Acting in Faith

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To Heal the World: Building an immigrants' rights movement in Denver, Colorado (PODCAST)
(March 29, 2013)

"Families belong together" protest puppet download

Press conference in front of Senator Bennet's office in Denver, Colorado.

What do safe communities really look like? That question has been the focus of many in Denver, Colo., a city that has been home to many immigrants over the past 20 years. For AFSC, the answer can only be found by bringing together immigrants and non-immigrants to work together to ensure the fair treatment of all of the city's residents and work for equal human rights. Listen to the voices of community members working with AFSC to support the...

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I will not drink SodaStream fizzy water for Passover
(March 21, 2013)

Soda Stream boycott

Soda Stream boycott

Soda Stream boycott

by Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb

As we approach the Jewish holy days, we are reminded of the phrase that initiates the Telling of the Story: Let all who are hungry come eat, let all who are oppressed, join us at the table of liberation. Unfortunately, if they are Palestinians living in the West Bank, they may need a special security clearance. That is the case for Palestinian workers who are employed by SodaStream, the increasingly popular home carbonation product sold in 39 countries in 35,000 stores worldwide. 

Jewish religion commands us to make food choices that do...

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Building bridges is radical
(March 15, 2013)

Rebecca Timbres, nurse

Rebecca Timbres served as a nurse during World War I and continued to work for the AFSC for nearly her entire adult life.

by Madeline Schaefer

When I think of well-known figures of AFSC’s past, I think of men—Rufus Jones and Clarence Pickett, more specifically. I’m sure much of this has to do with the fact that I have spent numerous hours sitting in rooms named after them at Friends Center in Philadelphia. But I have little doubt that their familiarity is also due to the general attention that our society pays to men with big ideas and big voices, particularly the society in which the organization was founded. 

Of course, Friends Center, where AFSC’s Philadelphia office resides,...

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Meeting the community of Hatcliffe Extension, a reflection

(March 12, 2013)

Marsha Base visiting Hatcliffe Extenstion in Zimbabwe

Marsha Base visiting Hatcliffe Extenstion in Zimbabwe

Marsha Base visiting Hatcliffe Extenstion in Zimbabwe. Marsha is seated in a chair made by Mrs. S. Chabvunyira (not pictured). The woman in orange behind her is Mrs. Masaraure of the sewing cluster. .

by Marsha R. Base

As we enter Hatcliffe Extension outside of Harare, Zimbabwe via a dirt road marred by deep ruts and washed out areas with more than a 12-inch drop-off, I wonder if our Toyota four wheel drive will survive with shock absorbers intact. We park and walk toward a grassy area where several men and a woman are repairing a metal wheelbarrow using the only welding machine available. Several others watch the process. Homes surround the workspace. Some are built of brick and wood while others are a patchwork quilt of tents, tarps, and other remnants from the...

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The power to create light: Healing in Dublin Federal Women’s Prison
(March 8, 2013)

Window at Alcatraz

Window at Alcatraz by Jacqueline Poggi

Window at Alcatraz

by Lucy Duncan

Jacqueline Duhart, a Unitarian minister, runs a women’s group at Dublin Federal Women’s Prison south of Oakland for AFSC. The original leaders adapted Pace e Bene’s Traveling with the Turtle, a curriculum for women learning nonviolence. As Jacqueline has listened to the women and responded to their needs, she has changed and adapted the work the women do together.  The thread she weaves throughout is that of the power and voice within, working with...

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