Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) – Twin Cities

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SURJ-TC Newsletter 6/24/24

Posted on by SURJ TC

Summer Activities Heating Up

Summer is here and the drought is definitely over. As the temperature heats up, so does this year’s election season. Volunteer opportunities abound for folks whose interests lie in that direction. Local, state and federal races will have a big impact on many racial justice issues, from the unequal impact of climate change and pollution on communities of color to the resurgence of open racism and anti-semitism.

We can also make an impact on racial justce issues through non-electoral activities. There are opportnuities to support recovery of Indian lands and plan for reparations for slavery and segregation.

Take a look at these chances to be involved and choose one that suits you.

In this issue:   

  • Makoce Ikikcupi landback fundraiser update
  • Campaign & Community Meeting for Ilhan Omar
  • Support building a mosque in Lino Lakes
  • St. Paul Reparations Committee Meetings
  • Opposing Genocide in Gaza

Thank You SURJ-TC for Helping Makoce Ikikcupi Acquire Wild Ricing Land

SURJ-TC members along with many others contributed financial reparations to help the Repair Communities for Makoce Ikikcupi blow past our goal of raising $60,000 to help Makoce Ikikcupi buy waterfront land/wild ricing land. The total raised was $66,490.

Makoce Ikikcupi, which means “Land Recovery” in Dakota, has a vision of building ten interconnected eco-villages by 2050. Two villages are already underway: Zani Otunwe (Village of Wellness) near Granite Falls, and Hohwoju Otunwe (Village of Vibrant Growth) in Mountain Lake. The organization has three primary aspects: return of Dakota land, revitalization of Dakota culture, and renewal of the environment,

On May 31, Makoce Ikikcupi closed on the property, which is located on Turtle Lake in Itasca County. It is 40 acres with 170 feet of waterfront. The property already has been given a Dakota name – Pratkasada Otunwe – which means Painted Turtle Village.

Let’s Re-Elect Ilhan Omar!

It is election season, and SURJ National is showing up for Ilhan Omar’s re-election! There are a lot of ways to plug in as volunteers. See options below, but first, here are some reasons to support her:

  • She has brought millions of dollars into MN District 5 community projects
  • Her team has helped thousands of constituents to, for example:
    • Restore Social Security benefits
    • Reunite families
    • Restore health insurance 
  • She was first in the US Congress to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and self-determination for both Palestinians and Israelis
    • By January 2024, she organized 384 world leaders to call for a ceasefire
    • She is a founding member of The Squad, which represents the advocacy of progressive policies by the younger political generation. We want to keep this group of nine legislators in office because no matter who is in the White House, they will continue to pull policy to the left. This is one reason why we want her back in office, and why folks outside her district have a stake in helping turn out to vote!

Ilhan Omar is a champion for justice. This next 35 days are a great opportunity to work for her re-election, which is not assured, despite all her accomplishments and leadership. 

 Lots of opportunities to volunteer!

  1. Mass Meeting: July 27. A coalition of groups and individuals are planning a large community/mass meeting to get out the August 13 primary vote (location TBD). This will be a warm and welcoming community space, where we’ll continue to build relationships, map out strategy and vision for the election and beyond, and together lay out clear plans for action.
    1. SURJ National staff organizer Celina Culver will be here in person, to offer skills training co-led with SURJ-TC people.
    2. Inspiring speakers and music performances!
    3. If you’d like to speak or play, please contact co-anchors Erika & Jem at showingupforracialjusticemn@gmail.com
    4. We welcome volunteers from now through July 27! Please contact Erika & Jem at showingupforracialjusticemn@gmail.com 

2. Relational Canvases to re-elect Rep. Omar, sponsored by the Ceasefire Choir

  1. The terrific team of leaders of the Ceasefire Choir, which sang repurposed Christmas carols for ceasefire actions in November and December, and has been singing movement and liberation songs at progressive actions about Gaza and the state of Israel ever since, are spearheading canvasses one night per week through August 13.
  2. All are welcome! Sign up here.

Saint Paul Reparations Commission begins its work!

The Saint Paul Recovery Act Community Reparations Commission is now appointed, staffed, and is meeting.  Come!  These are open meetings!  The next one is on Wednesday June 26th from 6 to 8 at the Wellstone Center, 179 Robie Street East, in St. Paul.  The fourth Wednesday of the month will be the regular meeting time going forward, so mark your calendar for July 24th, as well.

So far, the commission has been establishing its ground rules, electing officers, and generally getting organized.  In parallel to the city’s work, community conversation about reparations is also promoted by the East Side Freedom Library’s on-going “book club” (which often involves more than book reading and discussion).  Keep an eye on the Freedom Library’s website and Facebook page for that!

Help the Muslim-American Society build a mosque in Lino Lakes!

The Muslim-American Society of Minnesota proposes to build a mosque in a larger community of homes and commercial operations on a former sod farm in Lino Lakes.  The Madinah Lakes development would include many units of housing, a day care center, retail, and a grocery store all grouped around the mosque.  Although the proposed development conforms with the town’s own master plan,  it has drawn opposition seemingly based on Islamophobia and racism towards African immigrants.  (Some Lino Lake residents oppose it because they don’t want any high-density development on that land, too.)  Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-MN, points out that “previous developers did not face this level of opposition, or the threat of a moratorium.”  

A large, boisterous group pressured for a one-year moratorium on the project in a hearing before the Planning Board on June 17th, and the Planning Board adopted their recommendation.  In three hours of testimony, many speakers acted disrespectfully towards the Imam and others who spoke in defense of the project.  Ironically, the moratorium would apply only to the housing component; the mosque and the commercial segment of the construction could proceed.

The Lino Lake City Council will consider the moratorium resolution at its meeting on July 8th, in all likelihood.  That meeting will begin at 6:30, at the City Hall, 600 Town Center Parkway, Lino Lakes, MN 55014.  Previous experience with the Al Maghfirah Cemetery outside of Farmington shows that the presence of supportive white people can change the dynamics of a discussion like this one.  Please come, especially if you live in the northern suburbs!

Opposing Genocide in Gaza

JVP Power Half-Hour

We all face the profound complexities of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, followed on October 8 by near-daily, catastrophic bombardment of Gaza and the West Bank by the Israeli government. Many Twin Cities and U.S. Jewish progressives are showing courage and strength by showing up for a just, legal path forward.  

  1. Since mid-October, National Jewish Voice for Peace has conducted a 2:00 Central time Zoom gathering for any and all who are grieving, organizing, or simply wanting to not feel alone. Every weekday and some weekends, all can gather. 
  2. Twin Cities JVP is on Facebook, and has also been active since October 8th. 

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 specific 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, please email showingupforracialjusticemn@gmail.com.

Donate Today: Support SURJ-TC and Community

SURJ-TC is now able to accept online donations via PayPal! Visit our donate page and click the “donate” button to set up your one-time or recurring donation!

How will your donation be used? We are an all-volunteer group, and your donations will be put to good use, to help our chapter cover things like:

  • Compensating BIPOC partners for their time reviewing SURJ-TC curricula
  • Supplies and shipping costs for movement projects
  • Occasional chapter program costs
  • Basic monthly operating costs such as Zoom, our database, e-newsletters and action reminders, and our website

Makoce Ikikcupi and reparative justice

Posted on by abelb

Makoce Ikikcupi, a reparative justice project aimed at restoring Dakota homelands, is working on getting a bill passed in the state legislature to create a waiver process for Indigenous people to build and inhabit traditional forms of housing, without being in violation of state building and fire codes.

As the laws are now, Indigenous people can be criminalized for practicing this part of their culture. 

This is an especially important issue for white people committed to ending white supremacy. It shows a specific and highly impactful effect of ongoing colonization. Not only do Minnesota laws prohibit Indigenous people from building and inhabiting traditional housing, but building inspectors have already threatened Makoce Ikikcupi with fines if they continue their construction projects.

Waziyatawin, the executive director of Makoce Ikikcupi, has asked SURJ-TC for support.

Continue reading →

An update on Makoce Ikikcupi

Posted on by abelb

In our last post, we wrote to you about Makoce Ikikcupi, an organization that is aiming to restore Dakota homeland in Minnesota. Makoce Ikikcupi is currently working on bill HF1042/SF1087, which would create a waiver process to allow Indigenous people to build and inhabit traditional forms of housing. 

The good news is, this bill is moving forward: It is on the agenda for the MN Senate Labor and Industry Policy Committee on Wednesday, March 10th.

Because of the rules around bills and Minnesota congressional hearings, the bill also needs to get on the agenda for the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee before Friday, March 12th. If the bill doesn’t get this hearing before Friday, Makoce Ikikcupi will have to wait until the next congressional session to try again to get it passed. 

There are a few simple ways you can help ensure this bill’s success:

Continue reading →

Stories We Tell Ourselves: The White Policing Narrative

Posted on by abelb

The curfew has ended, the National Guard has left the streets, and the officers who murdered George Floyd have been charged — but the rebellion continues, and our work remains.  

Much of the mainstream rhetoric about the Minneapolis uprising initially focused on looting, destruction of property, and financial costs to the state. In recent days, we have seen a shift as reactionary media sow fear about a future without policing and minimize coverage of ongoing protests. Most of us as white folks have been taught, over and over, that police are here to protect our bodies and our property, and that this is what safety looks like. For many white folks, our first reaction is defensiveness and condemnation of the looting and burning of property.

Here at SURJ-TC, we are working hard to reject this rhetoric we have grown up with. We unequivocally support the uprising, and we believe the best way to end violence against Black people is by abolishing the police. We invite you to work with us on reframing the narrative, for yourself and those in your circles. We offer some reminders and questions for reflection:

1. George Floyd, and too many other Black folks, have been murdered by police. Property can be rebuilt, but lives can never be returned.

2. We live on land invaded and illegally seized by European colonizers, in an economy built off the backs of Black people, whom colonizers from Europe enslaved for centuries. Colonizers developed modern capitalism through genocide, looting, and exploitation of Indigenous, Black, and Brown peoples — and from these violent roots, white wealth continues to grow. From mid-March to mid-May, American billionaires gained $434 billion, even as millions of Americans lost their jobs. White supremacy is inherent to capitalism. It hugely benefits the white elite, and it brings significant advantage to the other 99% of white people.  

3. There is no “right” way to respond to such a violent history and reality. Our role as white folks is to help end the violence of policing, not to critique responses from Black organizers and community members. Describing certain protesters as “peaceful” and others as “violent” only justifies a militarized response of the state. As Trevor Noah and others have pointed out, white moderates will never accept any form of protest as ‘the right way’ anyway: even the simple act of taking a knee was unacceptable to many.

4. Important changes are happening, and inspiring promises are being made — but we have a long way to go to reach police abolition, and to build something new. It is our job as white people to center Black voices, to do the work of internal reflection without burdening BIPOC folks, and to stretch our imaginations to envision what a police-free future will look like.

5. Many neighborhoods are more connected than ever right now. As we begin to imagine a Twin Cities without police, let’s remind our white neighbors not to advocate for community safety efforts that closely resemble police. Help others get clear that the biggest threats to our communities are militarized police state presence and other white supremacist activity.

6. White supremacy is not only something to unlearn in our minds. White supremacy lives in our bodies. White folks must engage in deeper connection with our nervous systems and bodies to practice undoing this toxic wiring. Author and trauma specialist Resmaa Menakem speaks to this in his extensive work. 

We invite you to ask yourself: 

  • What does ‘going back to normal’ mean to you? What did normal mean for you, and what did normal mean for our Black communities?
  • What stories have you been told about what safety means? Where did these stories come from? Who is invested in these stories being true?  
  • What do you think ‘protecting your community’ means? Who and what are you protecting? How will you contribute to wider community protection that includes safety for Black folks?
  • We don’t want to replicate cop-like behavior in our community safety work. How can you root this role in care for the uprising and your neighbors, not in fear of damaged property? Where is the line between community defense and policing each other? 
  • • How can you respond when you hear neighbors, family, friends, say things like, “There’s a suspicious person walking on our block”? “I agree with what they’re saying, but not with how they are acting”? “We all need to come together right now; there’s too much anger”? 
  • When white elected leaders call for “peaceful” protest and police reform (instead of abolition), how does this perpetuate violence against people of color, and especially Black people? 
  • As damaged buildings and businesses are rebuilt, how will you help prevent gentrification of these communities? How will you stay in relationship with this work and your neighbors long-term? 

These are not rhetorical questions. Write down your thoughts and talk to your friends and family.

Finally, internal work is essential to dismantling white supremacy, but these questions are not a substitute for showing up in action. Concrete steps for white people include: 

  • Sign the petition and volunteer to collect signatures for Recall Freeman
  • Move your money to organizations working toward a just and police-free world, including Black Visions, WFPC Front Lines Fund, and Minnesota Voice
  • Show up in the streets: Follow Black Lives Matter MN and CAIR-MN on Facebook to stay up-to-date on events in the Twin Cities 
  • Support mutual aid and community resources: Visit Uprising Minnesota for current asks, demands, and resources 
  • Contact your representatives to demand police abolition: 

Minneapolis City Council

St. Paul City Council

Minnesota Legislature 

Re-building a community where Black people can truly thrive will require deep, long-term cultural change. It will take committed thought, vulnerability, and our most open imaginations to demand an end to policing, and to fight for our collective liberation.

Show Up for Anti-racist Actions around the Super Bowl

Posted on by abelb
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How does white supremacy manifest in Minneapolis? Selling out our city to the Super Bowl, an event that will disrupt and threaten the lives and livelihoods of our local communities for the benefit of the rich and corporate class.

As Minnesota steps into the national spotlight, we have a unique opportunity to turn attention to the racial injustices and oppression that make our state one of the worst places to live for people of color.

Whatever your interests, abilities or level of risk, there’s a role for you! Please fill out this short survey to indicate how you’d like to support, participate and take action!

Read more about the different coalitions and actions below… 

Continue reading →

SURJ MN response to Charlottesville

Posted on by abelb

This weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, white supremacists and Neo-nazis protested the planned removal of a monument to a racist leader — and thousands of anti-racists rallied to shut down the display of hate, racism and bigotry in their community. In an act of white terror, a 20-year-old white man from Ohio accelerated his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one and starkly reminding us of the deadly threat of white supremacy, not only in Virginia but across the nation.

Make no mistake, these white nationalists, Nazis, and alt-right fascists are here in Minnesota, too. They are beside us at work, in our neighborhoods, and at our family gatherings.

Continue reading →