Family-friendly ways to resist white supremacy this weekend
Recently many families are asking how they can show up in response to the upcoming White Supremacist Rally planned at Crissy field on Saturday, August 26. While it is important for folks to show up at Crissy Field to resist messages of hate, this may not be a safe option for families and vulnerable communities. For those folks who are interested in going to Crissy Field or just have questions about the permitting (as in (WTF? How did Militant White Nationalists get “permitted” to walk in our national park?), read their official statement.
In response, my friend Julie, and active member of SURJ Families (a group of families who have come together to advocate for racial justice and share anti-racist parenting strategies) has put together a list of family-friendly ways folks can resist without going to Crissy Field. With her permission, I’ve posted an email that they are sharing with families in their group.
Family-friendly ways to resist white supremacy this weekend
By Julie Roberts-Phung
Hi friends!
With white supremacist groups coming to the Bay Area this weekend, people are finding lots of ways to show up and resist. We hope that you will to this in whatever way is right for your family, and that you’ll continue working against everyday racism in our communities, schools, and lives long after these more visible examples of racism have left.
As a White parent, I want to especially urge folks like me to make sure to show up. It’s overwhelmingly our people leading and showing up at the rallies for hate, while families of color, LGBTQ, disabled, Muslim, Jewish and immigrant families who are being targeted with violence (and yes, many of us also share these targeted identities). Some of the families of color in my life are counter protesting, and some are staying inside for safety and self care. It’s especially important for White folks to do our work for racial justice this weekend.
Some family-friendly options are highlighted below. Bay Resistance also has a list of events beyond the family friendly ones here in English and in Spanish. Note that Abundant Beginnings, SURJ, OFC and friends will be supporting a day camp on Sunday in the East Bay to provide child care for grownups who want to counter protest without children.
Lastly, if you’re looking for powerful resistance art/posters/t-shirts, check out The Artivists. They’re three young intersectional feminists who have been generous with their art and images. You can make a poster or t-shirt with some of their art at the Saturday art build, or buy them here. (with proceeds going to various movements).
Family-Friendly Events
Saturday August 26 – Family Art Build And Teach In to Fight White Supremacy
East Bay (Abundant Beginnings, Our Family Coalition & SURJ)
Location: Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave, Piedmont, California 94610
Time: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Join us in creating a family friendly space to take a stand against white supremacy! We will have sign and t-shirt making, story time, and learning activities for young activists and their adult allies. We will be celebrating our resilience and our future while rejecting ongoing white supremacy and state violence. Check the Facebook page for any changes before you come.
Saturday August 26 – Come Together – Rally & March For Equality
San Francisco (Women’s March San Francisco)
Location: This is a march leaving from Harvey Milk Plaza (2401 Market Street) to Civic Center
Time: 12 pm start
The organizers of this march plan for it to be family friendly. Follow the Facebook page for more information. “August 26th, Women’s Equality Day, we will gather again to celebrate and fight for social justice – to show we stand in force against those who believe we, or anyone, are less than.”
Sunday August 27 – Sanctuary Homes & Racial Justice Playdate/Day Camp
(Playdate from 10-12. Camp from 10-5)
East Bay (Hand in Hand, Mujeres Unidas y Activas, Abundant Beginnings, Rice and Beans Preschool Coop, La Plazita Preschool, Our Family Coalition and SURJ SF & Bay Area Youth and Families)
Location: Frog Park, 5353 Miles Avenue, Oakland, CA
Time: 10 am – 5 pm (Sanctuary Homes Playdate 10-12 and Racial Justice Day Camp until 5 pm)
This is a family play date and teach-in about the Sanctuary Homes movement from 10 am – 12 pm. There will also be a free racial justice day camp (10 pm – 5 pm) where your children can be safe while you counter-protest. You will need to sign up for this free day camp online and/or in person. Sign up for the day camp here.
Come enjoy a storytime and Mariela MusicTime as you learn how to support immigrant families in the face of escalating ICE raids and deportations. The day will include legal resources as well as children-friendly activities to support adults and children alike in understanding how, no matter where on comes from, we all deserve dignity and safety. Abundant Beginnings will lead a circle time for older children (6 and up) that focuses on racial justice.
Sunday August 27 – San Francisco Anti-Racist Story Time
San Francisco (SURJ)
Location: Natural Resources – 1367 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
We will be focusing on the current events and on resisting white supremacy and taking action in our communities. This will be a good opportunity to practice age-appropriate language for racism and helping your young activists understand what is going on right now.
In solidarity,
Julie
Can’t make it to a protest?
There is still a lot you can do. Check out this SURJ Families zine for more ideas:
You can still get copies of the awesome @ShowUp4RJ zine for Families Taking Action for Racial Justice! https://t.co/1QIUaBiI4a
— SURJ Families Team (@SURJfamilies) April 6, 2017
*SURJ Bay Area is a mixed race group of folks who have come together in the wake of police brutality and hate that has been escalating since Black Lives Matter hashtags started inundating our social media feeds. SURJ stands for Showing Up for Racial Justice. One of their main focuses is to show up in active and visible ways in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. SURJ Bay Area has a San Francisco chapter. Check out their SF Facebook group and a SURJ Families group for more information.
What are you doing this weekend to show your resistance to hate in our city, streets, and schools? How are you pushing back on racism and white supremacy with your family in safe and kid-appropriate ways?
Related reads:
- #WhoWeAre – Using Stories of Empathy to Disrupt Narratives of Hate
- Three Simple Ways to Address Skin Color Bias with Kids
- One Step Back, Two Steps Forward–Starting a Black Family Affinity Group at your School
- Resources for Conversations about Race
There is going to be a human heart shape banner event at Ocean Beach too. Here is the information. https://allevents.in/san%20francisco/together-we-will-stop-hate-heart-shaped-human-banner-8-26/379638819117498
I’m thinking about the civic center march/protest. However, the Ocean Beach Heart is something which resonates for me too.
Thanks for this post. See everyone on the streets on Saturday.
My family and friends held an impromptu intergenerational, multi-racial teach-in and art making activity. There was a lot of conversation, creativity, sharing, unpacking, learning and love… and so much more to do.
If you have any resources or learning that came out of this, I’d love to share it here for other families.
It was a very special and surprising gathering… I learned things about my family that I didn’t know before!
My side of the family (who are white), my husband’s side of the family (who are Black) and another family (of Indian descent) came together in an art studio in Alameda on Saturday.
We used a pretty simple format, starting with creating group agreements and intentions, and using a talking piece… guided by the idea that we have a lot of wisdom in the room, and we don’t have to have all the answers. I started by asking the question “When did you first notice race when you were growing up?” and we each had a chance to answer. Then we paired up and shared w/ each other examples of protecting loved ones from racist acts. Returning to the group, we shared those stories and recorded their themes on a big piece of paper. We also did some role-playing along the way to engage the young ones and help them understand things in a more relatable way. (cont’d)
Using our big list as prompts, we then spent the last part of our “Family Resistance Art Party” creating art that showed some way we could each respond to racism. As a closing, we shared our artwork, along with our intentions going forward.
Although I didn’t use it for this, I was very inspired by the materials in “Love, Race and Liberation,” edited by JLove Calderón and Marcella Runell Hall. It’s available in PDF form at the link below, highly recommended for educators and people who are ready to engage with conversations on race.
https://collectiveliberation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/love,race,%20liberation.pdf
Thank you!
You are wonderful!!! Thank you for sharing this! I would love to post this as a regular blog post if you’re comfortable sharing. THANK YOU!!!