Often when Quakers speak of the Divine, they are referring to a deeply internal experience, an experience of being filled with Truth and Love. Often they witness the Divine when sitting together in silent worship.  But many times they do not.  The inward experience is one of being guided, of being transformed from a place of shadow to a place of light; of bondage to freedom; of despair to hope.

Note: This is the second of a series of posts of African American Quakers talking about Quaker faith and AFSC's significance in their faith journey. Phil Lord is the rising clerk of AFSC's Board. He offers here a stirring message about the spiritual grounding and foundation of the organization. - Lucy

Surrendered and trusting hearts

St. Louis students voice their support for education in their video entry in AFSC's If I Had a Trillion Dollars Youth Film Festival.

Quaker faith—like so many religions in this country—has often struggled to uphold its core commitment to peace and justice, particularly when it comes to race.

Note: This month Madeline and I have asked several African-American Quakers to reflect on several queries and write respones. We invited each person to reflect on questions about Quaker faith, what gets in the way, and AFSC's role in his/her faith life. This piece by Paul Ricketts, who has had a long relationship with AFSC, also responds to queries posed via a social media channel. Paul offers a challenging invitation to address white supremacy and racism within Quaker circles to more fully realize our faith commitments. - Lucy

This month, Acting in Faith will be featuring excerpts from the book, "Black Fire: African American Quakers on Spirituality and Human Rights," published in 2011 by Friends General Conference.  A collection of writings from African American Quakers throughout American history, the book is insightful, inspiring and challenging.