Let’s Talk About Race
When the words “Standing Up for Racial Justice” (SURJ) come to mind, one might think of a Black Lives Matter protest. This event was different. The SURJ meeting took place on Tues., Sept. 27 in Beacon, New York.
According to the organization’s website, “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.”
The meeting took place at the “BEAHIVE” in Beacon, and the room was small with chairs arranged in a circle. Roberto Muller was the only man present for the meeting but also one of the most vocal attendees. As someone of a mixed race, Muller often feels caught in the middle. Originally from Cold Spring, Muller said that it is easy for him to be subtly racist because he grew up in a white town. “We reap the benefits of the original oppression that took place many centuries ago,” he said. “How do you go about undoing that, and racism in general?”
Amanda Loviza Vickery, a reporter for the Times Herald Record, believes that undoing racism starts with breaking down the walls of “us versus them.” She recalled a time when she was living in Washington, D.C. after Eric Garner had just been killed by a police officer. “My friend and I were out to eat with our husbands and we saw a ‘die-in’ taking place on the streets,” she said. “My friend and I decided to take part and as we laid down, the black people laying near us all thanked us for stepping up.”
Cat Kotlowski, a Newburgh resident, recalled a time when she directly encountered racism but did not speak up as much as she would have liked to. Back when she was in high school, she and her friends were driving around in New Paltz drinking and smoking. Cops pulled them over and yet, it was only her black friend that was pinned against the car with his hands held behind his back. At the time, she did not speak up because she was “afraid”. “I can understand why people don’t want to leave their comfort zone,” she said. “But it’s important to know why things are difference and the role that white privilege plays in all of it.” She said that her situation could have been even worse but is thankful that it was not.
Perhaps the most somber moment of the night was when Ava Bynum, one of the SURJ leaders, spoke of unarmed shootings done by the police. “We’ve been in contact with the Hudson Valley’s Black Lives Matter movement and we are preparing for the inevitable moment,” she said to a room of heartbroken faces. “We’ve started gathering resources, assigning roles to everyone, and bracing ourselves for what’s to come.”
Bynum, previously a trainer for the Center for the Study of White American Culture, an organization with a similar mission to SURJ, hopes that the people who attend these meetings gain a sense of dedication that has them coming back. “I want them to understand their role as white people when it comes to undoing racism,” she said.
Sarah From, Bynum,’s co-leader, became involved in SURJ over the summer but has similar goals to Bynum. “I hope that people have expanded their thinking when it comes to encountering race,” she said. “It’s white people’s to work end racism after we’ve created a system of white supremacy.”
What’s something that resonated with meeting attendees? “Be there,” Kotlowski said. “Don’t think that if you walk away, it’s not still happening.”
