Quaker Updates

These times call for love with an edge. Working for change today requires a ferocity and tenacity that colors the idea of love with the full range of its meanings. It is not passive, not necessarily nice or pretty. It is fierce.

FCNL’s Domestic Policy Legislative Director Amelia Kegan preached these words two weeks ago to a Zoom room of North Pacific Yearly Meeting Friends during their virtual Annual Sessions:

Friends across the country are speaking out against racism and police violence. Here, we excerpt some of the minutes and statements that they have shared with us.

What does it look like to be “non-partisan”? In 2020, this question takes on new and complex facets.

This collection of Quaker minutes and statements on police violence and racism come from Quaker organizations, meetings, and churches. Black lives matter. FCNL and the larger Quaker world are proclaiming this truth in our communities, our actions, and our statements.

Amid a worldwide health crisis, an economic downturn that has devastated millions, and a pandemic of racism and police violence in the United States, this query has woven its way into my thoughts over these past months.

I became a Quaker because of FCNL. Part of that story is personal, tied to the people I have met through this work, including my fellow intern and now husband. FCNL has introduced me to communities and people who are now, quite literally, my family.

There have been a lot of things that have given me joy working as your Quaker Field Secretary over the past four, nearly five years now. The work has been inextricably woven with my deepening faith practice, and I have fallen in awe and in love with so many Friends.

Like me, I know you are deeply concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community and for people around the globe. I want to assure you that FCNL is in full operation – virtually – advocating for the world we seek, especially for those whose health and economic conditions make them even more vulnerable because of this pandemic.

Our advocacy is rooted in the conviction that a better world is possible. As people of faith and conscience, we bring our deeply held beliefs into our work for policy change, and we know how important and powerful it can be to frame our advocacy in the language of our faith.