Dear Friend,
AFSC has long stood with movements resisting oppression, and many of you have been part of that history. This moment calls us to act again. Hundreds of Quakers joined AFSC staff on the Fourth of July in Philadelphia to stand up to authoritarianism—and hundreds more joined solidarity events across the country. We invite you to join us now.
Please add your name to our Declaration of Resistance. Together, we will protect our communities, resist authoritarianism, and build a more just and peaceful world.
Tonya Histand
Director of Public Engagement
Alumni news & notes
Wilson Riles, Jr., a lifelong advocate and activist for justice, died May 5. Wilson served as regional director of the AFSC Pacific Mountain Region in the 1990s. He also served on the Oakland City Council, the Oakland Police Commission, and AFSC’s California Healing Justice advisory committee.
Terry Messman was the founding editor of Street Spirit, an independent newspaper in San Francisco’s East Bay dedicated to covering homelessness and poverty from the perspective of those most impacted. For more than three decades, Terry was the program coordinator for the AFSC’s Homeless Organizing Project. He passed away in May.
Sydney Halpern recently released a graphic novel, Infected for Science. Sydney used AFSC's archives to write her novel detailing how conscientious objectors during World War II intentionally contracted hepatitis for government science experiments.
In 1999, Ahmed Shariff was asked to conduct a Quaker International Affairs (QIAR) program exploration for Central and Eastern Africa. He was offered the QIAR position in 2000 for that region. That included the countries of Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda. Ahmed passed away on May 6 in Zanzibar.
Ann Stever served AFSC in various capacities over many years. In 1977, she was part of an AFSC delegation to South Africa to help AFSC decide whether to participate in the anti-apartheid movement.
Do you have news to share? Email us today!
Updates from AFSC
Protect, Resist, and Build with AFSC
Are you interested in challenging authoritarianism? Looking to learn some new skills to engage in activism in your community? Join our long-running webinar series “Protect, Resist, and Build”! Each month will feature guest speakers who will share their expertise on topics like how to engage members of Congress, how to create a mutual aid project, how to deescalate during a demonstration, and more. You’ll gain the knowledge you need to be an effective force for change in your community and beyond.
Tamim Hassan Labad, age 10, is the second child from our Gaza learning centers to be killed by the Israeli forces—and one of more than 20,000 children since the start of the genocide. Read more about Tamim here.
Accompanying immigrant families in building a community farm in Los Angeles
In 2015, AFSC began to accompany local residents and partners in transforming a 30-year vacant lot into a vibrant community farm. This year they celebrated a decade of stewarding the land, growing healthy food, and building strong relationships.
From our Archives
On July 7, 1969, an AFSC delegation met with Henry Kissinger to discuss Vietnam policy while supporters held a Meeting for Worship outside. This was the second of three meetings that were held between AFSC and Kissinger. A summary of those meetings can be found here.
More ways to take action and connect with AFSC:
- Fund human needs, not war
- Act now to protect immigrants and asylum seekers
- Tell Congress: No war with Iran!
- Are you interested in receiving life income while supporting AFSC? A gift annuity is easy to arrange. Reach out to GiftPlanning@afsc.org or visit us online.
Thank you for reading our AFSC Alumni Newsletter!