Quaker Action for a Better World

In the hit Broadway musical and recent movie sensation Wicked, Elphaba, the mischaracterized ‘wicked witch’ of the West, sings the following lyrics in unison with the popular ‘good witch’ Glinda: “…because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” These words express a fundamental trait of the human condition: every one of us knows that feeling of gratitude for being influenced and changed by someone for the better. We are built from the care of other people. These lyrics also communicate what I gain from spending time with Friends, and they perfectly express my hope for what Friends experience when they engage with American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

The rise of social media and our reliance on email and text messages to communicate with one another has made in-person interactions far rarer, and therefore more precious. When I started my role as the Director of Quaker Engagement at AFSC, it was clear to me that I needed to dedicate time towards putting my feet on the ground in Quaker meetinghouses. Friends can only exchange so much information through email and webinars. I wanted to build relationships through breaking bread, sharing worship, and moments of connection where eyes and hearts meet in real time.

Two years ago, I went on an ambitious “speaking tour” through the South and Midwest United States. Supported by the D’Olier Foundation to help cover travel costs, I was able to experience the beautiful abundance of many real-life connections. Over the course of five months, I visited over 17 different Quaker communities in 10 different states. The following year, I traveled to AFSC’s West Region and I was able to visit 11 more Quaker communities in five different states.

During these travels, I learned so much about how Friends are taking action for peace and justice, the challenges and joys of nurturing relationships between Quaker congregations and AFSC as an organization. These experiences and connections quite profoundly changed me for good.

We all know that Quakers are erroneously known for having an insatiable appetite for oatmeal. What Quakers really should be known for is their warm hospitality, healthy food habits, and impressive potlucks. Every community I visited on my speaking tour ensured that I did not leave hungry. At San Diego meeting, Friends fed me enchiladas with homemade tortillas drenched in bright green salsa, and at Berkeley Friends Church they served the delicious warm sourdough loaves that San Francisco is known for. At Tempe Friends meeting, I was offered a casserole prepared the day before for people living with housing insecurity, a ministry of some Friends. I appreciated that Friends didn’t want any food to go to waste. It was hearty, vegetarian, and delicious. The clerk of Olympia Friends meeting served me the most satisfying bowl of seafood stew I have ever had, which he promised contained “all line caught fish.” And my hosts at Honolulu Friends Meeting joined me for a breakfast complete with tropical fruits and fresh coffee grown on the island. Throughout the Quaker world, I have observed that Friends are eager to feed people, whether they be someone in need or a sojourner traveling through their area.

In some ways, you might say that feeding people is how AFSC got started. In 1917, a group of young adult Quakers organized themselves under the banner of the “American Friends Service Committee” and some of their first projects involved feeding communities that had been devastated by World War I. Those programs in Europe were so successful that AFSC started a feeding program in West Viriginia for coal miners on strike.

Today, AFSC continues to distribute humanitarian aid in regions that have been decimated by war and conflict. While I was on my speaking tour, AFSC’s staff in Gaza were distributing over 1,000,000 parcels of life-saving aid, including hot meals, groceries, and vegetables grown by Palestinian farmers. Many Quakers that I met during my speaking tour were unaware that AFSC was continuing to do emergency humanitarian relief work in Palestine and eager to hear about the incredible courage of our staff under the most difficult conditions.

Food and food justice touches many parts of AFSC. In New Orleans, our Peace by Piece program works with Black communities to build sustainable green spaces and teach the art of gardening and urban farming. In New Mexico, our staff work with indigenous communities and farmers to protect access to land and water, provide grower assistance and training, and increase access to healthy food. On the national level, AFSC advocates for a Farm Bill that puts communities and the planet at its center, rather than the profits of corporations and industries. We also successfully encouraged several state governors to accept federal “SUN BUCKS” funding to help low-income families purchase groceries over the summer months.

When I travel among Friends, I sometimes hear questions about how to get involved when there is not an AFSC program office nearby. The work in New Orleans and New Mexico is impressive and exciting, but what can I do if I live in Las Vegas or Tucson? AFSC has national programs and campaigns that anyone in any location can get involved with. Our Stronger with Immigrants campaign, for example, seeks to protect immigrant communities and promote policies which ensure that everyone gets the chance to build a good life, regardless of where they were born or when or how they migrate. On the third Tuesday of every month, AFSC’s experts give guidance on how to enact social change and resist authoritarianism in our time. And our involvement in the Earth Quaker Action Team’s Vanguard S.O.S. campaign seeks to mobilize Friends and others to dissuade Vanguard from further investing in the expansion of fossil fuel industries.

When I started to plan my first speaking tour, I thought about it as a means to build relationships with Friends and share the “menu” of opportunities to engage with AFSC’s work. I’ve been rewarded with something else: greater understanding of the incredible peace and justice work – that Friends and Quaker communities are doing independent of AFSC.

At University Friends Meeting (Seattle), I was transfixed by a temporary art exhibit in their meetinghouse which showcased the experiences of Palestinians living under military occupation. At Phoenix Quaker Meeting, I learned about their project collecting plastic bottle caps which they send to Mexico to be recycled into prosthetic limbs. At Berkeley Friends Church, I learned about the food pantry they operate which serves over 2,000 people each month.

The enormity of the suffering in the world can be daunting and the rising authoritarianism we are witnessing in our time is frightening. It sometimes feels like our efforts to make change are meaningless against the forces of violence and dehumanization. When I travel among Friends, however, it is clear to me that there are thousands of small positive actions occurring simultaneously.

It has been amazing to receive so much kindness and light while traveling among Friends. Thank you those who welcomed me, offered their hospitality, took time to listen about AFSC’s work, or chose to support or get involved in one of AFSC’s programs or campaigns. Thank you for participating in the work being done by Friends for the sake of love and building a better world.

Brian Blackmore is an educator, historian, and community-builder who serves as the Director of Quaker Engagement at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). He is a member of Gainesville Friends Meeting and lives in Philadelphia. He is also the author of To Hear and To Respond: The Quakers’ Groundbreaking Push for Gay Liberation, 1946-1973.