Upon my arrival in Richmond, Indiana – after years of ministry in San Francisco, California – I would often walk the campus in the awareness that Earlham College had been standing at the time of the Civil War. I think often about the tension between spectacular, Ezekiel-like revelations from God and what happens when we attempt to translate such revelations into structured communities.
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Dear Friends: In their monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings, Friends in the West are rising to the challenge of taking actions that enact equality and justice.
I had struggled before over whether to speak during worship, but this was different. It was near the close of worship, and a long-time member was sharing a folk tale from childhood. The story clearly moved him, and I can only imagine it was intended as a gift, a tender ministry for all of us in worship. But it was not a gift, at least not of the kind intended.
This is a time when many Quaker meetings have approved statements denouncing racist violence and pledging their efforts to uproot and dismantle systemic racism.
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his is the manuscript of the keynote talk presented to Intermountain Yearly Meeting at its 2021 Annual Sessions by José Santos Woss.
These are transcripts of the keynote talks presented to Pacific Yearly Meeting at its 2021 Annual Sessions by Gabriela Portillo Alvarado and Avotcja Jitonilro.
This is the unabridged text of a shorter article published in the September/October 2021 issue of Western Friend.
