Toward Peace and Justice

Joanna Farias

Joanna with a batch of her lemon-balm iced tea.

Friends,

Peace grows from the ground up. When people have the means to support their communities and families, peace flourishes.

For the young gardeners of South Los Angeles’ Central High School, improving food access in their neighborhood is a priority. This spring, they led community members through their three-year-old garden to show off the beets, carrots, collard greens, and kale they’re growing. They also passed on lessons about the health and economic benefits of urban gardening.

Madjoma in DC

Madjoma Cisse, now 19, shared her family's deportation story in Washington, D.C., in June 2012.

In this month’s newsletter, General Secretary Shan Cretin asks people to join AFSC in the march for humanely reforming immigration policy. 

IHTD Youth in Washington DC

Image Available on Flickr

Youth group from Miami prep to visit their congress person during IHTD's Lobby Day
Photo: Carl Roose

In her monthly newsletter, General Secretary Shan Cretin considers the culture of militarism in the U.S. and what all of us can do today to pave the way for a truly secure future.

TPJ March is women's history month

AFSC celebrates Women's History Month.

In her monthly newsletter, General Secretary Shan Cretin reflects on women change-makers from AFSC’s 96-year history and our partners for peace around the world, as well as the courageous young activists who they have inspired.

Denver demonstration

Photo: Justin Valas

In this month’s e-newsletter, General Secretary Shan Cretin shares evidence that AFSC’s message about the power of nonviolence is taking hold.

Peace Torch

AFSC uses the "peace torch" to bring people together across lines of religion and ethnicity. 

Working for world peace

Friend,

A world at peace. What a powerful possibility to consider! A world with no bombs falling on children in Gaza or Afghanistan. With the thousands of soldiers killed in pointless wars instead at home celebrating this season with their families. With a trillion dollars to spend on infrastructure and human needs at home.

Of course, real peace requires much more than ending war.

That’s why the American Friends Service Committee addresses the seeds of violence within communities, removing the barriers to peace. We understand that nurturing the capacity for peace on a personal level is one essential step along the way to building peace in neighborhoods, cities, nations, and the world.

This year, we’ve seen our work for peace at every level make a real difference in people’s lives.

The state of Maine established an AFSC-supported truth and reconciliation process—the first in the United States to focus on child welfare issues—encouraging healing and disclosing the truth about the removal of Native American children from their homes and tribes as part of a policy of forced assimilation.

Last month, the United States renewed its relationship with Myanmar (Burma) after decades of sanctions. For the past seven years, AFSC has been quietly working there in support and recognition of the tremendous forces for change bubbling through the country’s civil society.

I invite you to join me on Thursday, Dec. 20, for a look at highlights like these and to hear what 2013 will hold as AFSC continues paving the path of peace. I will host our monthly program update call at 6 p.m. EST. You can register online today.

In the meantime, please enjoy a slideshow of photos from AFSC’s work this year to see what it looks like to build a world at peace in some of the communities where we work.

In peace,

Shan Cretin
General Secretary

Friends,

One thing will be clear when Congress convenes on Tuesday: A compromise on the 2013 federal budget must be reached to avoid blanket cuts to everything from domestic programs to military spending.

Funding for the social safety net, health care, and education must not be sacrificed in favor of the military; the United States already accounts for a staggering 43 percent of the world’s total military spending—nearly five times more than China and Russia combined.

Friends,

The belief that communities must develop their own means to overcome injustice and sustain themselves is at the heart of the American Friends Service Committee’s approach to building peace. As we move from one place to the next, we adapt our programs, informed by the strength and vision of each new partner community.

Still, consistent themes cut across the communities where we work. AFSC is able to bring lessons learned in one community into another, exploring ways to meet local needs, respect local culture, and build on each other’s wisdom.

Stop hate SB 1070 protester

Help us meet our Sept. 30 challenge!
To secure a generous grant of $1.7 million that will sustain our work for peace and justice, we must raise matching funds of $800,000 by Sept. 30. 
Can we count on you? Make your gift at afsc.org/match.

Dear Friend,

Peace is not a destination; it is a way of living, a way of treating every other person, community, and nation with dignity and respect. In our work for peace, the American Friends Service Committee fosters compassionate truth-telling, healing, and reconciliation across the sharp edges of conflict. We bring people together across geography, race, ethnicity, religion, and class using many tools—the arts, interfaith dialogue, nonviolent activism, and advocacy. And we work tirelessly for the just economic and social conditions that make peace possible.

Dear Friend,

Respect for human rights is essential for a peaceful society. We each have a duty to ensure that every one of our neighbors is treated with dignity and respect. The American Friends Service Committee has  been standing with immigrants and their families since 1924, when we responded to anti-immigrant laws of that era that sought to exclude immigrants from Asia, Mexico, and Southern Europe.