Every day, AFSC works with communities around the globe to overcome violence and oppression and create the world we want to see.

None of this work is possible without supporters who share our belief in the dignity of all people and who understand the power of love to overcome injustice. Thank you for being part of our community.

As 2018 draws to a close, we wanted to share some photo highlights from the past year. Enjoy!

This bipartisan criminal justice reform bill will exacerbate racial disparities, fuel mass incarceration, and encourage prison privatization.

A bipartisan criminal justice reform bill known as the “First Step Act” (S.756) is advancing through Congress, with broad support from across the political spectrum. It’s tremendous to see the conversation on criminal justice reform take center stage, and the bill contains several provisions to reduce America’s prison population and improve conditions for those incarcerated.  

Faith leaders call for migrant justice and face arrest as part of AFSC week of action

On Dec. 10, dozens of faith leaders were arrested in an act of nonviolent civil disobedience at the U.S.-Mexico border. They were among the more than 400 people of faith and supporters who gathered in San Diego to stand with migrants seeking refuge in the U.S.

The action included people from numerous religious traditions, including those from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and indigenous communities, many expressing how their faith called them to take part.

Jody Mashek is director of legal services for AFSC’s Immigrant Rights Program in Iowa and is an accredited representative from the Department of Justice. She volunteered with the Kino Border Initiative and Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, with support from the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) – an organization responding to the increasing need for legal assistance at the southern border.  

Demetrius Titus of AFSC's Michigan Criminal Justice Program created this lighthearted look at the 2018 Midwest Staff Retreat in the Twin Cities.

This video provides a brief introduction to AFSC Chicago's work on Gaza Unlocked, No Way to Treat a Child, Communities Against Islamophobia and #NoCopAcademy.

Last week I went to Mexico City and met with migrants from the caravans. I met mothers carrying small children. A teenager who had walked hundreds of miles with a painful limp. A recently deported Dreamer. A trans woman seeking safety. Men looking for work to sustain aging parents.

Debbie Southorn works for the American Friends Service Committee in Chicago, where she supports community efforts and youth organizing to end policing and reimagine community safety. In 2012, she co-founded the Chicago chapter of Black & Pink, currently serves on the National Committee of the War Resisters League, and is a Board Member of the Chicago Freedom School.