Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends

Quaker History

Quaker Educator: Interview with Jay Marshall, Dean Emeritus of Earlham School of Religion

Written on:

 This interview with educator, Jay Marshall follows our earlier conversations with educators Terry Nance, Sa’ed Atshan, Maurice Eldridge, and Sarah Willie-LeBreton.

A recorded Friends minister of North Carolina Yearly Meeting, Jay Marshall graduated from Guilford College in 1985. He earned his M.Div. in 1988 and a Ph.D. in 1992 from Duke University. He served as a Dean of the Earlham School of Religion, retiring in 2018 after 20 years of tenure.  He continues to serve the Earlham religious community as Dean Emeritus. [Read more…] about Quaker Educator: Interview with Jay Marshall, Dean Emeritus of Earlham School of Religion

Quaker Conscientious Objectors: Few Options before AFSC and the Need for Training Now

Written on:

This April, Haverford Quarterly Meeting convened to discuss the offering of conscientious objector (CO) training by Winifred Shaw Hope. The training (open to all) will be hosted on June 12 and 19. Participant costs will be defrayed by grants from some of the Quarter’s meetings. Below we unpack some of the history around how very precious the CO service option is. Training is necessary if meetings and schools are to be prepared to help 18-26 year-olds understand and access their options around registering as COs or becoming subject to compulsory military service in the event of a draft.

[Read more…] about Quaker Conscientious Objectors: Few Options before AFSC and the Need for Training Now

Quaker History: Lower Merion before 1682 – A “Well-planned and Already Occupied Land”

Written on:

The story below was previously published in the Merion Friends Meeting April 2021 Newsletter.  The article was written by Janet Frazer.

Lower Merion Township’s official history begins in 1682 after Penn established his colony and sold the land to the Welsh Quakers who founded Merion Friends Meeting. But the area was not empty when these travelers arrived! Quaker Thomas Evan’s son reported that when his father arrived in Merion that year he was thirsty and given a drink of water by an elderly Swede and his wife. Dr. Edward Jones later recalled that shortly after his family’s arrival, “the Indians brought venison to our door for six pence ye quarter .” Thomas Paschal, an immigrant from Bristol, England, who lived at Kingsessing (Southwest Philadelphia) wrote in 1683 that “Swedes provide food and housing for the newcomers but also essential services in negotiating with the native Indians”. So the Delaware Valley was not an unoccupied wilderness when the Quakers arrived.

[Read more…] about Quaker History: Lower Merion before 1682 – A “Well-planned and Already Occupied Land”

A Quaker in Beirut, Lebanon: Interview with Friend Tony Manasseh

Written on:

Tony Manasseh (Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting) is a third-generation Quaker who grew up in a country that used to be referred to as “the Switzerland of the Middle East.” His home city, Beirut, was a financial engine that powered the region, and the country had a multicultural vibe that drew international investment.  In the 1960’s it was also a place that brought the different cultures of the region into close proximity, building relationships centered in common interests that embraced diversity and supported a distinctive Middle Eastern culture.

Since then civil war, political change, economic distress, and Covid have been tough on the region. The aftermath of a devastating ammonium nitrate blast that tore facades off buildings and blew apart a large swath of homes overlooking the waterfront made everything worse. According to the World Bank the blast caused between $3.8 and $4.6 Billion dollars of damage.

Since then the economy has been mostly in freefall. [Read more…] about A Quaker in Beirut, Lebanon: Interview with Friend Tony Manasseh

Quakers in Education: Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Sociologist and Swarthmore Dean

Written on:

To meet Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Ph.D. is to encounter an exceptionally grounded Friend with a deep knowledge of human societies. Currently Swarthmore College’s Provost and Dean of the Faculty since 2018, Sarah was appointed after having chaired the Department of Sociology & Anthropology (2009-2018), chaired the President’s Task Force on Sexual Misconduct (2013-14), served as Associate Provost (2005-8), and coordinated the Black Studies Program on and off for more than a decade beginning in 1998. Somehow, as she does all this, she has still found time to be present in leading PYM towards growth in important areas. [Read more…] about Quakers in Education: Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Sociologist and Swarthmore Dean

Quaker Traditions Series: Part I – Spiritual Practice

Written on:

The Quaker Traditions Series is a set of articles on the Quaker faith. In his role as Associate Secretary for Religious Life,  Zachary Dutton has listened deeply to Friends in the community. Working with the PYM staff community engagement team he has provided answers to framing questions for this four-part series. The answers are reflective as opposed to definitive.

The gift of the Quaker faith is that it is one of continuing revelation, so the article speaks to the ‘here and now’ of our faith even as it is tied to, and reflects, our history and tradition. If you have thoughts on these questions, please share them with Zachary – his email is at the end of this article. He is always looking for new ways to be in relationship with our wider Quaker community.

[Read more…] about Quaker Traditions Series: Part I – Spiritual Practice

Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections Fellowships, 2021-2022

Written on:

Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections is now accepting applications for its 2021-2022 fellowship program. Fellowships are available to scholars at any stage of their careers; projects funded by these fellowships should engage with our collections in unique and creative ways. [Read more…] about Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections Fellowships, 2021-2022

Quaker Houses: Germantown’s Historic Johnson House

Written on:

The Johnson House is Philadelphia’s only documented, accessible, and intact Germantown stop on the Underground Railroad. It is open to the public as a place of historic importance. Johnson House was built in 1768 and owned by a family of Quaker abolitionists who worked with free and enslaved people to secure a safe passage to freedom for numerous African Americans.

[Read more…] about Quaker Houses: Germantown’s Historic Johnson House

African American Suffragist Movement

Written on:

In conjunction with its story on Quakers involved in the suffragist movement, Merion Meeting researched the commitment and leadership provided by the African American women’s club.

During the Saturday, October 3rd, virtual event event hosted by Merion Meeting’s History and Archives Committee, a slide show was devoted to the important story of  African-American activists’ involvement in securing women’s right to vote.

The presentation was researched and created by Janet Frazer for Merion Friends Meeting with technical aid from Susanna Frazer.

[Read more…] about African American Suffragist Movement

PART II: History of a Quaker Farm + Quaker Meeting + Quakertown NJ

Written on:

This is part II of our story about a Quaker farm and Meetinghouse in Quakertown, NJ. We share this with thanks to Quakertown attender and farm owner, Marty Campanelli. Marty is writing about the farm she inhabits and the Meeting she attends.

Marty begins where she left off last week, with the Allen and Laing family farm on the outskirts of Quakertown, NJ.

Think back to the first part of the 19th century. It was a time of horse drawn carriages, coal-fired factories, steam engines, and the birth of the railroads…

[Read more…] about PART II: History of a Quaker Farm + Quaker Meeting + Quakertown NJ