Dear Friend,
I am excited to share with you an online abolition workshop for Quakers, “Punishment is not Accountability” (March 5, 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT). Join AFSC’s Lewis Webb, Jr., Healing Justice program coordinator, and Grace Kindeke, program coordinator for New Hampshire, for this online workshop series. Participants will connect to abolitionist frameworks and movements through three workshops, an online community, and opportunities to interact between sessions. Our goal is to collectively generate movement and next steps in this work.
Please continue sharing the information below through your newsletter, listserv, and social media channels to help your meeting or church connect with AFSC!
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.
Here are some other ways you can engage with AFSC, plus a few updates on our work:
- Study-into-action group: Building community alternatives to police response (March 12 – June 18): Are you interested in how communities are responding to emergencies without involving the police? Join our eight-week participatory workshop to learn more. See what community-based alternatives are working across the country. Assess the needs and assets for emergency response in your own community. Get trained in de-escalation and mental health crisis response. And develop a concrete plan to move toward community-based alternatives.
- Application open: Emerging Leaders for Liberation: Registration is open for AFSC’s new hands-on learning program, Emerging Leaders for Liberation. The program is open to young adults looking to deepen their social justice and leadership skills. To join, applicants must be 18-25 years old as of April 1, 2022, and have a relationship to an AFSC program, a Quaker college/organization, or a Quaker meeting. The first cohort will begin meeting in May 2022.
- Epistle from the heads of Quaker agencies meeting in London: AFSC’s General Secretary Joyce Ajlouny joined several other heads of Quaker agencies in London. They discussed ways to amplify our collective Quaker efforts and voice. This year, the gathering included new and outgoing leadership from QUNO-NY, QUNO-Geneva, and FCNL.
- The Black Quaker Lives Matter Film Festival (Feb. 12 – April 9): From Feb. 12 until Paul Robeson’s birthday on April 9m the Black Quaker Lives Matter Film Festival will screen films centered on Quakers of color. Screenings will take place every other Saturday on Zoom with an introduction from a guest expert and a follow- up discussion facilitated by festival director Hal Weaver. The first screening will feature AFSC’s General Secretary Joyce Ajlouny.
- Hear directly from courageous community organizers: Join us every other Wednesday for our Facebook Live event where AFSC staff members share updates on our work. Our most recent event featured AFSC Human Migration and Mobility Director Kristin Kumpf, Policy Advocacy Coordinator for Immigration Imani Cruz, US-Mexico Border Program Director Pedro Rios, and Newark Program and Organizing Advocacy Director Chia-Chia Wang. They discussed obstacles and opportunities presented by the Biden administration’s approach to immigration policies and how you can get involved.
- 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 updated Friends Engage page.