My first recognizable reflection on policing came after moving into a changing neighborhood in Philadelphia as a young adult in the 1970s. Our largely white community was open-hearted but nervous, living in the midst of more trauma than most of us had grown up with. One person offered a striking perspective on the police and ambulance sirens that we heard so often in our neighborhood: Don’t think of it as something terrible that has happened; think of it as help on the way.

Pamela Haines is a long-time resident of Philadelphia, managing with her husband an extended family household in a diverse neighborhood of the city. Her work includes building community and empowerment among child care workers, teaching peer counseling, and leading family play groups.  She has been active in a variety of community, faith, and urban gardening ventures, and enjoys deep personal connections in Poland, Nicaragua, Uganda, and Indonesia.

When the first COVID-19 cases appeared in Zimbabwe this spring, AFSC and local partners mobilized to help meet the immediate needs of the communities in which we work.