Sterling Duns is a West Philly based hip-hop artist and musician.  His passion for music stems from his desire to make sense of the events that make our lives unique and intertwined, all at once. He holds a BA in English from Dickinson College and an MA in Poetry from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. Sterling has worked with youth from all different backgrounds, at summer camps and in classrooms, for the last 10+ years. He truly believes that if we empower and inspire the youth of today, our future will be in great hands.

The human experience is a beautifully complex one. In our 21^st century lives, it seems that our online newspapers, twitter feeds, and emails are filled with stories of hate, injustice, oppression and violence. We often need to look a little deeper to find the stories of hope, faith, compassion, and love, and by the time we get to them, we are often too weighed down with challenging stories to recognize the uplifting ones. But we must be resilient. We must stay encouraged.

This is the final in a series about Quaker healing justice work, including Quaker activist J. Jondhi Harrell and AFSC’s Lewis Webb.  I interviewed Marshall “Eddie” Conway at his office at the Baltimore Real News station, where he works as a TV producer when he’s not organizing at AFSC’s Baltimore office. 

Note: Recently Lia Lindsey, Policy Impact Coordinator for AFSC, traveled to Geneva with a delegation to testify to the UN Committee against Torture about solitary confinement in the United States. She joined many others, including Mike Brown's parents, to bring the voices of those most impacted to the halls of the United Nations to consider actions to disrupt injustice, including solitary confinement, in the United States. - Lucy

Sahar Vardi is AFSC's Israel Program Director and has worked closely with youth who refuse to serve in Israel's military. Here, she explains the politics behind Israel's new "Draft-Dodgers Law."  Learn more about AFSC's Israel program here.

Note: Mati Gomis-Perez is the director of AFSC's office in east Jerusalem. Here she writes about what it's like to live there, especially now as the tension and violence has heightened in the aftermath of the Gaza bombardment and the confiscation of 1,000 acres of land in the West Bank. - Lucy

Since August I’ve seen banners, signs, Facebook statuses, and Tweets with the message “Pray for peace in St. Louis.” I’ve heard prayers for peace as people of faith gather in response to events in Ferguson, MO. In recent days I’ve seen an increase in the calls to pray as people waited for the Grand Jury announcement. I’m tired of hearing the calls for peace. Let me be clear: I do not want violence, destruction, or death. I care about the well-being of all parties from police to protesters. However, when I see some call for peace I don’t think they understand it to mean what I understand it to mean.