Newtown Friends Meeting played a pivotal role in supporting Heeding God’s Call and other faith communities in putting on a Gun Violence Awareness Day. Read more about it here. If you’re interested in organizing something similar or other work around gun violence prevention, contact Heeding God’s Call Executive Director Bryan Miller, bryanheeding@gmail.com.
Peace & Social Justice
Call To Action: Redressing Inclusion and Equity
PYM First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative* gathered on Oct.13th for a workshop at Friends Center. We watched the film DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY: Unmasking the Domination Code, then explored ways each of us might speak-out & take action. Resources have been provided for the following acts where products are being threshed for clarity; they currently include:
• LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Using the app NATIVE LAND, determine the tribal territory you occupy and acknowledge the people(s) of that territory when opening events, giving a talk, addressing a group, etc. Public buildings, houses of worship and private homes can also acknowledge the tribal territory they occupy with signage.
• INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY: With the growing movement to address the Myth of Columbus, come to terms with the truth of his barbaric and genocidal actions and their impacts. There are several actions that can be taken: 1) explore your local school to inquire what is being taught about Columbus; 2) offer a proposal to embrace Indigenous Peoples Day to your town, county, state, university or college.
• THANKSGIVING: with this holiday approaching, sharing with local school district, family and friends the truth about this holiday and deflating the myth.
• NATIVE MASCOTS – If your local school district has a Native mascot, you have the opportunity to bring awareness of its racism and harm to Indigenous peoples to your community. You could also share these videos: Native Americans Review Indian Mascots and/ or Proud to Be.
• DOCTRINE OF CHRISTIAN DISCOVERY – Papal Decrees put out by Popes in Rome that have laid the foundation for devaluing, discrimination and decimation of Native peoples since 1442 until today. Explore or initiate the movement within your Faith Community to rescind, revoke, repudiate.
• LETTER WRITING – write a letter on any one of these issues of justice to a newspaper, politician, website, etc. to make your voice heard.
FCRC Friends welcome the opportunity to visit with you to share cultural concerns and focus potential sadness/ anger into action steps. With revelation, may we let our lives speak, live a path peace, and build beloved community. To contact FCRC, call 609.221.7247
*This PYM collaborative, officially formed in 2017, holds intentions toward building true friendships, reconciling relationships, with Lenape Tribal People, specifically, those Lenape tribal nations/ communities who have remained on their ancestral lands. The FCRC creates space for the Lenape Tribes to lift their sovereign nations’ voices, a place for those not brought up in Native Nation community to listen. Listening also includes ways to reconcile with Spirit, with oneself, as well as with Lenape (whose hospitality lends as legacy hosts to Lenapehoking.) Being met by early Western European explorers, traders, and settlers, the Lenape are “First Contact” sovereign Nations/ Peoples. PYM calls the group a collaborative, and FCRC does network; history identifies the communities as “First Contact.” Revelation beckons reconciliation toward beloved community. Our loving identity is First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative, FCRC.
Photo credit: Nanticoke Lenape Tribal Members. Jeremy Newman © 2019
3rd Annual Indigenous Peoples Day Philly
The weather was beautiful at Penn Treaty Park, site of the 3rd annual Indigenous Peoples Day Philly celebration, Saturday October 12th, 2019. “Penn Treaty Park is a significant place where the Great Elm Tree of Shackamaxon once stood. It is where many sachems (chiefs) of the Lenni Lenape and other tribes from the Lenapehoking territory would meet for council. Indigenous Peoples Day Philly is proud to honor the space by bringing our diverse Philadelphia Indigenous community together in celebration of our resilience, strength, and beauty.”
Dignitaries for the event were Mark Gould, Chief of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, and Tai Pelli (Taino), Human Rights Activist. Performers included the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape (Drum Group and Dancers); Vaughnda Hilton and Native Nations Dance Theater; The Magic of Storytelling with Tchin; Richie Olivera (Andean Music); Lauren Garret (Violinist); Taino Council Guatu Ma Cu a Boriken; and Campa Tlanesi (Danza Azteca del Anahuac). The event was sponsored by the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, We Are the Seeds, Philly Taino Cultural Workshop, Indigenous 215, Philly with Standing Rock, Philadelphia Assembled, FREE LEONARD PELTIER, and Friends of Penn Treaty Park.
Trinity Norwood (Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape) noted, “It was our largest event to date with 5 different indigenous communities represented and about 200 spectators throughout the day.” The Indigenous Peoples Day planning committee is a collective of several Indigenous organizations in Philadelphia. A November fellowship potluck is planned for all the participants to share their feelings about the day and ideas for future organizing, fundraising, and facilitating.
Although it has not been announced, we await a potential 4th annual Indigenous Peoples Day, when we might gather again for a celebration of song, dance, beautiful art, and traditional foods.
Friends Call for Weather Related Disaster Resilience
The Eco-Justice Collaborative, a regional Quaker initiative, is concluding a series of disaster preparedness programs on October 13th, the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDD). Inaugurated in 1989 to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction, the IDDD celebrates the efforts made by communities to raise awareness about the importance of reining in risks, reducing fatalities and limiting economic losses. The 2019 Theme focuses on reducing disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services. [Read more…] about Friends Call for Weather Related Disaster Resilience
PROGRESS REPORT: Response to the charges of 7/26 & 7/27/19 Annual Sessions
In their council meeting on 9/21/19, Administrative Council decided to create a sprint with 5-7 Friends with representation from the Undoing Racism Group (URG), the Multicultural Audit Steering Committee (MASC), representatives from each council and others with relevant experience in antiracism work. This sprint will review the 2016 URG and MASC report, as well as the “Incomplete Collection of Antiracism Work & Possibilities” document compiled by the General Secretary. This sprint will be charged to and work with a consultant with expertise in antiracism work. [Read more…] about PROGRESS REPORT: Response to the charges of 7/26 & 7/27/19 Annual Sessions
Climate Strike on Friday September 20, 2019
On Friday September 20, 2019 some Friends Schools, Quaker meetings, and Quaker Colleges will release students to participate in climate strikes from 11 am to 2 pm. across the region.
The Climate Strike coincides with the US visit of an unusual 16 year old, Greta Thunberg, from Sweden. Named ‘a most influential teen’ by TIME magazine, Greta has been meeting with congress and other leaders in the USA to forward her belief that the US needs to do more to combat climate change.
Greta first shared her thoughts on climate change via a ten-minute TED talk. Watch the TED talk
Find more news about the climate strike through:
For Friends who want to get involved, or find out about work being done on Climate change issues:
To educate yourself:
- Visit the NASA website that tracks climate science
- Attend PYM’s October 24th 6:30 PM Friends in Fellowship talk by Taiya Smith on carbon pricing. As Deputy Chief of Staff and principal adviser to Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson on the U.S.-China relationship, Taiya established the U.S.-China Ten Year Framework on Energy & the Environment and the EcoPartnership program.
- Look at what they’re doing in other countries.
To learn more about the Climate Strike at City Hall in Philadelphia or other nearby places go to 350philadelphia.org/get-involved/.
Other Climate-related events:
October 3, 2019, Dr. Sandra Steingraber will speak at Swarthmore College. Biologist, cancer survivor and activist, Dr. Steingraber will talk about ecology, pollution and activism.
- Swarthmore College (1:00, Intercultural Center Dome Room, Sproul 201). Please read this “homework assignment” at https://orionmagazine.org/article/coffee-in-jail/
- Dr. Steingraber will also give a lecture/discussion at 4:30 pm ( currently scheduled for the same location).
- On Friday, October 4th Dr. Steingraber will convene a discussion at the Conlon Room at Brinton House at Pendle Hill, 338 Plush Mill Road, Wallingford, PA.
Oct 3-6 Quaker Earthcare Witness Fall Meeting at Pendle Hill. The fall Steering Committee Meeting of QEW will be held at Pendle Hill this year. More information is found at www.quakerearthcare.org/upcoming.
Help End Gun Violence as a Meeting Community
A faith-based organization called Heeding God’s Call can help Quaker meetings across Philadelphia Yearly Meeting with reducing and eliminating gun violence. If your meeting is looking for an avenue to make a difference in this public health crisis, we hope you’ll be in touch. There are several ways to do so:
- Attend a conference call on Wednesday September 23 at 7 PM.
- Attend and Spread the word about Newtown Meeting’s Gun Violence Awareness Day.
- Talk to Brad Sheeks of Newtown Meeting about how to organize your own Gun Violence Awareness Day in your Quaker community. sheeksbrad@gmail.com
- Contact Bryan Miller, Heeding God’s Call Executive Director, about other information and other ways to help. bryanheeding@gmail.com
We interviewed Brad Sheeks about his experience organizing the Gun Violence Awareness Day in Newtown, and this is what he said:
I got started with planning a Gun Violence Awareness Day event as a result of a talk last May by Bryan Miller, Executive Director of Heeding God’s Call to End Violence at Newtown Friends Meeting. Bryan suggested the idea of having such an event in Newtown. It seemed that this was a good thing to do, and I had the time and energy to do it.
I made phone calls to about fifty faith communities and organizations in Bucks County, telling them about the idea and inviting them to attend an informational meeting. Twenty people, representing thirteen organizations came to the meeting. Bryan Miller explained the basic idea of a Gun Violence Awareness Day. He offered to be the primary sponsor. We agreed to start discussions in our home faith communities about co-sponsorship as a way of witnessing to the community about our concerns for reducing gun violence.
We agreed to set the November 10th as the date for the Gun Violence Awareness Day event itself.
So far eight faith communities and organizations have approved co-sponsorship of the Gun Violence Awareness Day, set for November 10th.
The service Awareness Day will feature survivors of gun violence, music, responsive readings, and prayers. Informational tables will display opportunities for taking further action about reducing gun violence. There will be a witness walk on and around State Street, leading to the church were a service will be held.
If you have questions or concerns about how this event fits into the wider question of reducing gun violence, contact Bryan Miller directly by phone at 856-371-3038 or by email at bryanheeding@gmail.com as well as visiting the Heeding God’s Call website https://www.heedinggodscall.org/
I am available to others who might like to consult on how to organize a Gun Violence Awareness Day event.
PYM’s Willits Book Trust Committee Honors Storytellers and Bridge Builders of the Underground Railroad
The Willits Book Trust Committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting presented books to a number of participants who attended “Crossings: Bridging the Authentic Underground Railroad Past to the Present,” a training event in Niagara, New York Sept. 11th – 14th, 2019, sponsored by the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, the Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State, the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, and the Association for the Study of African American Life. [Read more…] about PYM’s Willits Book Trust Committee Honors Storytellers and Bridge Builders of the Underground Railroad
YAF Thursday Workshop at Sessions: The Future is Now
In these politically charged and challenging times, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and fall into despair or indifference. Hope for a better future, “the world we seek” comes with the actions we take together on issues we care about. Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) provides the tools we need to take effective, strategic action on national policies. [Read more…] about YAF Thursday Workshop at Sessions: The Future is Now
Church World Service Ration Challenge
Church World Service (CWS) is launching a new Ration Challenge Campaign at rationchallengeusa.org.
Ration Challenge is a fundraising and awareness building campaign that invites participants to commit to live for one week (the week of World Refugee Day) on the same rations that Syrian refugees receive in a camp in Jordan. Leading up to the challenge, participants ask family, friends and colleagues to sponsor them by donating to their campaign. Participants earn rewards as they raise money to help supplement their rations (fruit, veg, tea, spices etc.). The money raised goes to provide food, medical care, and education to Syrian refugees in Jordan via Act for Peace (30%) and to support CWS programs for refugees and displaced families around the world (70%).
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Share a post about the Ration Challenge on Facebook or Twitter
- Invite your networks to join/sign up via email
- Do you know any “influencers?” pro-refugee contacts with more than 20,000 followers on social media—Let us know if you’d be willing to reach out them to get them involved in the challenge. We will help with outreach and follow up.
- Take a short version of the Challenge (one or two days) and write about your experience
- Sign up the take the challenge yourself the week of June 16-23
- Work with CWS to write an opinion piece highlighting the challenges facing refugee families and support for the Ration Challenge
We hope to hear from some of you about getting involved as the Ration Challenge gets underway. Please let us know if you decide to sign up yourself. Thanks for your support!
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is a member of Church World Service, and we occasionally post announcements and invitations from CWS on our website.