Plainfield Opera House
Sunday Sept. 20th 2-5pm

Join us on Sunday, September 20th from 2-5pm for an interactive workshop to learn about our new Central Vermont Showing Up For Racial Justice (CVt SURJ) chapter! We will spend this time starting to build relationships, skills and political analysis to act for change. We are excited to work with all folks who live in rural areas or towns in Central Vermont who want to take action around the racism and white supremacy in our own backyards while supporting national racial justice organizing efforts. Please come with your an open mind and an open heart and bring your interested friends, family, coworkers and neighbors! The workshop will be followed by a time to socialize and break bread with each other—please bring some food or drink to share.

"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 know that to transform this country we must be part of building a powerful multiracial majority to challenge racism in all its forms."
(from national SURJ website)

SURJ is a national network of groups and individuals organizing primarily white people for racial justice. Here in Central Vermont, we are following the lead of some other more rural SURJ chapters and opening up our chapter to whoever feels moved to show up—white folks, folks of color, mixed folks, etc. We know that what works for folks in more urban, racially diverse parts of the U.S. is different than what will work best here, and we are ready to take risks, make mistakes and try new things out. We are excited about using some of the framework of SURJ and also developing our own framework that works best for our unique political landscape here in Vermont.

the opera house is wheelchair accessible by a lift and equipped with an accessible gender neutral bathroom on the ground floor. we will be providing childcare upon request (email: anders@riseup.net) and ask that folks refrain from wearing fragrances for the health of other chemically sensitive community members.