Summer Lab - Equity and Justice
Quakers like to see themselves as ahead of the curve on matters of equity and inclusion. The Quaker movement started in the middle of the 17th Century, amid the tumult of the English Civil War. Early Quakers pushed against the assumptions of the dominant culture in some interesting ways.
The first Quakers outraged their neighbors by recognizing the spiritual authority of women. Women have always been key leaders in the Quaker movement. Because Quaker women had practical experience as leaders within the Society of Friends, they became leaders in the wider suffrage movement for white women.
Early Friends not only proclaimed, “that of God” in everyone, they expressed confidence that people in different faith traditions could experience the guidance of the Light within. This was a startling idea in the 1600s.
Quakers were among the first American colonists to reject slavery. In the 19th Century, Friends played an active role in the Underground Railroad. In the 20th Century, the American Friends Service Committee supported Dr. King’s study of Gandhian non-violence in India. Friend Bayard Rustin, became a key advisor to Dr. King, coordinating the famous March on Washington DC in 1963.
Ahead of their Time
“We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers.”
Quakers may have been ahead of the curve in comparison to other European colonizers, but we aren’t excused from our own legacy of colonization. Our Quaker forebears bought and sold enslaved people. We settled on land that was already home to the Leni Lenape and other indigenous peoples.
Although Quaker leaders have often been at the forefront of movements for social change, it’s also true that these same leaders have experienced resistance from the majority of other Quakers.
Quaker history is more complicated than an unbroken series of cross-cultural victories. The modern Quaker belief that all people have equal value is certainly sincere. However, we’ve been paternalistic in assuming we know what’s best for others. For example, we pioneered the practice of solitary confinement in prison and sent indigenous children to boarding schools where they could be assimilated into the dominant culture.
QVS is inspired by those Quakers who pushed against the assumptions of the dominant culture. We are also humbled to know the limits of our good intentions. We’re committed to listening to those on the margins so we can work as partners for social change.
The Limits of Good Intentions
For QVS to recognize and transcend patterns of privilege that dominate our society, we must listen to those who can identify the harm caused by existing structures such as white supremacy, patriarchy, and hetero- normativity.
To help us build structures for listening and organizational change, QVS has appointed Zenaida Peterson as our Director of Equity and Empowerment. We hope you will talk frankly with your Coordinator and the Director of Equity and Empowerment about what you notice in your experience and what may be preventing your full participation. For QVS to live into its commitments, we need to hear from you.
Not only do we offer staff support for equity concerns, the QVS budget offers some direct support for Fellows.
Equity Partnership
QVS has established an Equity Fund to help with unanticipated equity needs. We budget an amount based on the total number of Fellows. Although we budget per Fellow, we know that different Fellows will need different levels of support. If you need support to travel home for an emergency or face some other financial need you are unable to cover with your stipend or access to your support networks, please communicate with the Director of Equity and Empowerment and your Coordinator.
More information on the Equity Fund can be found in this appendix.