Kerri Kennedy serves as the International Associate General Secretary for AFSC. She is a global peacebuilder and international executive with twenty years of experience leading international peace and justice organizations. She has an M.S. from American University and has worked in 50+ countries including war zones, post conflict countries, and in the U.S.

It's time for us to invest seriously in peace instead of war in the name of the security.

One week ago, I was in New York City at Quaker House, meeting with with heads of European organizations to discuss the future of global peace building. Yesterday morning, I awoke to the horror of yet another atrocious violent crime.

In California's diverse Central Valley, culture and art are tools for strengthening immigrant leadership and for building a sense of place and belonging.

Twelve years ago, Genoveva Vivar came to California’s Central Valley when she was 8 years old. Extreme poverty had forced her family to leave Copanatoyac, their hometown in the mountains of the Mexican state of Guerrero.

169 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since October. The U.S. has a responsibility to find out why. 

By Lawrence Fleming, Olga Banaszkiewicz, and Carly Campbell 

On Feb. 26, 16-year-old Palestinian-American Mahmoud Shaalan was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near the Beit El settlement in the West Bank. The Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint shot Mahmoud several times, and later reported that he had tried to stab them.

A few picks from AFSC staff this week:

“Black Lives Matter movement notches major win in Chicago race,” by Kim Bellware, Huffington Post

“One is astonished in the study of history at the recurrence of the idea that evil must be forgotten, distorted, skimmed over. We must not remember that Daniel Webster got drunk but only that he was a constitutional lawyer. We must forget that George Washington was a slave owner… and simply remember the things we regard as creditable and inspiring. The difficulty, of course, with this philosophy is that history loses its value as an incentive and example; it paints perfect men and noble nations, but it does not tell the truth.” – W.E.B. Du Bois

In my 20 plus years working as an artist and a staff member at AFSC, I've seen the power of art to bring people together for education, dialogue, healing, and advocacy.

For those of us who work at AFSC, being here is more than just a job. It’s part of a commitment to create more just and peaceful communities using the skills and talents we have. But that commitment had to come from somewhere—or someone.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, a few AFSC staff members shared their stories about the amazing women who have inspired us to stand up for what we believe in and pass on what we've been taught. Read their recollections below: