Dear Friend,
I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying your summer.
This month we are celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Acting in Faith Friends liaison newsletter! Thank you to all our wonderful liaisons for your support of AFSC’s work and your commitment to creating a more just and peaceful world.
Here are some ways you can engage with AFSC, plus a few updates on our work:
End the Selective Service for All – 2022 Update (July 27, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT): Last year, Congress narrowly avoided expanding the Selective Service registration requirement to women. Join us to learn why the Selective Service System is harmful, what's going on in Congress, and how you can advocate to end, not expand, the system.
Watch our webinar recording: Getting Eyes on the Armed State: Around the U.S., people are demanding transparency from law enforcement agencies. They’re using public records requests and other research to find out how police spend taxpayer dollars, patrol our schools, and use lethal force against civilians. Watch this recording to learn more about these efforts and how you can advocate for community safety beyond policing.
LGBTQ+ People who are detained or incarcerated: LGBTQ+ youth and adults are disproportionately overrepresented at every stage of the American criminal punishment system. Over the past year, AFSC’s Leading Edge Fellow Keyvan Shafiei has been conducting research on the needs of LGBTQ+ people who are incarcerated and detained. Read more about Keyvan's work and key takeaways.
Request a “North Star” presentation: AFSC’s Lewis Webb Jr., Healing Justice program director, and Mary Zerkel, Economic Justice director, are offering presentations to meetings on our “North Star.” They will discuss how this vision guides our work towards abolition and how you can engage with AFSC in spirit-led activism. If your meeting is interested in hosting a “North Star” presentation, please fill out this form.
Quaker engagement questionnaire: Please continue to fill out our online Quaker engagement questionnaire. It will help us build effective communications and work together. Please share it with your meetings, churches, and any Friends you know.
And don’t forget to follow AFSC on social media!: Stay up to date on upcoming events and ways to take action by joining us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Thank you for your continued support of AFSC’s work and all that you do in working for a more just and peaceful world!
Blessings,
Sofia Di Pietro
Communications Associate
P.S. You can find more ways to get involved at our Friends Engage page. If your meeting or church does not yet have a liaison, I ask that you continue to invite Friends and others in your community to sign up for this email. They will get invitations curated specifically for Quakers. And as always, feel free to contact me with questions or comments at friends@afsc.org.