speakers:
The Atlantic – Ta Nehisi Coates Article - Case for Reparations
Article – Palm Springs: Section 14 - Reparations in Palm Springs
Bruce’s Beach - Return of Bruce's Beach - Video that traces the history of the land (Southern California) taken from and returned to the Bruce Family.
Additionally, please join Reconstructing Judaism over Zoom on Sunday, February 2nd at 10:00 am. for a panel discussion entitled “Reparations in Action: How to Move from Resolving to Repairing.” In this panel discussion, we will hear from different leaders in the movement about how Reconstructionist communities are committing to reparative action. Learn more and register here.
Love Over Fear
This event features a lineup of talented Bay Area immigrants and BIPOC musicians inspiring us to build solidarity in the face of racism, replacing fear, criminalization, and xenophobia with healing, inclusion, and shared humanity.
The proceeds from the concert will help Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity achieve their end-of-the-year fundraising goal of $100,000 to support immigration advocacy, accompaniment, and leadership development. We can only be as safe as the most vulnerable in our communities.
You can find more information, including the ticket link, on their website here: Love Over Fear – Benefit Concert! – Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity
California State Task Force Reparations For African Americans Discussion with Donald Tamaki
San Francisco Black & Jewish Unity Coalition Presents
People Get Ready Conference
People Get Ready is a 1-day conference for left political movements across California’s Bay Area to discuss analysis, strategy, and our collective fight for our future. The program will include sessions to assess current key threats facing our communities, from authoritarianism and militarism to transphobia and climate change. It will also include conversations on ways to build shared power and align strategies across different sectors of the left in the Bay Area and beyond.
Click here for more information and to register.
GEE’S BEND QUILTERS IN LECTURE AND EXHIBITION
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. FREEDOM CENTER PRESENTS GEE’S BEND QUILTERS IN LECTURE AND EXHIBITION
LEADING AMERICAN ARTISTS OF GENERATIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN TRADITION TO SPEAK ABOUT THE ROLE OF CULTURE AND ARTISTIC LEGACY IN PRESERVING DEMOCRACY LECTURE MARCH 4 AT OAKLAND MARRIOTT, EXHIBITION MARCH 3-25 AT JOYCE GORDON GALLERY IN OAKLAND
Oakland, CA —Members of the famed Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective from Gee’s Bend, Alabama, will give a lecture Saturday, March 4, at 7 pm at the Oakland Marriott, accompanied by an exhibition of 30 quilts March 3-25 at the Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland. The events are organized by the Oakland- based Martin Luther King Jr Freedom Center in partnership with Peralta Community College District and Joyce Gordon Gallery.
Quilters featured will be Ms. Mary Ann Pettway, Executive Director of the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective, and Ms. China Pettway and Ms. Julia Pettway. In addition to the lecture and exhibition, the Pettways will give in-school presentations at area high schools discussing the history of quilting and the central role culture plays in preserving and protecting democracy. Admission to the lecture, presented as part of the popular Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, is free with registration. To reserve your seats for the March 4th lecture, please RSVP by calling 510-434-3988.
Joyce Gordon Gallery is located at 406 14th Street in downtown Oakland, and is open to the public Wednesday through Friday 11 am-6 pm and Saturday 1-4 pm. An exhibition catalog is available. For more information about the Quilters of Gee’s Bend, the lecture and exhibition, visit www.mlkfreedomcenter.org.
Sponsors: Golden State Warriors, IBEW local 595, Northern California Carpenter and Blaisdell's Business Products.
To reserve your seats for the March 4th lecture, please RSVP by calling 510-434-3988.
For more information, click here.
43rd Black Cuisine Event
Bayview Senior Services is hosting its 43rd Black Cuisine Event
Family Reunion
March 4th
11am to 6pm
Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center, 1753 Carroll Ave, SF
Food tickets are $35 and include:
Food venues
African American Market Place Vendors
Health & Wellness Activities
Live Entertainment including: Martin Luther McCoy, Grand Theft, Talk of the Town, Seastrunk Brothers and more.
This is a non-smoking event.
43rd Black Cuisine Event
Bayview Senior Services is hosting its 43rd Black Cuisine Event
Family Reunion
March 3rd
1pm to 5pm
Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center, 1753 Carroll Ave, SF
Pre-order online for pick-up at blackcuisine.square.site or call 415-822-1444
Slavery and Liberty at America’s Founding
Slavery and Liberty at America’s Founding
Tuesday, February 28th at 7 p.m. ET
Join historian Edward Larson and others for a conversation on Larson’s new book, American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation, 1765-1795, exploring the paradox of liberty and slavery in Revolutionary America. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Panel: Reparations Now!
Panel: Reparations Now!
Tuesday, Feb. 28, 4 - 6 pm
Koret Auditorium, Main Library
As the movement for African American reparations builds across the nation, we discuss the history of reparations movements and hear from local leaders on how they are working toward solutions to repair the harm done to our Black communities.
Police Reform in the Bay Area: Local Efforts & Impact
National Council of Jewish Women San Francisco Diversity and Racial Justice Committee presents:
Police Reform in the Bay Area: Local Efforts & Impact
Now more than ever we are reminded of the critical need for police reform.
At the same time the public is fearful of crime. How do we address police reform in a progressive region such as the Bay Area?
Join us for a lively and thought-provoking panel discussion with Bay Area experts about the efforts toward police reform in an economically and racially diverse area and the types of obstacles blocking systemic change.
Featured speakers:
Chief Susan E. Manheimer (Ret.)
Formerly of San Mateo and Oakland
John L. Burris
Attorney at Law
Diana Rosenstein
Chief Attorney at San Francisco Department of Police Accountability
Feb 27, 2023 05:30 PM to 07:00PM
Use this link to register.
Workshop: Trauma, Tresses and Truth — Untangling Our Hair
Workshop: Trauma, Tresses and Truth —Untangling Our Hair
Saturday, Feb. 25, 12 - 3 pm
Fifth Floor Computer Lab, Main Library
This interactive session is a nurturing, intentional space to write and share your natural hair stories led by Lyzette Wanzer the author of Trauma, Tresses, & Truth: Untangling Our Hair Through Personal Narrative. Registration required.
When No One is Watching
Alyssa Cole and Rachel Feige in Conversation
Thursday, Feb. 23, 6 pm
African American Center, Main Library
Author Alyssa Cole and Rachel Fiege, SFPL Librarian, discuss Cole's book When No One Is Watching, our Jan./Feb. On the Same Page book selection.
Angela Davis & Stacey Patton in Conversation
Tune in to this powerful and thought-provoking SpeakOut virtual event featuring legendary scholar and activist Dr. Angela Davis, in conversation with journalist, educator, and author Dr. Stacey Patton, two of the most influential and powerhouse voices of our time. They will share valuable insights and dialogue on how to create a world that is more joyful, just, and human-centered by ushering the ideals of healing, love, and joy as forms of effective resistance. Sliding scale tickets start at $10. All who register will receive a link to watch live or later at their own convenience. ASL interpreted and English captioning provided.
Click here for more information and to register.
Original Sin: Slavery, Abolition, and America's Moral Awakening
Slavery is America's original sin. And yet, as Frederick Douglass argued, “Abolish slavery tomorrow, and not a sentence or syllable of the Constitution need be altered.” On Feb. 16, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society continues our series on the Constitution with a study of the 13th Amendment: its battle for, impact of, and legacy today. Our featured guest to lead this still important conversation, is award-winning Professor of U.S. History and Law at Duke University, Dr. Thavolia Glymph, an elected Executive Board Member of the Society of American Historians.
During our event, we will explore the economic impact of slavery, both as a Southern institution, but also as a driver of Northern manufacturing; and discuss Lincoln's views on the constitutionality of slavery, the legal basis for the Emancipation Proclamation, and why the 13th Amendment was still necessary even after Lincoln “freed the slaves.” Finally, we will detail the immeasurable impact of the 13th Amendment on African Americans and our society, and why we still grapple with the history of slavery in a nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
The Society's theme for 2023 is Crises & Heroes: How Our Nation Has Long Endured. On February 16, we will highlight the role that the 13th Amendment played in saving such a nation.
Dr. Glymph is Associate Chair of the Duke University Department of History and specializes in southern and nineteenth-century social history. Her recent book, The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation, won the 2021 Beveridge Award as the best English-language book on American history. Her first book, Out of the House of Bondage: The Transformation of the Plantation Household won the 2009 Philip Taft Labor History Book Award. Dr. Glymph is a past President of the Southern Historical Association and a current elected member of the Society of American Historians, the American Antiquarian Society, and the Board of Directors of the Gettysburg Foundation.
Register for this event here
African American Reparations Advisory Committee Meeting
African American Reparations Advisory Committee Meeting
Monday, February 13, 2023
5:30PM
Online
For more information, visit ths SF.Gov site.
Use this link to register.
Activity: Love Letters
Activity: Love Letters
Sunday, Feb. 12, 1 - 3 pm
African American Center, Main Library
Be inspired by the sultry music of Blues and Jazz legends while crafting a love letter to a spouse, family member, friend or yourself. This workshop is open to all ages and all skill levels.
Black Solidarity Week Day of Service
SURJ partner Community Ready Corps (CRC) is calling on white allies to move in solidarity by volunteering with CRC Allies and Accomplices for a Day of Service in preparation for the 6th annual Black Solidarity Week. We will put together PPE kits for CRC to hand out in the community. The event will take place outdoors and volunteers are welcome to join for any part of the shift. Join us for as little or as long as you would like; volunteers are not required to stay for the full shift. Bring your friends and please register.
Location: Montclair Park, 6226 Moraga Ave., Oakland
Click here for more information and to register.
Show Up for Racial Justice SURJ Bay Area Action Hours (Copy)
Want to take tangible steps to end racial injustice and white supremacy? Join a SURJ Action Hour! This is one way to truly Show Up for Racial Justice—and it's just an hour a week. We meet over Zoom to take concrete steps together: calling elected officials, signing petitions, etc. There are two times to choose from each week. Closed captioning will be available in the main room of Action Hour calls. Please register for these or future dates through February on the SURJ website.
Click here for more information and to register.
Show Up for Racial Justice SURJ Bay Area Action Hours
Want to take tangible steps to end racial injustice and white supremacy? Join a SURJ Action Hour! This is one way to truly Show Up for Racial Justice—and it's just an hour a week. We meet over Zoom to take concrete steps together: calling elected officials, signing petitions, etc. There are two times to choose from each week. Closed captioning will be available in the main room of Action Hour calls. Please register for these or future dates through February on the SURJ website.
Click here for more information and to register.
The History of the Abolitionist Movement
The History of the Abolitionist Movement
Thursday, February 9th at 12 p.m. ET
In celebration of Black History Month, the National Constitution Center presents a discussion of the rich history of the abolitionist movement in America with writers and historians Linda Hirshman, author of The Color of Abolition: How a Printer, a Prophet, and a Contessa Moved a Nation, and Manisha Sinha, author of The Slave’s Cause: A History of Abolition. They will explore the abolitionist roots of constitutional change, focusing on key figures including Maria Weston Chapman, Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Tubman, and more. Thomas Donnelly, chief content officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
This program is made possible through the generous support of Citizens and presented in partnership with the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia.
Community Ready Corps Allies & Accomplices CRCAA Divestment Webinar
What is the role of white people to address extreme racial wealth inequality? Community Ready Corps Allies and Accomplices (CRCAA) is hosting this webinar that calls on white people, and white wealthy people in particular, to examine our responsibility to change this reality. White people hold the vast majority of the world's wealth and power, upholding white supremacy and extreme inequities. We need to look in the mirror and get real with ourselves and each other about what we have, why we have it, and what we are doing with it.
Click here for more information and to register to attend.
Is Antisemitism Becoming Normalized?
From the streets of Charlottesville to the endless pages of Twitter the spectrum from antisemitism doh whistles to outright violence towards Jews seems to be coming up more and more .
It's easy to point to white supremacist protects chanting "Jews will not replace us!" and shootings at synagogues as proof that we must be on guard against antisemitism.
But then there are incidents like the twitter postings of Ye , Kyrie Irving, and other celebrities and influencers. There's former President Trump dining with holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.
From NPR: According to the Anti-Defamation League, 2021 was the highest year on record for documented reports of harassment, vandalism and violence directed against Jews. The watchdog group has tracked these incidents since 1979, and it says 2022 will look a lot like last year.
So what's going on? Is antisemitism becoming normalized or some version or form of it? What is acceptable speech and what's hate speech when it comes to this topic?
Joining us for this topic are Tyler Gregory, CEO of the Jewish Community Relationship Council, and State Senator Scott Wiener. More this below and more panelists may join!
Co-Sponsored by the Wallenberg Democratic Club
About Senator Scott Wiener:
Senator Wiener serves as Chair of the Senate Housing Committee and the Senate Committee on Legislative Ethics. He serves as Vice Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, immediate past chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, and Chair of the Senate Mental Health Caucus. Senator Wiener is a member of the Public Safety Committee, Judiciary Committee, Governance and Finance Committee, and Health Committee. He is the Senate Assistant Majority Whip.
Before his election to the Senate, Senator Wiener served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing the district previously represented by Supervisor Harvey Milk. During his time on the Board of Supervisors, Senator Wiener authored a number of first-in-the-nation laws, including mandating fully paid parental leave for all working parents and requiring water recycling and solar power in new developments. He focused extensively on housing and public transportation, authoring laws to expedite approval of affordable housing, legalize new in-law units, and tie public transportation funding to population growth.
About Tyler Gregory:
Tye joined JCRC as its fifth executive director in April of 2020. He was previously executive director of A Wider Bridge (AWB), a New York-based partner organization of JCRC that is working to advance LGBTQ equality and inclusion in Israel. During his six years as deputy director and later executive director of AWB, the organization grew from a Bay Area startup to a leading voice for Jewish and Israel inclusion in the fabric of LGBTQ and progressive America. Before AWB, Gregory spent several years working for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in San Francisco. He is a graduate of UC Davis, and a native of San Diego.
JCRC Bay Area is the largest collective voice of the Jewish community across San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. We advocate for Jews to be able to live their own authentic Jewish lives and believe that by working together with other communities, the full vibrancy and diversity of Jewish identity will be embraced and celebrated. We mobilize Bay Area Jews and our allies to counter antisemitism and rising hate, advance social justice, strengthen civic engagement, and ensure a combined response to critical issues we all face.
About the Wallenberg Democratic Club:
In 40 years of San Francisco activities, the Wallenberg club has become a top advocate for the Jewish community's essential issues. The Wallenberg Club has hosted local and statewide elected officials at numerous events and has been a platform for future leaders in our political community.
MJ's Brass Boppers
MJ's Brass Boppers
Friday, Feb. 3, 1:15 pm
City Hall side of City Hall Plaza
Bring the strut in your step and join us as we usher in Black History Month for a second line procession down City Hall Plaza. The second line will end at the Main Library's Larkin St. entrance for a short performance.
2023 Black History Month Kick Off Celebration: Black Resistance
Please join the Mayor London Breed for the 2023 Black History Month Kick Off Celebration on Friday, February 3rd at 12:00 PM in San Francisco City Hall, Rotunda. This celebration, with the theme this year: “Black Resistance,” is free to the public.
Please RSVP to MayorEvents@sfgov.org.
SF Office of Economic & Workforce Development
Happy New Year. The Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) is excited to head into 2023.
OEWD has been at the forefront providing critical resources and services for our business community, workers, and job seekers. We continue to focus on providing critical resources to our vulnerable communities and have set our sights on building the foundation for a diverse, resilient, and equitable recovery and economy.
We need to hear your voices, your ideas, and your priorities to help us realize the equitable outcomes we want to see in the communities and industries we serve.
OEWD will be holding three virtual public budget discussions to share our work and to hear directly from you to inform our budget priorities.
Monday, January 30, 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Focus on workforce development programs and resources such as our job centers, training, and hiring programs, and other career initiatives.
Register for this event here
How America Tried to Save the Jews from the Holocaust
The Holocaust is the greatest crime in world history. But one U.S. agency fought tirelessly to save the Jews from Nazi terrorism. On January 26, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society will host a special webinar to recognize International Holocaust Remembrance Day. During our event, we will share the remarkable—yet largely unknown—story of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s War Refugee Board. Our featured speaker to lead this important conversation is Holocaust historian, Dr. Rebecca Erbelding, who authored the subject’s authoritative history, Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America’s Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe.
According to Dr. Erbelding, the War Refugee Board represents, “the only time in American history that the U.S. government founded a government agency to save the lives of non-Americans being murdered by a wartime enemy.” We will therefore discuss the extent to which U.S. leaders knew that the Holocaust was happening, the heroic response of the War Refugee Board, and yet, why its first director believed the Board’s efforts were “little and late” compared to the systematic murder of six million Jewish people and millions of others.
Finally, with antisemitism again on the rise, we’ll discuss which lessons from America’s response to the Holocaust can still be learned from today.
Dr. Erbelding is an historian, educator, curator, and archivist at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. She recently served as an historical advisor and on-camera expert in Ken Burns’ documentary, “The U.S. and the Holocaust.” As part of her work, she's given presentations on Anne Frank, Holocaust-era diaries, U.S. immigration policy during the 1930s, as well as the “Hoecker album,” which depicts Nazi life at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Her book on the War Refugee Board won the 2018 National Jewish Book Award for Writing Based on Archival Material.
Register for this event here
MLK2023 CELEBRATION PROGRAM
The MLK2023 Celebration Program features an historic presentation by leaders on the state’s historic Reparations Legislation.
The program includes performances by San Francisco’s Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin.
Blue Shield of California Theater @ YBCA: 700 Howard Street
More information here: https://norcalmlkfoundation.org/mlkcelebration/mlk2023/the-mlk2023-celebration-program/?mc_cid=4eb886c12b&mc_eid=01e77c6010
MLK2023 MUSIC FESTIVAL
Enjoy the 13th Annual MLK Music Festival presented by Purple Cherry Productions and Yerba Buena Gardens Festival.
The MLK2023 Music Festival features Grammy Award Winning artist Tony Lindsay (formerly of Santana), RyanNicole, and spoken word from San Francisco Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin.
Hosts of the local hit show "I Remember That Song!" will bring Yerba Buena Gardens to life, while emceeing the performances.
Esplanade Stage at Yerba Buena Gardens
MLK2023 LIBERATION FILM SCREENINGS
The Liberation Film Festival (LFF) are dedicated to bringing short-format cinema and human-interest documentaries to the public through innovative programs designed to engage new and diverse audiences. 2023 marks the thirteenth annual program and will feature human interest and civil rights documentaries and, for the first time, animated shows. A partnership with California Newsreel, the screenings are free and open to the public with limited theater seating on a first-come, first-served, basis.
LFF scheduled screenings will be presented in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Screening Room and YBCA’s Blue Shield of California Theater.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
More information here: https://norcalmlkfoundation.org/mlkcelebration/mlk2023/the-mlk2023-liberation-film-festival/?mc_cid=4eb886c12b&mc_eid=01e77c6010
MLK2023 HEALTH & WELLNESS FESTIVAL
The MLK2023 Health and Wellness Festival gathers the region’s health providers for a one-day event of free services and exciting activities during the MLK celebration. COVID testing is also scheduled to be available during the MLK events.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum: 701 Mission Street
More information here: https://norcalmlkfoundation.org/mlkcelebration/mlk2023/mlk2023-health-wellness-festival/?mc_cid=4eb886c12b&mc_eid=01e77c6010
MLK2023 MARCH
Join thousands in honoring the Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama marches and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by experiencing the MLK2023 commemorative march/parade from San Francisco's Caltrain Station to Yerba Buena Gardens. The march begins at 11:00am on Monday, January 16, and participants are encouraged to arrive early. The 1.5 mile journey crosses the Lefty O'Doul Bridge and stops at Willie Mays Plaza at AT&T Park to commemorate the crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, a symbol of violence and victory in the civil rights movement.
Groups can register and march together at the MLK2023 March Eventbrite page.
At the conclusion of the march, in partnership with the San Francisco Interfaith Council, an interfaith commemoration will bring together the region’s faith leaders to commemorate the vision of Dr. King and to lead participants in a spiritual reflection of his message.
SF Caltrain Station: 4th Street@Townsend
More information here: https://norcalmlkfoundation.org/mlkcelebration/mlk2023/the-mlk2023-march/?mc_cid=4eb886c12b&mc_eid=01e77c6010
Unity Group is Active in 2020 Elections
The November election is rapidly approaching. Below is a list of organizations that the Unity Group is working with as we attempt to increase voting in communities of color and with young voters. Please join our efforts as we work to increase voter registration and combat the disenfranchisement of voters of color.
Even though we are “socially distanced, we are spiritually connected” (Gov. Andrew Cuomo.) We can get together virtually to reach out to voters and to those who should be able to vote but have been disenfranchised. Winning in 2020 means grassroots activism by people like us!
Opportunities to make a difference. Pick one and try it! Then let me know what you're doing! contact Dee Seligman, deesel91@gmail.com
· Reclaim Our Vote helps empower voters in communities of color in voter suppression states!
Reclaim Our Vote is a non-partisan phone bank, post carding and texting campaign created by the Center For Common Ground, focuses on contacting voters of color in voter-suppression states to help them register and vote. In 2020 it is focusing on Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas
Sign up for their trainings; then you can do the work totally on your own schedule!
Link to ROV web signup for new volunteers http://bit.ly/reclaimourvote or https://actionnetwork.org/forms/reclaim-our-vote-signup/
Reclaim Our Vote Phone banking trainings (please take both):
(1) Link to sign up for Andrea Miller’s(ROV’s founder) Thursday trainings (5 pm PDT)
or
https://actionnetwork.org/campaigns/intro-to-reclaim-our-vote?source=direct_link&
(2) Link to sign up for new volunteer training(1st & 2nd Tues 5 pm PDT, 3rd &4th Sat 10 am PDT)
https://actionnetwork.org/campaigns/new-volunteer-training-reclaim-our-vote?source=direct_link&
Reclaim Our Vote Postcard writing training: Postcard video - PLEASE do not share on social media https://youtu.be/Q3Z9AYeKQPg
· Democracy Action: https://demaction.us/ has a HUGE calendar of most of the Bay Area phone banks created by various organizations.
· San Francisco Swing Left’s phone banking:
Every Saturday we are calling voters in our swing districts, checking in to see if they are safe and healthy, and asking them if they need help or information. People are feeling isolated and scared, and they really appreciate these calls. We listen to their concerns, pass on resources, and recruit volunteers. We’ll train you how to do it at the beginning of each phone bank, and we’ll be available for questions and feedback the whole time.
· Sister District’s post card writing:
Every Wednesday from 5 to 7 pm, Sister District hosts Zoom virtual postcard writing sessions. They provide addresses, instructions, scripts, and company. You provide postcards and stamps. They are focusing on AZ Legislative District 6 to get voters signed up for Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) so they can safely vote by mail in 2020.
To receive your addresses, please RSVP.
If you prefer to write postcards on your own (no Zoom necessary), please register using this form
· Vote Forward (votfwd.org) letter writing campaign:
Use a form letter to which you add a sentence or two of your own. Send it to under-represented voters in such states as FL, TX, GA, and NC to get them to register to vote and to get out the vote. It’s a proven effective tactic to increase voter turnout and can be down on your schedule.