March 27, 2021
The mission of the ARC is “to provide accompaniment and support to meetings who seek further work on antiracism”. Our first large task was to create a survey of what antiracist work the meetings and worship groups within PYM are doing. What follows is a brief report of our findings thus far. We are continuing the project to reach the rest and to develop ways meetings can share their work so all can learn from it.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Friends’ journey toward understanding racial history and justice has long been underway but accelerated in 2020. Here’s a post-card summary of what nine interviewers from the Addressing Racism Collaborative learned from phone conversations with 82 meetings across our 13 Quarterly Meetings between October 2020 and February 2021.
Soon after George Floyd’s murder May 25, 2020, the majority of meetings began doing something. Many recognized the need for whites to learn about racism in order to do the work of antiracism. Education is underway in many forms. Education is the foundation though, not the goal. To be antiracist is to be actively working against racism. To do that, one must understand what racism looks like and where it comes from; if it’s hidden beyond your view, how would you know it’s there to fight against? Once that education has taken hold, antiracist actions are needed, but of course education must continue and action can provide education as well.
Interviews tell of meetings doing public witness. Several held or attended at least one protest/vigil for racial justice, with 3 witnessing weekly over months. Some stand and some sit, all hold signs. Singing has been known to break out. Many drivers honk, wave, and a few sometimes yell in opposition. Several meetings have put up signs on meetinghouse property for passersby to see as a 24/7 witness. A few reported defacements of those signs, but noted they are restored quickly.
Some are in contact with local police and politicians. Many are connecting with groups in their communities, including other faith groups and wider Quaker organizations. Some have written minutes, some formed new committees to address racism. Many have taken part in forms of reparations, making donations in the vein of antiracism.
Now lest you think all is well, cheery and we’re on our game, let me caution you. While many have begun taking steps, they are just steps and they are just a beginning for many Friends. Some meetings, a minority numerically, have not yet begun the journey. Regardless of where your meeting is on the antiracism road, keep looking to each other and, most importantly, to the Light for guidance to discern how you’re walking this path.
For a detailed analysis of the interviews, see: https://www.pym.org/addressing-racism-collaborative/our-survey-october-2020-to-february-21/
