This is the 342nd Annual Sessions of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting! This year, we’re sharing the Mott Memo daily recaps here on the website, a loving tribute to the august Quaker, Lucretia Mott. Each Mott Memo is a brief look-back on the day’s events. We hope you enjoy taking part in Annual Sessions through this tradition. Shared below is the news from Wednesday, July 27.
We opened Annual Sessions with warm welcomes and greetings from the co-clerks, Jean-Marie Prestwidge Barch and Frank Barch. We tried again this year to use an online “word cloud” to create the opportunity for a “roll call” of meetings present, and the result is shown below — recognizing that this doesn’t represent everyone, and we are blessed with guests this year from seven other yearly meetings!
The evening’s program began with a land acknowledgement shared by .O (Central Philadelphia Meeting). Our keynote speaker, Eppchez Yes (Green Street Meeting), spoke to the patterns of white supremacy in the foundations of the yearly meeting through stories that start in the far past but brought us to our recent history and experiences as a community. Eppchez encouraged us to listen for the call for repair “from outside the house.” It was a powerful message rooted in calls to truth telling and love.
Remember, even though Annual Sessions has begun, you can still register to attend the remaining events. Sign up now. It’s not too late! Please check out the schedule for the week and agenda for meeting for business (90 minute sessions at varying times). Register here for your Zoom link and join in our worship, fellowship, witness, and work together!
