Dear Friend,
I am excited to share that we will host our first liaison call in early January 2023. This will be a time to connect with Friends from across the country, share updates, and discuss peace and social justice concerns from your Meeting. Lewis Webb Jr., Healing Justice program director, will join us. He will give a presentation on our “North Star,” AFSC’s vision for community safety beyond prisons and policing.
This will be the first of our biannual liaison calls, so look out for details in a future newsletter. I look forward to our time together!
Here are more ways you can engage with AFSC, plus a few updates on our work:
Join us: Quaker Call to Action (Oct. 13, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT): Our country’s promise of democracy has never been fulfilled, but today it’s facing a moment of crisis. AFSC and other Quaker groups have put out an urgent call to Friends. We must work to stop voter suppression, protect the integrity of our elections, and oppose violence in all its forms. We invite Friends and like-minded individuals to join this national call on the state of our democracy and how you can take action.
Join us: “Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire” book tour: This month, we welcome Palestinian authors Asmaa Abu Mezied and Yousef Aljamal for a conversation about their contributions to "Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire" a new anthology published by AFSC and Haymarket Books. As part of a two-week tour starting Oct. 17, Asmaa and Yousef will travel to U.S. cities speaking about life in Gaza under Israel’s brutal siege.
Sign up for our webinar: Understanding Copaganda (Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT): How do popular culture and the news media shape our impressions of the criminal legal system and policing? And what are the effects on policymaking and elections? In this Community Safety Beyond Policing webinar, we’ll discuss this and more with guest speakers Palika Makam from Color of Change and Alec Karakatsanis of Civil Rights Corps.
AFSC seeks Corporation/Board Clerk: Do you know someone who might make an excellent clerk (or co-clerk) of the AFSC Corporation and Board? Please submit suggested names by completing the AFSC Clerk Nomination Form for each nominee. The deadline to apply is Oct. 31, 2022. Do not hesitate to nominate yourself, if you are interested and qualified.
Interns lead WILD Youth Organizing Institute in Chicago: This summer, the AFSC Chicago Peacebuilding Program piloted their inaugural WILD youth organizing institute. Youth ages 15-19 participated in four weeks of training, activities, and action in support of abolitionist campaigns in Chicago. The experience was led and facilitated by Chicago’s team of coordinating interns. The interns reflected on the summer in a series of posts for Instagram that we hope you'll read and share!
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
Quaker Engagement Coordinator
P.S. You can find more ways to get involved at our Friends Engage page. And as always, feel free to contact me with questions or comments at friends@afsc.org.