White Supremacy in Boston, A Call For Accountability, For harm caused to Black women and MaGes*, *Marginalized genders, DiDi Delgado, #DoneForDidi

On Thursday 5/5, SURJ Boston and National met with 5 Black organizers to discuss direct actions to support Black women and MaGes*, *Marginalized genders

Organizers were met with White Feelings and a lot of "I don't wanna do the work today."

Over and over Black femmes stressed the importance of finding a way for SURJ to put aside their hurt feelings over an article that DiDi wrote 5 years ago and find a way to work together because the stakes are so high at this moment. The SURJ members appeared unmoved and remained unwilling to work towards building a relationship with DiDi or even be in contact with DiDi to get updates.

Later on the call it became clear that the decision not to work with DiDi was decided before the meeting although specifics about how this decision was made were not disclosed. By this point in the call every Black Femme had left the call in duress and I was struck that even after that, no SURJ member appeared bothered or impacted by that fact.

SURJ Boston-Showing Up for Racial Justice and SURJ National

Specifically, Phoebe, Z1, Misha, and Sasha (the SURJ representatives on this call) - Reparations are due.

The conversation mentioned, featured a whole host of white supremacy, but specifically a total disregard for and blatant attack on the wellness of every single Black femme present.

Ironically enough, it was as if you were enacting a perfect example of DiDi's article criticizing SURJ and other white led social justice orgs. This article has your feelings so hurt that you're "unable to have a relationship with DiDi despite DiDi's unbelievable local advocacy work?

Every time I've done any kind of work in the remotest proximity to SURJ Boston, it has ended up a shit show. I absolutely refuse to interface with any of them. They do not give a single solitary damn about the harm they cause. No one could pay me enough to put up with their shit. My heart is with the people they've harmed. If anyone is lacking the spoons to cuss them the fuck. out, tap me in. I've got words.

The meeting was a live action version of DiDi Delgado's article! SURJ Boston - Showing Up for Racial Justice is Toxic AF to Black folks!

The Caucasian Invasion Of Racial Justice Spaces

Because they don't like DiDi, they don't want to work with them; they shared Monica's fundraiser internally but didn't think to ask if it could be shared publicly so it wasn't, and then there was a lot of whining and blah blah about how they're not going to try to be better. people.

They're going to share the information about Monica's fundraiser and they're going to work with her participatory defense people to try to get more people to show up, but they really seemed to think that was enough. And they didn't understand why it was a problem that it took several weeks, an hour-long phone call, and the angry tears of four Black non-men to get there.

The SURJ representatives were smug, dismissive, and void of any decency, empathy, emotion, or accountability. They clearly hold a grudge against and don't want to work with DiDi. The meeting alternated between direct and passive aggression from SURJ representatives who were simply being asked to use their resources to support Black community organizers. They also refused to answer the question of whether whyte people made the decision to not work with DiDi due to confidentiality. It was repulsive from start to finish.