Do you live in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Hawaii or Alaska?
Become an AFSC Liaison for your Meeting
The West Region is working with Lucy Duncan, AFSC’s Director of Friends Relations, to reignite the AFSC Liaison Program. An AFSC Liaison is a member of a monthly meeting who is also connected to AFSC who plays the role to engage their Meeting in AFSC activities. The Liaison’s roles include:
- Forward AFSC engagement opportunities to your Monthly Meeting’s newsletter, listserv and/or social media sites and announce key activities
- Participate in quarterly AFSC West Region Quaker conference calls
- Organize and mobilize your Meeting for specific engagement opportunities
Want to learn more? Contact Matthew Leber, AFSC West Region Staff, at MLeber@afsc.org.
ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
- Engage with your Local AFSC: Albuquerque, Colorado, & Tucson
- Anti-racist accompaniment
- Quaker Palestine Israel Network
- Anti-racist accompaniment
- AFSC Economic Activism – www.afsc.org/investigate
Anti-racist accompaniment
Anti-racist accompaniment is a core spiritual practice that AFSC promotes to Quakers. Here are ways to get involved:
Online e-course: Radical acting in faith for white people
- June 25 - core session - 6-7:30 p.m. MT / 5:00-6:30 p.m. PT
- July 2 - recommended but optional small group work - 6-7 p.m. MT / 5-6 p.m. PT
- July 9 - core session - 6-7:30 p.m. MT / 5-6:30 p.m. PT
- July 16 - recommended but optional small group work - 6-7 p.m. MT / 5-6 p.m. PT
- July 23 - core session - 6-7:30 p.m. MT / 5-6:30 p.m. PT
- August 6 - recommended but optional small group work - 6-7 p.m. MT / 5-6 p.m. PT
- August 13 - core session - 6-7:30 p.m. MT / 5-6:30 p.m. PT
Quaker Social Change Ministry: Establish a group in your meeting to gather for spiritual refreshment and support as you walk with those most impacted for social change. A manual for the practice as well as several webinars are on AFSC’s website here: www.afsc.org/qscm.
Changing Systems, Changing Ourselves is an e-course to mindfully learn the practices of accompaniment. Though registration for the current live course is closed, you can find recorded webinars, facilitator’s guides and resources on AFSC’s website here: www.afsc.org/csco. A new webinar series will happen this coming Winter or Spring
Live in Colorado? Here are some ways to engage in support of immigrant rights:
- Join the Colorado Rapid Response Network providing confirmation and legal observing for ICE activity across the state, Contact AFSC staff Jordan Garcia at JGarcia@afsc.org.
- Join Coloradans for Immigrant Rights (CFIR), our ally & accomplices project. Contact AFSC staff Jordan Garcia at JGarcia@afsc.org.
- Train and engage in Court Accompaniment (Denver is most active, we helped seed Colorado Spring group and can connect you with Northern Colorado efforts. Contact AFSC staff Jennifer Piper at JPiper@afsc.org.
- Invite AFSC Colorado Staff to provide a Sanctuary Everywhere workshop at your Meeting, University/school or workplace. AFSC staff Jennifer Piper at JPiper@afsc.org.
Strengthen the Quaker Palestine Israel Network (QPIN) in AFSC’s West Region
Quakers and other faith folks are invited to these upcoming webinars to learn ways to support the No Way to Treat a Child campaign and work for the passage of H.R. 2407, “Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act," a bill prohibiting U.S. taxpayer funding for the military detention of children by any country, including Israel. This bill is a result of work by the No Way to Treat a Child Campaign, co-coordinated by Defense of Children International-Palestine and AFSC. Here’s further information on how Quakers can get involved.
There is a nationally-coordinated QPIN No Way to Treat a Child organizers monthly call that Lucy Duncan and Steve Tamari facilitate. We have many folks from 12 yearly meetings who are serving as coordinators of this campaign among Quaker yearly meetings. We currently have only IMYM represented on those monthly calls in the West region, though one person from NPYM participates occasionally. If you’d like to join the coordinating calls on behalf of your yearly meeting, please reach out to Lucy Duncan at lduncan@afsc.org.
Here are several more ways to take action:
Share our “Protection not Detention” graphic on social media.
Bring attention to ending the abuse and military detention of Palestinian children by sharing our new graphic “Protection not Detention,” designed by AFSC’s Aija Suuta.
Sign the petition: Demand Israeli authorities immediately release all Palestinian child detainees.
Like people in all prisons, jails, and detention centers worldwide, Palestinians held in close confinement—where social distancing is impossible—are especially vulnerable in this pandemic. Speak out today by adding your name to this petition, created by our partners at Defense for Children International-Palestine.
Watch this video to learn more about the conditions facing Palestinian children in Israeli detention.
In addition to being separated from their parents, children are held in detention centers that are often inaccessible due to checkpoints, barred from making phone calls, and kept in crowded cells with limited means to maintain minimum hygiene routines. Find out more by watching this recording of our recent No Way to Treat a Child webinar.
For guidance and support contact AFSC Palestine Activism Staff, Jennifer Bing at JBing@afsc.org. Please “CC” AFSC West Staff, Matthew Leber at MLeber@afsc.org.
Can you and/or your Meeting be one of…
- …30 Meetings to send a Minute to your Representative in support of HR 2407 No Way to Treat a Child?
See a Sample Minute Here; Get more educated about HR 2407 here
- …10 Meetings to meet with your member of the US House of Representatives?
Get prepared here and then contact Jennifer Bing of AFSC at JBing@afsc.org.
- …15 Meetings to send an op-ed or letter-to-the-editor?
See a Sample Letter Here.
Be sure to mention your US House of Representatives Member.
- …50 Meetings to host Palestinian Solidarity Education event?
Watch & Discuss Imprisoning a Generation (50 Minute Documentary)
Contact: Anemoia Projects at anemoia.projects@gmail.com for video and study guide
Contact: Jennifer at JBing@afsc.org to receive a discounted viewing rate as an AFSC affiliate.
Watch and discuss Detaining Dreams (21 minutes) using study guide
Ask Meeting members to watch Obaida: A Short Film (7 Minutes)
- …hundreds of Quakers to email your Member of Congress? Sign Now
Engage with AFSC’S Economic Activism Program
Are you invested in state violence? In prisons, the surveillance of immigrants, the militarization of our borders, the Israeli occupation? Scan your own investments and the investment of your meeting/ school/ workplace/city using AFSC’s Investigate tool: www.afsc.org/investigate.
How can we take on the prison, military and security industrial complex? If you want to run a campaign using boycott, divestment, or other economic activism tools, contact AFSC staff Dalit Baum at dbaum@afsc.org.
Connect with AFSC and Friends throughout the West Region through FGC
From Ruth Reber of FGC: Sink Down to the Seed Sown in the Heart, the 2020 virtual Gathering, will be June 28 - July 4, and will offer a rich schedule of events online. Registration is now open. Come join us online for a new experience! We will gather in worship seeking the spirit, listen to Evening Program speakers and find new ways to be in community with one another. There will be Pre-Gathering retreats, workshops, Adult Young Friends, High School, and Junior Gathering programs. Here's the schedule for the Gathering.
Lucy Duncan adds: AFSC will be offering a thread of events at the online FGC Gathering including an immersive Decolonizing the Future workshop with Nia Eubanks-Dixon.
Stand up for people and communities most impacted by the coronavirus.
Here’s an organization-wide update and an appeal to help impacted communities. Ask all members of your meeting to sign this petition calling for an end to all federal and state private prison contracts.
Get social!
Connect with us online at afsc.org and on Facebook @AmericanFriendsServiceCommittee,
Instagram americanfriendsservice, and Twitter @afsc_org. Please share this subscription link to AFSC’s monthly West Region newsletter.
Matthew Leber
Assistant Regional Director, AFSC West Region