On July 24, 1972—nearly 50 years ago—the Washington Star broke the story of the unethical Tuskegee syphilis study conducted on 600 Black men. The late Bill Jenkins, an AFSC alum and former Board member, was a government epidemiologist who had worked to expose the study in the 1960s. Bill devoted the rest of his career to fighting racism in health care.
I know that many of you in the AFSC alumni community have taken courageous paths, speaking truth to power. It’s inspiring to be a part of this group. Thank you for your ongoing support of AFSC and your dedication to creating a world where the rights and dignity of all are respected.
With deep appreciation,
Tonya Histand
Alumni Director
Alumni news & notes
Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse, who worked for AFSC in the Western Washington Indian Program in the 1970s, died in April at the age of 84.
Philadelphia-area students in grades four through six wrote and illustrated a new children’s book featuring AFSC alum Hettie Simmons Love. The book depicts the story of Hettie’s life growing up in the Jim Crow South and then being admitted to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. At that time, she was the first and only Black student and one of two women in the program. After graduation, Hettie worked in the finance department of AFSC in Philadelphia.
Bob Goodman worked with AFSC as our information technology director for many years, introducing the Help Desk and Star Café intranet, among many other innovations. He passed away peacefully in his home on April 25, just eight days shy of his 78th birthday.
John Lamperti worked for AFSC on ending the Vietnam War and the nuclear arms race. In August, he will speak about his lifetime of activism as part of the Peace and Justice Conversations sponsored by New Hampshire Peace Action.
Raul Pinto interned in the Newark Immigrant Right’s office over 10 years ago. Today he’s a senior staff attorney with the North Carolina Justice Center, a nonprofit organization that represents low-income immigrants at all stages of the immigration process.
As director of AFSC’s National Criminal Justice Program, Linda Thurston worked with advocates and formerly incarcerated people to develop curriculum and organize events and workshops promoting the rights of people in prison and alternatives to incarceration. She died on May 23.
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Archive dive: The People's Yellow pages
Read more about The People's Yellow Pages, a directory of activist and anti-war resources created in the '70s that became far more than an anti-war resource. Born out of the AFSC office in Cambridge, it listed everything from women’s consciousness raising groups to free legal aid to recipes for yogurt. The first edition quickly sold out, and the group went on to create instructional manuals so that activists in other cities could create their own directories.
AFSC today: Socially responsible investment policy
AFSC has announced a broad socially responsible investment policy. AFSC is now the first institution with a comprehensive immigrant justice investment policy. We’re also expanding to divest from the prison industrial complex as a whole—not just private prisons—and from Israeli apartheid. AFSC’s Dov Baum says, “We want to invest in companies that, in turn, invest in people’s well-being, our communities’ prosperity, and our planet’s future.”
From Rodney King to George Floyd: What will it take to bring change?: AFSC staff join some of the young people we work with in sharing their perspectives on the Chauvin trial and those that came before, and what it will take to create the beloved community we aspire to.
More ways to take action and connect with AFSC
Take action to abolish the death penalty once and for all!
Visit our Get Involved page for action alerts, upcoming events, and more.
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Thank you for reading our AFSC Alumni Newsletter! To learn more about our Alumni Network and connect with former friends and colleagues, visit our webpage and Facebook group. You can also email me questions and suggestions alumni@afsc.org.