Southern Anti-Racism Network (SARN)

SARN expands into South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama
Theresa El-Amin will take on the role of regional organizer and relocate to Georgia in December 2010. SARN is on a campaign to raise $10,000 by October 2010 to support the expansion. Please send your generous donation to P.O. Box 52731 - Durham, NC 27717 or donate online.

Anti-Racism Work in the Age of Obama
The Independent Progressive Politics Network (IPPN) and SARN will collaborate on a campaign: Anti-Racism Work in the Age of Obama. The first phase of the campaign will be a national tour of college campuses using the Ella Baker Tour model and drawing in experienced organizers from the labor, green, anti-war, reparations, political prisoners, education equity, end mass incarceration and anti-imperialism movements for intergenerational dialogue on how white supremacy intersects with other oppressions and to explore a vision of a world without racism and white supremacy. Please help support this important work by sending your donation to P.O. Box 52731 - Durham, NC 27717 or donate online.

Study Group on The Cost of Privilege
At our 10-year anniversary we announced our intention to engage in a work-study method to identify strategic alliances for ending racial disparities. SARN, along with other community groups, is collaborating with activist Chip Smith in a study of his book The Cost of Privilege. The study group has begun meeting but and is open to new members. Contact us for more information.

Mission Statement
SARN develops campaigns and projects in the South led by people of color to address racial disparities in education, health care and economic opportunities. We work across the fault lines of race, gender, class, age and immigration status.

Our Work

Ella Baker Tour

Ella Baker, 1903 - 1986

The Ella Baker Tour brought together veterans from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) with students from high schools and universities around the country to teach about and recruit to the movement for social change. The Ella Baker Tour and Retreat were made possible by a grant from the We Shall Overcome Fund and many other generous donors. Please check out our final report.

SPICE
In 2001, SARN created SPICE - Strong Parental Involvement in Community Education. SPICE is an organization of parents with children in Durham Public Schools. Parents came together to support efforts to close the achievement gap between African-American and white students in Durham Public Schools. SPICE has a two-pronged mission to close the achievement (literacy) gap and the digital divide. The main program of SPICE is a family literacy class that provides home computers to families who successfully complete the classes.

On April 19, 2007, SPICE celebrated its 5-year anniversary with a graduation bringing the total families served to 262. In June of 2007, SPICE became its own independent organization.

Our History
The Southern Anti-Racism Network (SARN) originates from the Challenging White Supremacy Workshop (CWS) Online. The CWS Workshop online was a year-long virtual learning experience to "find, recruit, motivate and educate" anti-racist activists throughout the US. When the online workshop ended in December 1998, approximately 20 Southern Participants in 7 states formed SARN.