Tag Archives: Benicia Black Lives Matter

Anti-racism, Black Lives Matter, Racial justice, SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice)

INVITATION: White people and not giving up– a SURJ mass call

From Progressive Democrats of Benicia, December 2, 2020

BenIndy Editor: Dear friends – As you are no doubt aware, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida are enacting blatantly racist and illegal laws. They are not only rewriting maps. They’re rewriting history. Or rather re-rewriting history. It’s a re-do of the blatant backsliding after the multi-racial reforms that followed our Civil War.  This is NOT just a Southern problem. The South is OUR South, and historic racism in the US is OUR legacy, OURS to reform once again. I received the following invitation to all who are like me, a black-lives-matter white person, engaged in the struggle and threatened with burnout. Consider tuning in on Wednesday, May 20. Sign up here (or below). – Roger Straw

The email: White people and not giving up– a SURJ mass call

By Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), May 12, 2025

It’s rough out there. The onslaught of political bad news, senseless violence, misogyny, and racism is enough to make even the most seasoned organizers want to throw up their hands. These are the exact times– when we’re tired and feeling hopeless– that we can get curious and be intentional about how we sustain ourselves in this work.

We’ll explore these topics and more next Wednesday, May 20 at 8 pm ET (5 pm PT) at a SURJ mass call, “White people’s work to not give up: a conversation on strategy and staying for the long haul.” We’ll be joined in this virtual event by Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, former Director of the Highlander Center in Tennessee and movement strategist, and Scot Nakagawa, the Director of the 22nd Century Initiative and leading political thinker, who have been movement leaders for decades and bring hard-won lessons about how we stay in it.

On the other side of guilt, shame or feeling like we need to make martyrs of ourselves is a joyful, steady commitment. We’re working to get there together.

See you Wednesday–
SURJ

Showing Up for Racial Justice
2870 Peachtree Rd NW
Suite 915-2117
Atlanta, GA 30305

Benicia Black Lives Matter, Poetry in Benicia

Benicia’s Black Poetry Celebration – Next week Wednesday!

BLACK POETRY CELEBRATION
WED. APRIL 29 2026, 6-8PM
In the Library’s Doña Benicia Room
Also on Zoom: bit.ly/blackpoetrycelebration
Click image for full size poster.

Benicia Black Lives Matter invites you to a dynamic Black poetry event celebrating the depth, resilience, and brilliance of Black voices across generations, highlighting powerful works from lesser-known poets spanning the Reconstruction era to today.

Blending history with living artistry, the evening also features original performances by a diverse lineup of presenters:

    • Myla J., a compelling youth artist and orator
    • Devin Tademy, a passionate student leader and poet
    • Valdez Hill, a multifaceted poet and musician and host of Voices at the Table
    • Simone Nia Rae, an evocative artist and musician
    • Jacalyn Eyvonne, Vallejo’s Poet Laureate for 2024–2025 and
    • Brandon Greene Esq., a civil rights attorney whose artistry bridges music, poetry, and justice.

Together, they create a rich intergenerational experience that honors legacy while amplifying fresh, contemporary voices.

BLACK POETRY CELEBRATION
WED. APRIL 29 2026, 6-8PM
In the Library’s Doña Benicia Room [Map] Also on Zoom: bit.ly/blackpoetrycelebration
Benicia Black Lives Matter, Juneteenth

Library and Benicia Black Lives Matter Present Juneteenth Program

THIS WEEK THURSDAY!

Radical Reparations
Thursday, June 19
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Benicia Public Library and Zoom

In honor of Juneteenth, the Benicia Public Library and Benicia Black Lives Matter invite the community to a powerful and timely program titled “Radical Reparations: Unpacking Freedom and Justice on Juneteenth.” This free event will take place on Thursday, June 19, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Benicia Public Library and will also be available via Zoom.

The Benicia Library is at 150 East L Street – map.

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion featuring Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter, scholar of race, politics, and African American life, California State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan and Brandon L. Greene, Esq., civil rights attorney and advocate. Together, they will explore the concept of radical reparations—examining its historical roots, current implications, and potential pathways toward justice and healing for Black Americans.

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and invites reflection on the continuing struggle for equity. This program encourages open dialogue and deeper understanding of what true freedom and reparative justice look like in today’s America.

This event is free and open to all. For more information or to receive the Zoom link, please contact the Library at (707) 746-4343 or visit www.benicialibrary.org.

More from BenIndy Editor…

Here’s the ZOOM LINK:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87297469848?pwd=yGZYUl4XxF00vCDdfzpelJUfiHaFk5.1 ]

Black lives matter! And multiracial solidarity is increasingly important in our times as we confront a powerful and coordinated renewal of overt white nationalism.
…..– Roger Straw, Editor

…
>> Celebrate Juneteenth with this delicious poem by Amena Brown…

JUNETEENTH

We carry liberation in our cheekbones
We fold the stories of our ancestors
Into song
Into science
Into fashion
Into food
Into innovation
We follow the recipe in the legacy of our people
And it is there we nourish ourselves

We gather
Here
Together
To bring ourselves to a table where love
is always served
Let’s come home to each other
We are our own harvest
We are our own healing place

We gather
Here
Together
To heal
To remind ourselves of a freedom song
To sing for those who may not feel like singing
To sing for those who are no longer here
to sing
To honor the freedom we have
And fight for the freedom we have yet to see

We rest and we protest
We pick beans and pop gum
We pontificate
We fix grandma a plate

Our joy is our resistance
Our beauty is our glory
Our courage is our resilience
Our freedom is written
in the follicles of our hair
In each other
We have strength for the journey
…………………………………………Amena Brown, 2021