Philadelphia, PA (May 17, 2023) – The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has hired Rick Wilson to serve as the organization’s U.S. economic justice director. In this role, he will advance AFSC’s historic work challenging economic inequality.
Rick has been a part of AFSC since 1989 in various roles, including policy change work at national, state, and local level. He has participated in several major labor strikes and lockouts. Rick holds a BA and MA degree from Marshall University and has taught sociology there and at WVU Tech, with a special focus on the more negative aspects of human behavior (conformity, obedience to authority, social control, and violence). He most recently served as the director of AFSC’s West Virginia Economic Justice program. Rick has also served several years as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Milton, West Virginia. When not traveling, he will divide his time between West Virginia and Vermont.
“In a time of rampant inequality, economic factors are driving forces of many social problems from politics to climate. Economic justice work has been a major part of AFSC’s history for over 100 years. I’m hoping we can build on that history, "said Rick.
In his new role, Rick will be responsible for leading AFSC’s work to address economic justice so that economies can work for all people and the planet. AFSC believes that economies should promote thriving communities with food justice, housing rights, and sustainable income for all people. To read more about AFSC’s economic justice related work, visit https://afsc.org/issue/economic-justice.
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.