Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Activism

PYM Connect Launches Addressing Climate Change Channel

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The yearly meeting-wide witness on climate change began when Friends with care for the environment asked that all of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting be part of this concern. In March 2021, PYM agreed to carry climate change as a shared witness. This past weekend, PYM Connect launched a new channel that helps PYM Friends stay connected, share ideas, and support each other to continue this work in Addressing Climate Change.

JOIN PYM CONNECT!
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Showing of Citizen George

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We have partnered with our friends from Eco Justice Collaborative of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends and Gwynedd Friends Meeting to welcome Director Glenn Holsten, Creative Director Penny Ashman, EQUAT CEO Ingrid Lakey, and Documentary subject George Lakey to join us for an in-person post film Q&A on this new documentary. CITIZEN GEORGE presents the life and work of 86-year-old Quaker activist George Lakey, a nonviolent revolutionary who has worked for justice and peace his entire life, guided by his ideal of societal transformation. The film highlights specific events of George’s activist life, including fighting for civil rights, anti-Vietnam War activism, LGBTQ rights, human rights in Sri Lanka, and climate justice. This documentary also details George’s personal journey as a husband, father, and out gay man. Pivotal scenes of George’s life are illustrated through animated sequences that are inspired by graphic novels. Eight Pennsylvania organizations will participate in a Pop-Up Advocacy Forum before and after the movie.

Nowak Memorial Lecture | Founding Visions: A Journey of Collaboration

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Join us for a special lecture honoring Nowak’s legacy and exploring the power of collaboration with Reinvestment Fund.

7th Annual Nowak Memorial Lecture

Founding Visions: A Journey of Collaboration & Impact

How can mission-driven finance drive social change? The Penn Institute for Urban Research and Reinvestment Fund invite you to the Seventh Annual Jeremy Nowak Memorial Lecture. On this, the 20th anniversary year of Penn IUR and the 40th anniversary of the origination of Reinvestment Fund, we will reflect on the mission and impact of community development financial institutions and the leadership role played by Reinvestment Fund in these efforts. Speakers will examine how visionary leadership and partnerships can reshape communities for the better.

This discussion brings together three community development leaders and founding members of Reinvestment Fund—Pat Smith, Joyce Wilkerson, and Eva Gladstein—who will share their experiences in launching what was originally the Delaware Valley Community Reinvestment Fund. They will explore the economic and social conditions that motivated their work, the challenges of building an institution dedicated to advancing equity through investment, and the decision to bring on Jeremy Nowak, a community organizer, as the organization’s first President and CEO. Jeremy would later become a member of the Penn IUR Advisory Board.

Moderated by Dr. Katherine O’Regan, Professor of Public Policy and Planning at the NYU Wagner School and Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, former HUD Assistant Secretary for Policy, Development and Research, Reinvestment Fund Board Member, and Penn IUR Fellow, this conversation will offer a rare, first-hand perspective of the origin of this Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) by its founding members and the values that continue to guide its work—collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and a steadfast commitment to expanding opportunity in disinvested communities.

Join PYM Connect Today!

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PYM Connect is a space for Friends to come together, exchange ideas, and support one another. Join now and be part of a growing community where ministries in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting take shape and meetings collaborate. While the platform is still developing, it’s available now because the need is real. If something isn’t working as expected, kindness and feedback will help make it better for everyone. [Read more…] about Join PYM Connect Today!

Friends Ending Gun Violence Info Session

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Friends Ending Gun Violence Collaborative: Info Session

March 25, 2025 | 7:00 P.M. EST | Zoom

FEGV Collaborative invites you to learn about our work, what’s happening in Bucks and Chester counties, south Jersey, and New York Yearly Meeting.  All are welcome to attend.

The Friends Ending Gun Violence Collaborative (FEGV) is a newly formed group within Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. As Quakers, we are called to live out the testimony of peace. Gun violence challenges the foundation of that testimony, claiming over 40,000 lives annually in the United States. The Friends Ending Gun Violence Collaborative seeks to engage all those in the Yearly Meeting who share this concern and create ways for meetings and individuals to act.

FEGV has a unique partnership with Heeding God’s Call to End Gun Violence, the grassroots and interfaith organization devoted to ending gun violence. Heeding God’s Call grew out of a 2009 peace conference held at Arch Street Meeting House in which the historic peace churches came together; an outgrowth of the conference is a commitment to end gun violence by halting the sale and distribution of illegal handguns.

We’d like to share our work with you and invite you and your meeting to join us in a Zoom call on Tuesday, March 25 at 7:00 PM. Learn about our efforts in Bucks County, South Jersey, and Chester County. Hear what’s happening in New York Yearly Meeting. Find out how you and your meeting can get involved. Please circulate the registration link below.

REGISTER to Receive the Zoom Link

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/nU0efShrQ5WCrW4Q7wrS-g 

Opportunities Following the PYM Lawsuit

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PYM meetings can support the lawsuit in a variety of ways.  This suit is a single step in a march toward seeking justice in the current state in our country.

While the need for the lawsuit—and for many other suits—may be daunting and depressing, the opportunity it brings for practicing our faith is energizing. There are five sections below, each offering a starting point for meetings to think about their next steps.

The primary motion to keep in the forefront, regardless of the focus or activity, is being obedient to the Spirit, faithful in strengthening our community, and effective in supporting our neighbors.

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Annual Benjamin Lay Lecture: The Collective Reparations Responsibility

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This year’s lecture presented by Rashaun Williams, “The Collective Reparations Responsibility”, is a conversation and workshop on how different communities can play their part in reparative justice to Black Americans whose ancestors endured chattel slavery in the United States.

Rashaun Williams is an all around altruist. He has been a community organizer and human services professional in Philadelphia for over a decade and is passionate about creating opportunities for his community. During his 4 years as the co-chair of N’COBRA PHL, he authored, organized, and lobbied for and eventually co-chaired the Philadelphia Reparations Task Force.

PYM’s Response to the Political Reality

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This week has brought many changes our country, including ones that are out of alignment with Friends testimonies and the way we walk in the world.  The PYM community and governance are actively listening and responding.   
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Why DOES Palestine Matter? An Invitation to a 6 Session Course with Members of the Middle East Collaborative

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Authorship of this invitation is attributed to Deb Wood and other resources. 

As I thought about writing an invitation to the Why Palestine Matters course, I came across the following quotation, which fits the Palestine/Israel situation so well:

“The purpose of propaganda is to make one set of people forget that other sets of people are human.”

— Aldous Huxley

The Palestine/Israeli relationship and conflict can often appear so complex and intractable that we don’t know how we can ever understand enough to move forward. News coverage often lacks the entire context, leaving us unable to honor the humanity of all involved. When we stop seeing a person or group as human, we much more easily discount and discredit their experiences and humanity, making it far easier to deny their needs and right to exist.

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AFSC Presentation at Swarthmore Meeting

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Join friends at Swarthmore Friends Meeting on Sunday, January 19th for a presentation from Ainsley Bruton, AFSC’s Quaker Engagement Coordinator, about AFSC’s work to promote peace and justice around the world. Ainsley will share information about AFSC’s food justice activism, efforts to de-militarize police forces, peacemaking in the Middle East, AFSC’s social change leadership program for young adults, and more. Ainsley will also be connecting with Friends to learn more about peace and justice work being done at Swarthmore.

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