White People Showing Up for Trayvon Martin A Statement of Support From White People Showing Up For Racial Justice We are deeply saddened, and equally outraged over the tragic murder of 17-year old Trayvon Martin. Saddened losing a young boy full of love, promise, his whole life ahead of him. His life was stolen–he was targeted & hunted–because of the color of his skin. Saddened by the continued disrespect and disregard for Black and Brown boys and young men. Equally, we are outraged over this modern day lynching. Outraged that law enforcement decided the 240-pound man, armed with a 9mm gun, was acting in self-defense against a 17 year-old unarmed boy, allowing his killer to walk free. Outraged knowing that this is not an isolated incident, but a continued miscarriage of justice devaluing Black and Brown lives. This month two young black men, Justin Sipp and Wendell Allen, were shot and killed by New Orleans police officers within a week of each other. But this is not just a Southern issue, it’s a national issue. Last month in New York, unarmed African-American teenager Ramarley Graham was shot and killed by police in his own apartment. Now we add Trayvon to the long list of murdered African-American young men, such as Sean Bell, Oscar Grant, Amadou Diallo. The list goes on. How many other murders throughout our cities have been covered up? Why does it take this level of mobilization and outcry for justice to be considered? This would not happen if it were a white victim. Racism in America continues to hurt, and kill, Black and Brown people. The criminal justice system including prisons are deeply racist institutions, primarily serving the interests of the economic elite and police, and punishing working class communities, particularly communities of color. Given what we are up against, we both support the call from Trayvon’s family, and we call on white people around the country to join the struggle for fundamental changes to the grossly unequal and unjust political, economic, and social institutions in our society. We support immediate action on the demands of Trayvon’s family, and we re-commit ourselves to the struggle for equality and racial and economic justice in all our communities. We stand for an America where all life is valued and protected equally. In very different ways, and not to be compared to the devastating impact on Black and Brown communities, these continued acts of injustice hurt white people, too. Our collective humanity is tied to the well-being and safety—physically, emotionally, spiritually–of all people. We believe that no one is free until we are all free. White People Showing Up For Racial Justice stand as allies for the Trayvon Martin family, we stand in solidarity with people of color who are leading organizing efforts against racial profiling, police brutality, and the continued criminalization of Black and Brown youth. We are asking our white brothers and sisters across the nation to stand with us; to make our voices heard collectively; to say enough is enough. We urge you to support Trayvon’s mother and father’s plea: For Norman Wolfinger, Florida’s 18th District State’s Attorney, to investigate the murder, and prosecute George Zimmerman for the shooting and killing of Trayvon Martin. We are also urging action people to sign the petition that was started by Trayvon’s family at ColorofChange.org to the US Attorney General and Florida US Attorney, urging them to do a full and fair investigation of the case: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Trayvon/?source=coc_website In addition to signing the petition, please circulate this link through your social media networks. MISSION: SURJ is a national network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial justice. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. We work to connect people across the country while supporting and collaborating with local and national racial justice organizing efforts. SURJ provides a space to build relationships, skills, and political analysis to act for change. VISION: We envision a society where we struggle together with love, for justice, human dignity, and a sustainable world. WHY:
We live in a time of great hope and possibility, yet the potential for a just world for all of us is not possible when racism and oppression keep us divided. This can make us forget how closely connected we truly are. Racism is still present throughout all of our contemporary institutions and structures. Racism is devastating to people of color and is closely intertwined with all systems of oppression. It robs all of us- white people and people of color- of our humanity. We honor and learn from the long history of people of color and white people who have been unrelenting in their struggles for racial justice, and ending all systems of oppression. We are showing up to take our responsibility as white people to act collectively and publicly to challenge the manipulation of racist fear by the ruling class and corporate elite. We know that to transform this country we must be part of building a powerful multiracial majority to challenge racism in all its forms. OUR WORK: We have two committees that lead our work: Communications Working Group– clarifies our materials, develops & compiles tools, and communicates our vision Base-Building & Organizing Working Group-trains individuals on how to bring an explicitly anti-racist analysis to community organizing, and coaches and mentors new and developing activists and organizers in the field. Central to our efforts to support base-building of white people, we plan to bring white people who are engaged in organizing in primarily white communities together for three days in the Spring of 2012 to build our collective skills in organizing for racial justice. This training is part of a broader strategy of SURJ to significantly expand the base of white people who can work in powerful and respectful partnerships with people of color to build a broad-based multi-racial progressive movement for racial, social, environmental and economic justice. For more information, contact: showingupforracialjustice at gmail dot com
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