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Anthony Manousos

Articles

Organize Dear Editor: Thanks for another great issue of Western Friend. I was inspired/provoked to write this response to a couple of the articles you published in the May/June 2023 issue.

Issue: On Dignity (July 2023)

Quakers: The Quiet Revolutionaries (review) An engaging 2018 documentary film, Quakers: The Quiet Revolutionaries, provides a useful overview of Quaker history from an activist perspective. Thanks to PBS, it has been broadcast to over 250,000 households in the U.S. Director-producer Janet Gardner, Cinematographer Kevin Clouthier, Consultant Richard Nurse, and others on this team deserve kudos for their efforts to make Quaker history come alive. This documentary is intended for a popular audience and is spreading the Quaker message where it most needs to be heard.

Issue: On Debt (July 2021)

Thanks to a Friend of Moscow Dear Editor: I loved the article by Julie Harlow in the March/April issue of Western Friend. She really touched my heart with her honesty, commitment, and vision for authentic Quakerism. Like Julie, I was deeply involved in Soviet-American reconciliation work in the 1980s. I got to know Julie when she was taking groups of Friends from PacYM to the Soviet Union to build friendships and get to know our “enemy” as part of the citizen diplomacy movement. I felt our citizen diplomacy work helped to end the Cold War. Julie continued to follow her calling to be a Friendly presence for those in Russia who are drawn to Quakerism. Over the years, she has done amazing work through her faithfulness to her leading. I thank God for her!

Issue: On Tricks (May 2021)

Thoughts from a Loving Gadfly In January this year, I submitted an article to Western Friend about Friends and the “Beloved Community,” and I received the best rejection letter ever. The editor told me she tends to publish good news about Friends on the website, but wants the magazine to contain articles that “dig deeper into the quandaries, conflicts, values, etc., that underlie all the good work.” This seems like an editorial policy that will keep the magazine interesting and relevant.

Issue: On Tricks (May 2021)

Racism, Housing, and Cities Eight years ago, I married Jill Shook, a housing justice advocate and Evangelical Christian who loves Jesus and justice. She also loves Quakers and attends Orange Grove Meeting (and the Methodist Church). The more I walk or drive around Pasadena with her, the more I see a side of this city that I never even imagined before. I have come to see the “secret life” of this city – how housing policies determine where and how homes are built and businesses are situated. Cities don’t just happen, they are created and shaped by policy makers with values that are often colored by classism, xenophobia, and racism.

Issue: On Secrets (July 2020)

“Amost Right” is Not “Right” Dear Editor: I deeply appreciate your publishing my poem “On Garbage” in the Nov/Dec 2017 issue of Western Friend, but I was disappointed that a word was omitted from the penultimate line. It should have read:

Issue: On Captivity (January 2018)

Celebration of Garbage (corrected) Anthony Manousos is a member of Orange Grove Meeting in Pasadena, CA (PYM).

Issue: On Captivity (January 2018)

The Airtight Cage of Poverty “We are tired of smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society,” said Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (1963). To address this crisis, Dr. King (along with Quaker activist Bayard Rustin) launched the Poor People’s Campaign, focusing on economic justice, especially around jobs and housing. In February 1968, King announced the Campaign’s specific demands: $30 billion for anti-poverty programs, full employment, guaranteed income, and the annual construction of 500,000 affordable residences.

Issue: On Captivity (January 2018)

Importance of Quaker History On October 26 I took part in an interesting phone workshop on Quaker history sponsored by the Western Friend. It was the first online workshop I have ever taken part in, and I want to commend Mary Klein for organizing it and for providing excellent background readings and good questions to ponder. It worked extremely well. I was able to hear and see everyone clearly.  

Issue: On Garbage (November 2017)

Celebration of Garbage  

Issue: On Garbage (November 2017)

Reflections with God and Alphabet Prayer (reviews)  

Issue: On Politics (July 2017)

Surmounting Limits in Quakerism When I asked Mary Klein if she would publish an article about the 2016 meeting of Friends World Committee on Consultation, she suggested that I write one for the issue on “Limits.” My initial response was: “Is she kidding?” I was grateful for her offer, but something in me bristles at the word “limits.”

Issue: On Limits (May 2016)

Time, History and the Eternal Now My first encounter with Friends occurred thirty years ago in my hometown of Princeton, New Jersey. I was going through a tumultuous time, and I found the Princeton Meeting to be a place of peace and comfort. Later, as I became more involved with Quakerism, I learned about the history of Princeton Meeting and the hidden history of local Quakers, who were the original settlers there. I learned that the Quakers didn’t take sides during the Revolutionary War; that they cared for the American and British wounded equally; and that as a result, they fell out of favor politically.

Issue: On Time (March 2014)

Building Bridges Among Friends Dear Editor:  I am grateful that you published the "Estranged Family of Friends" by Andrew Secret (Sept/Oct 2013). I was moved by his testimony and commitment to fostering unity among different branches of Friends and agree with him with him that "cross fertilization between the traditions...could be very valuable." Amazing things have occurred in the Pacific Northwest since women of the programmed and unprogrammed traditions got together, shared their stories, and developed friendships. The Quaker Women's Theological Conferences, the involvement of Northwest Yearly Meeting in FWCC, FCNL and AFSC, etc. have had a significant impact on the spiritual life of Friends, and enhanced our witness to the world.

Issue: On Deception (November 2013)

Gun Buy-Back Dear Editor:  I thought your readers might be interested in this timely article. I've written a lot about this issue on my blog ever since we started our "turning swords into plowshares" campaign three months ago.

Issue: On Superiority (July 2013)

Grateful for Yearly Meeting Action

Issue: On Legacy (September 2024)

Archive Articles

Library items

A Few Reflections

Authored by: Anthony Manousos

Quakers on Quaker History (conversation notes)

Authored by: Mary Klein, Chuck Fager, Robert Griswold, Anthony Manousos

George Fox and Prophetic Awakening

Authored by: Anthony Manousos

The Importance of Quaker History

Authored by: Anthony Manousos

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