by WebPost | Apr 24, 2015 | Peace and Social Concerns, Topics, Writings - Quaker Bibliography
“The Hero’s Fight: African-Americans in West Baltimore and the Shadow of the State,” by Patricia Fernández-Kelly, was published Feb. 1, 2014, by Princeton University Press. See http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10328.html#.VPHv1BBwbLw.gmail. If you click on the link, you may be struck by the unconscious bias in one sentence in the summary: “While ordinary Americans are treated as citizens and consumers, deprived and racially segregated populations are seen as objects of surveillance, containment, and punishment.” It is easy to infer that, by “ordinary Americans” the writer means “white Americans,” since “racially segregated populations” clearly means populations of color. We (whites) still tend to think of ourselves as the “ordinary” Americans. Even this blurb writer has fallen into that trap. One can only wonder what Fernández-Kelly thinks of that description of her book, if she has noticed it. One can also wonder how often any of us fall into that same trap.
This column is prepared by the BYM Working Group on Racism (WGR) and sent to the designated liaisons at each Monthly and Preparative Meeting for publication in their newsletter or other means of dissemination. The WGR meets most months on the third Saturday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, usually at Bethesda Friends Meeting or Friends Meeting of Washington. If you would like to attend, on a regular or a drop-in basis, contact clerk David Etheridge, [email protected].
by WebPost | Apr 24, 2015 | History - Quaker, History - RFM, Peace and Social Concerns
There have been several celebrations and ceremonies marking the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and the freeing of slaves in the south. These events note an important milestone as a step toward greater racial equality, and Virginia Friends were allies in that equality quest.
Because it was against the law in Virginia to free your slaves, many Friends went to Ohio and Indiana, states that were more open to abolition. Due to dwindling numbers, the Virginia Yearly Meeting joined the Baltimore Yearly Meeting in 1843. Quakers who stayed in Virginia faced a hostile environment and needed to be discreet in their support of African-Americans. One supporter, John Bacon Crenshaw, a member of the Cedar Creek Meeting (mother to the Richmond Meeting) lived on a farm six miles north of Richmond. To help guide fugitive slaves north, he drove nails into fences and posts to indicate the route that led north. He is but one of many Friends aiding escaping slaves.
After the Civil War, a period called Reconstruction lasted from 1867 until 1875. During this brief time, African-Americans voted and elected legislators, pushing more equal treatment, but the white power establishment reasserted institutional racism by passing a huge body of laws that was called Jim Crow. From drinking fountains to walking on sidewalks, no aspect of civic life was too small to govern. This period, from 1875, lasted until the 1950’s, when it began to crumble with Brown vs. Board of Education. Most Jim Crow laws were finally dismantled by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
White Privilege roots are deep and persistent, and as Michele Alexander points out in “The New Jim Crow” and Benjamin Campbell notes in “Richmond’s Unhealed History”, our prison system and zoning and boundary manipulations have been used to diminish the lives of our African-American citizens once again.
Today, in our prison population of 2.3 million, African-American are a disproportionate number of the imprisoned. Outside of prison, these, our brothers and sisters, lead shorter, unhealthier lives, earn less money, have poorer housing and school options than white people. So, 150 years after the Civil War ended, much has been changed, and much more remains to be changed.
Today’s Richmond Friends Meeting continues the work of earlier Friends to advocate for a fairer, kinder and more loving community for all to live and grow in.
by WebPost | Apr 24, 2015 | Meeting House, Topics
Please Park as a Good Neighbor. The Meeting recently has been reminded that we are located in a residential community, and that our activities can disturb our neighbors. Parking is one of the primary issues. Please do not park in front of any neighbors’ homes. If there are no spaces on Commonwealth Avenue, go over one block to Woodlawn Avenue, which runs parallel to Commonwealth, and park there.
The Meeting is a busy and vibrant place, even on many nights during the week. We can disrupt family life if we are not always careful about where we choose to leave our cars.
by WebPost | Apr 19, 2015 | Baltimore Yearly Meeting, Topics
Richmond Friends gathered for a half-day on 21st day, 2nd month, 2015 to consider the spiritual state of our meeting in a worship sharing format, centered around queries provided by Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Approximately twenty Friends participated.
Richmond Friends Meeting is a thriving community. Reflecting on 2014, we notice that much of the work we have done in prior years has come to fruition. This is especially seen in our meeting’s unity on marriage equality, our prison ministry, and our child safety policy. These are the results of our patience, love, and peaceful presence. We are grateful for the way our meeting trusts Spirit-led Quaker process.
We cherish our integration of spirituality and action. It’s “how,” not “what,” we do. This Light shines most brightly in our social justice work. We nurture personal leadings, some of which have grown into educational programs and actions supported across several committees. Our meeting sustains the work that Friends do in the world.
We note our strong willingness to join and contribute to committees, as well as just lend a hand whenever needed. Inter-committee cooperation and collaboration is strong. This has led to creatively exploring topics such as privilege and the environment. Our meeting was inspired to consider these topics deeply and to commit to action within the larger community.
We value inclusivity in Meeting for Worship. We have a growing awareness of the challenges around hearing and mobility and we have been identifying ways to better accommodate these needs. We recognize the gifts that shine through our different expressions of the Light.
Although there are fewer children and young adults in our meeting, we value the gifts they bring to the life of the meeting. We see that, from young to old, Friends are encouraged to expand their involvement in the wider Quaker Community, through FGC, BYM, and BYM camps.
Smaller groups within our meeting flourish. Spiritual Formation, Spring Retreat, Men’s Retreat, Work Camp, and Friendly 8’s are eagerly attended, providing opportunities for Friends to get to know one another and deepen spiritually. Our new website supports both a reaching in and a reaching out for our meeting.
2014 has felt like a good solid year for Richmond Friends Meeting. We seek to maintain balance individually and as a meeting between outreach, nurturing our measure of light, and caring for one another. We remind ourselves to be humble and listen deeply. We trust Spirit-led Quaker process as we face emerging issues in the coming year.
Approved at Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, 19th day, 4th month, 2015
by WebPost | Apr 18, 2015 | Baltimore Yearly Meeting, Children and Religious Education
An update on BYM summer camps: there are still openings for campers at Shiloh and Opequon this summer! In particular, there are may openings in the last session at Shiloh and the middle session at Opequon, There are even some work grant spots available! Please register your child, your grand child or anyone 9-14 years old who would benefit from a spirit based, off the grid week or two in the woods! Check out the BYM camps website http://bymcamps.org/ or contact Brooke Davis at 288-0180 or [email protected] for more details.