On Wednesday, were thrilled to have hundreds of Friends and advocates join us as we kicked off our 2024 Quaker Public Policy Institute (QPPI).
Reflecting on our time so far together, two words stand out: inspiration and gratitude.
Yesterday, we were inspired by the courageous advocacy of hundreds of advocates who went to Capitol Hill to stand up against U.S. complicity in the horrors ongoing in the Middle East.
This advocacy came at a historic moment, with the Senate poised to take a landmark vote next week to block more U.S. weapons to Israel that are killing and inflicting more suffering in Gaza and the region.
Sadly, these resolutions will not pass. Yet, as expert John Ramming-Chappell explained powerfully, this vote provides us an opportunity to build support, impact hearts and minds, and send a critical message: We “will not stand for the absolute devastation that we’ve seen wrought with U.S. weapons.”
As we ended QPPI last night, we were reminded why this work matters, even when it is painfully hard and lonely.
We presented Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-12) with our inaugural Compass Award to honor and celebrate her lifetime of exceptional public service and moral leadership.
This new award derives its name from the speech Rep. Lee gave before casting her historic lone vote against the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force and the endless wars that resulted.
By standing alone to say that war is not the answer, Rep. Lee demonstrated immense moral courage, leadership, and wisdom which defined her decades-long career in Congress.
She taught us an enduring lesson: Standing up for peace, justice, and the dignity of our neighbors always matters. Our work has impacts that can reverberate into the future and inspire generations to come.
Stay tuned and follow us on social media for more updates as we launch our 2024 Annual Meeting today!
Elsewhere
Our Faith Calls Us to Never Give Up
This Monday, FCNL’s Bridget Moix and Amelia Kegan spoke with our network about what the 119th Congress and the incoming Trump administration will mean for justice and peace. They spelled out challenges as well as opportunities to prepare for.
As they pointed out, we are all grappling in different ways over the election results. Our work is now much harder, but also incredibly more important. Our response should not be to get overwhelmed or disengaged.
You are still needed! Our country needs your advocacy. Our communities need your organizing. FCNL and organizations like ours need your financial contributions. Our democracy needs you. The stakes are too high to give in to inaction and despair.
We Seek an Earth Restored
In the first installment of a series, FCNL’s Micah MacColl Nicholson explored how FCNL’s Quaker identity, expressed in the “World We Seek,” compels us to work for environmental justice. As she points out: “The Quaker tradition emphasizes the interconnectedness of all creation, grounding our advocacy for environmental stewardship in deep spiritual values.”
These spiritual values are why FCNL’s Daren Caughron is traveling to Azerbaijan, to COP29, an international climate action conference. He will be living out our values to seek an earth restored.
Secretary of the Interior Haaland Lays out Next Steps
Following President Joe Biden’s historic apology for the federal government’s role in the Indian Boarding School era, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Bryan Newland, assistant secretary for Indian affairs, wrote an op-ed laying out next steps to address this painful history. This includes recording oral histories and repairing the attempted assimilation by supporting Native language preservation.
We must acknowledge our complicity in the historic trauma of the boarding school era. Quakers collaborated with the federal government in running some of these unspeakably abusive schools. Now is the time to work in solidarity with tribal nations, tribal organizations, and the broader faith community to advance congressional efforts to establish a truth, reconciliation, and healing process for all those affected.
