Statement

On December 9th, at the 2024 Tribal Nations Summit in Washington, DC, President Joe Biden announced the designation of a new national monument on the site of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

In times of fear and danger, we are called into deeper community with one another – and with those with whom we disagree. We are called to love our enemies, and to work for the transformation of our world into the beloved community we know is possible.

For over 40 years, the United Nations has marked September 21st as the International Day of Peace, a day dedicated to non-violence and universal ceasefire.

FCNL is deeply disappointed in today’s Senate vote to not move forward on The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024.

We urge government and university leaders to permit peaceful protests on campuses, protect freedom of speech, oppose all forms of violence against people exercising their fundamental rights, and work to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. 

FCNL is deeply concerned that Iran’s recent retaliatory strikes on Israeli territory, following Israel’s unlawful attacks on its diplomatic facility in Syria in early April, will only fuel more war, bloodshed, and regional instability. War is not the answer and another round of retaliation strikes by any party to the conflict will only further inflame the region and drive more violence. 

Quakers believe in the sacred worth of each person and stand against violence in all its forms. As Quaker organizations, we mourn all lives lost and lament with everyone who is suffering. We grieve for those in Israel and Palestine who have lost precious lives. We pray with those waiting for the return of loved ones and those living under siege and bombardment.

As Quaker organizations, we mourn all lives lost and lament with everyone who is suffering.

Today marks the International Day of Peace. It offers us an opportunity for reflection on—and rededication to—the principles of peace and the work of building a just and non-violent world. This year, that opportunity feels both vital and urgent.

On August 26, 2023, a gunman took the lives of three Black people in a racist attack in Jacksonville, FL. FCNL holds their communities and families in the Light as they grieve this horrific loss. We also recognize and affirm that thoughts and prayers do not atone for inaction—not on racism, not on white supremacy, and not on gun violence.

Confronting racism and building a more just and equitable world is ongoing work that requires reckoning with our country’s past and transforming our future.