Over the 10 years that Diane Randall has served as General Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), she has lead this remarkable community to do impressive work for peace, justice, and the environment.
On Dec. 14, Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-13) submitted the following statement into the official Congressional Record, in celebration of Diane’s decade of leadership at FCNL.
Retirement Of Diane Randall, General Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation
Hon. Barbara Lee of California in the House Of Representatives
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Madam Speaker, I rise to express my appreciation for the powerful, persistent, and prophetic service of Diane Randall, who is stepping down from her role as General Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) at the end of this year.
FCNL is the 78-year-old Quaker lobby working to end war and the threat of war, advance social justice, and protect the Earth. In addition to its team of advocates in Washington, FCNL has built a network of thousands of people in all 50 states who advocate for those same values day-in and day-out.
Diane is truly one who speaks truth to power, and I am deeply grateful for that. She leaves a legacy not only of moral leadership, but also a vision for a more peaceful and equitable future, and an organization that is energized and equipped to pursue it.
I have deeply valued working with Diane and her team as allies in my own work to end the forever wars, fight poverty and ensure a better life for all people at home and abroad. As a Quaker leader and a person of faith, Diane has brought a strong moral voice and the power of her Quaker community to policy discussions here in Washington. Her deep faith and belief in the inherent value of all people have allowed her to work across partisan and ideological lines to achieve major, positive change.
During her decade-long tenure, Diane vastly expanded FCNL’s advocacy staff in Washington and energized Quaker activists across the country. She built enduring coalitions with many different faith communities, joining with the heads of Washington offices of faith-based organizations, the Circle of Protection, and the Washington Interfaith Staff Community.
In fact, I recall a dinner with faith leaders that Diane hosted a few years ago at FCNL’s Quaker Welcome Center. We discussed the intersection of poverty and racism, and from that dinner-discussion emerged a powerful statement: a Unity Declaration on Racism and Poverty signed by more than 80 prominent Christian leaders. I have seen first-hand how Diane has nurtured and challenged all of us to work toward her vision of the world we seek. FCNL’s wonderful mission statement is something that I believe we should all champion:
We seek a world free of war and the threat of war.
We seek a society with equity and justice for all.
We seek a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled.
We seek an earth restored.
FCNL has been and continues to be a principled, effective and steadfast partner in advancing that mission. They have been an integral part of our efforts to repeal the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force. FCNL is one of the few organizations that has been with me since September 2001, supporting my lone vote against the war authorization, and continuing to campaign against the endless wars that resulted from one 60–word sentence that was enacted into law over our objections.
Under Diane’s leadership starting in 2011, FCNL staff have been steadfast allies, advocating to support my legislation to repeal these war authorizations. Their professional lobbyists as well as their citizen advocates tirelessly visited Hill offices, telling their own personal stories as well as making a logical case for why endless wars and endless Pentagon spending make all of us less secure.
We work together on so many issues, from promoting racial justice at home to ending the drone wars to supporting the United Nations. Whether it is protecting the right to vote, protecting refugees and migrants, or protecting vulnerable people in developing countries, FCNL has been right there alongside me.
Although FCNL is a Quaker-led organization, its network includes many people of other faiths and non-religious people who are drawn to their priorities and their vision for a better future. Diane has particularly strengthened FCNL’s work on poverty and economic justice issues, focusing a huge amount of energy and lobbying power on passing legislation to expand and extend the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. This November, FCNL organized more than 600 people in 45 states plus the District of Columbia to lobby Congress in support of these priorities.
Diane is truly one who speaks truth to power, and I am deeply grateful for that. She leaves a legacy not only of moral leadership, but also a vision for a more peaceful and equitable future, and an organization that is energized and equipped to pursue it.