Dear Anonymous: This is to recognize your courage to write for the July/August issue, regarding the secret of your hidden life among Friends. Dear One, you are heard, your pain is acknowledged. You are not alone.
I do not mean to distract from your situation and, at the same time, I want ask all of us in the Society of Friends:
What is happening in the Society of Friends in the 21st Century that a Quaker would be living in emotional subjection and oppressive conditions with her intimate partner and cannot bring this to the Light in her meeting?
How is it that the perceived “status” of her abuser as a “weighty Quaker” made it impossible for her share her condition? How is it that a Friends Meeting would be believed to protect an abuser over a victim? Does “weighty Quaker” convey some protection from examination of male privilege, oppressive behavior, and maltreatment of an intimate partner?
As Friends are grappling with “white fragility” and systemic white supremacy, can we awaken to the manner in which women are subjected to similar offenses? Are Friends resting on laurels earned in past centuries here? Are Friends just tired after decades of work on this, thinking they have solved this problem already?
How can a meeting let a victim of abuse know they will give the victim the help and support they need? ~~~
– Susan Davenport, Olympia Friends Meeting