Dear friends,
Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords, which ended direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. However, the agreement did not end the conflict between North and South Vietnam, and AFSC staff stayed on the ground. Our staff revealed an ongoing story of automated weapons continuing to rain down terror from the skies. Their Spirit-led action is a testament to the many ways in which AFSC staff and volunteers have acted boldly and with loving courage.
For many people, the Vietnam War was a turning point for activism. We continue to highlight and reconnect with people who got involved with AFSC as war resisters, conscientious objectors, draft counselors, and more. Were you one of them? Please fill out and share this form if you took the bold and courageous stance to resist war and violence.
And please save the date for our hybrid alumni event on Saturday, April 26. An invitation will be sent out closer to the date. I look forward to seeing many of you in person and online.
Tonya Histand
Director of Public Engagement
Alumni news & notes
Jane Barton Griffith was the co-director of AFSC’s humanitarian programs in Vietnam from 1970-1973. Her new memoir, “Two Women, One War”, details how she found joy in her friendship with a Vietnamese woman amid the human and physical destruction in Vietnam.
Last month Louise Bruyn passed away. In 1982, she was hired by AFSC to organize the Boston contingent to the June 12 Rally for Nuclear Disarmament in New York City. It turned out to be the largest anti-nuclear protest in American history, attracting more than 1 million people.
Cliff Lester began his lifelong journey with AFSC in 1953 at the age of 23 in Mexico to fulfill his alternative service. In his over 60 years of service to AFSC, he served as regional executive committee clerk, as well as a board member. Cliff passed away in November.
Carly Goodman, former AFSC Communications staff and currently an assistant professor in the Department of History at Rutgers-Camden, has won two book awards. Her book "Dreamland: America's Immigration Lottery in an Age of Restriction" explores the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery and exposes broader immigration issues.
Early in his career David Barton traveled to Vietnam to co-direct AFSC's Quang Ngai Rehabilitation Center from 1970-73, providing prostheses to injured civilians. He spent 17 years with the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee where he played a key role in advancing the Chemical Weapons Treaty, and several years for the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and State Dept.
Mary Norris, who worked for many years in the Cambridge and Philly AFSC offices, passed away in December at the age of 81 at the Germantown Home in Philadelphia. Mary was a lifelong advocate of civil and women’s rights.
Born in England in 1932, Doreen Wohl lived through World War II and was evacuated twice to escape Nazi bombings. In the mid 1950's she crossed the Atlantic to work with AFSC, first in Mexico where she met her late husband Bernie Wohl, and then in the United States. Doreen worked with migrant farm workers, which led to a career dedicated to working with and for underserved communities.
Do you have news to share? Email us today!
Updates from AFSC
Last week a tentative deal was finally reached for a cease-fire in Gaza. After so much devastation and death, we celebrate this cease-fire deal even as it comes far too late. We hold in the Light all those who have been killed and injured, all who mourn, and all who have survived. We will continue to work with our staff and partners in Gaza to rebuild and ensure dignity and freedom are restored for all Palestinians.
Are you looking for ways to support your community while advocating for lasting social change? Join our new monthly webinar series every third Tuesday of the month. You'll hear directly from AFSC staff and partners and learn concrete ways we can all take action for migrant rights, economic justice, and peace.
6 ways to support immigrants right now
As a Quaker organization, AFSC’s belief in the divine worth of every person calls us to act for justice, working alongside people of all faiths and backgrounds. We refuse to accept unjust policies. And we will not sit back and watch as communities and families are torn apart and fundamental rights are eroded. Here’s how we can take action together for immigrant rights under the Trump administration.
Archives
Check out this new video from AFSC’s Archivist, Don Davis on the use of “bomblets” during the Vietnam War. Bomblets were filled with steel balls and explosives and were dropped by the thousands over a large area causing vast destruction. Often these small explosive devices did not work as intended, lying dormant by the side of a road or in a farmer’s field only to explode later injuring or killing people. In the early 1970s, AFSC’s National Action/Research on the Military-Industrial Complex (NARMIC) program helped educate people about companies making these types of munitions.
More ways to take action and connect with AFSC:
- Stop deportations now!
- Were you a CO or war resister?
- 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!