The Advocate

SWAI, the San Leandro White Antiracism Initiative (pronounced "sway") is having our next meeting on Wednesday, October 20, from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. We will be having a presentation from Neighbors for Racial Justice (N4RJ). Contact SWAI@googlegroups.com to join and get the Zoom link. Blurb by N4RJ — Confronting Racist Profiling: Committing to Safer Communities is a 90-minute presentation given by one person of color and one white person. This includes a facilitated dialogue. Learn how our conditioned racist beliefs undermine public safety efforts and drive profiling that brings devastating harm to our neighbors of color, especially those who are Black. The presentation includes personal storytelling and actions to confront racist profiling in your community. The content was created by Neighbors for Racial Justice under the guidance of a Black, women-led council.  About SWAI — We are a group of neighbors, organizers, and allies committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusio

It starts and ends with the emails. So many emails. From 6:00 AM to well past midnight. Responding to aspiring politicos, friendly peers, allied organizations, and others needing subject matter expertise in legal assistance, fundraising, networking, or updates on current events, among a milieu of miscellany. After that, it's dashing across town for a local event -- coffee with the cops, a community clean-up, canvassing for a ballot initiative or new candidate, maybe attending a rally and protest. Then it's dashing back home to hop on for a few consecutive hours of Zoom calls with fellow activists to research, review, and write up public comments or civic education and outreach materials. By this time, we're well into the working lunch hour with a less formal meeting between new stakeholders wanting to jump in headfirst or tentative residents dipping their toes in to learn more. Sometimes it's a very formal meeting with new officials hoping to build bridges or test bound

Well everyone, it has been an intense and harrowing year, filled with tragedies both local as well as national. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, issues across the socio-political spectrum have exposed deep fissures of suffering, bigotry, and injustice. There have also been bright spots, from adventures in Zoom to community charity events, but these have largely been muted by the overarching reality that has faced us starkly and unavoidably. In no way has this been more painful than in the lives of approximately 450,000 Americans who have died as a result of the coronavirus. That said, here are my resolutions for 2021: 1. Healing my mind & body. This goes from exercise to diet to medical treatment to therapy and beyond. As I move through my mid 30's with my wife and children, I can't be as cavalier about these issues anymore as I was in my 20's. 2. Cultivating habits for happiness. I mean really reprioritizing professional and personal activities with better boundar