The work of raising awareness and effectively partnering with others for change.
News
- Quaker Voluntary Service – Reflecting on a Life Changing Work Experience
Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS) was founded in 2011 and though young in years, QVS sees itself as “a modern expression of a long-standing tradition of Spirit-grounded service and witness in
- Anti-Blackness Thread Gathering: Change Happens When A Thought Becomes An Action
On January 23, 2021, 126 people devoted six hours on a Saturday to attend PYM’s Addressing anti-Blackness Thread Gathering. Organized by Community Engagement Coordinator, Olivia Brangan and Events and Resources
- Life in Prison as a Juvenile: Post Incarceration Stories Shared at Gwynedd
Deb Hejl, co-clerk of the Legislative Policy Collaborative, submitted the story below about healing circles at the Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project (YSOP). February is a good month to focus
Events
- Pathways to Ending Gun Violence: Legislative Solutionson April 10, 2021
The annual workshop of the Legislative Policy Collaborative of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting will be a virtual event, featuring a keynote address by Peter Murchison, a member of Wilton Friends Meeting
- Spring Continuing Sessions Q&A about climate change as a yearly meeting witnesson March 23, 2021
Discussion on making climate change a yearly meeting witness. 7:00 – 7:30pm: Worship 7:30 – 8:30pm Q&A with Eco-Justice Collaborative. A discussion about making climate change a yearly meeting witness.
- Stories of Service: QVS Alumni Panelon March 7, 2021
Quaker Voluntary Service invites you to a special QVS Alumni Panel on March 7th from 4-5:30pm. The panel will feature four young adults who served in QVS and currently live
Scroll to the end for a list of Pride events in the PYM area
Sprints
Sprints allow our community to respond to leadings at the moment. They provide agility in addressing a specific need as soon as it arises and helps to get the job done quickly. They last no longer than 1-6 months; the shorter the better. They can be under the care of any other structure, such as councils, committees, and collaboratives.
There are currently no known sprints attending to peace and social justice matters. If you are aware of any, please contact Events and Resources Coordinator, T.J. Jourian at tjjourian@pym.org.
Collaboratives
Collaboratives unite individuals across the yearly meeting (PYM) into a dynamic, “community organized” yearly meeting. Collaboratives group Friends with similar ideas and interests into committees that help launch PYM projects or activities.
- Anti-Racism Collaborative
- Eco-Justice Collaborative
- First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative
- Legislative Policy Collaborative
- Middle East Collaborative
- India Friends Collaborative
- FWCC and Other World Relations Collaborative
- Nuclear Disarmament Collaborative
Links will be updated as they become available.
Resources
PYM Grants
For a full list of grants offered through PYM, visit the Grants Webpage. PYM also maintains a directory of other Quaker and regional grantmaking to better connect Friends with available resources. The following grants support Meetings in ministry and care matters.
Grants Beyond PYM
See our Grants Beyond PYM page for a full directory of Quaker grantmaking activity and other resources available in the PYM region.
PYM Resources
- Anti-Racism Resource Friends (in development, learn more about Resource Friends in the meantime)
- Addressing Racism Plenary (PYM Annual Sessions 2020)
- Addressing Racism Resources (compiled in 2015)
Other Yearly Meeting Resources
- Baltimore Yearly Meeting Working Group on Racism
- New England Yearly Meeting Tools for Racial Justice
- Yearly Meeting Work on Racism
- Britain Yearly Meeting:
Spaces and Conferences
- Ministry on Racism Program (Friends General Conference)
- White Privilege Conference
- Ujima Friends Center – The Fellowship of Friends of African Descent (PYM)
- The Black Quaker Project (Wellesley Friends Meeting)
- Friends Housing Cooperative
News, Reports, and Epistles
- Becoming an Anti-Racist Faith Community: Institutional Assessment and the Anti-Racism Implementation Group (Friends General Conference)
- The Outgoing Epistle of the 2020 Virtual Pre-Gathering of Friends of Color and their Families (FGC)
- Stumbling Forward toward Racial Justice among Friends (expanded version of June 2016 plenary address at the annual sessions of Illinois Yearly Meeting by Lucy Duncan and Noah White).
Education and Practice
There is No Hierarchy of Oppressions (by Audre Lorde)
- In PDF format
- On YouTube (read by Lauren Lyons)
Race and Racism
- Key Terms on Racism (by Ali Michael)
- Anti-racism resources scaffolded by developmental stages (created by Anna Stamborski, Nikki Zimmermann, and Bailie Gregory)
- Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery in Your Meeting (Friends General Conference)
- The Combahee River Collective Statement
- Why People of Color Need Spaces Without White People (by Kelsey Blackwell)
- Teaching 6-Year-Olds About Power and Privilege (by Katrina Schwartz)
- Black Lives Matter at School (National Education Association)
- Podcast: Teaching to Thrive (by Bettina Love & Chelsey Culley-Love)
- PDF: Teen Racial Justice Curriculum (by Lisa Graustein)
- PDF: White Supremacy Culture in Organizations (by Dismantling Racism Works adapted by The Centre for Community Organizations)
- White Supremacy Culture (by Dismantling Racism Works)
LGBTQ People and Topics
- Teaching Resources (by LGBTQ Religious Archives Network)
- Towards a Quaker View of Sex: An Online Exhibit of the 1963 Towards a Quaker View of Sex Report (by LGBTQ Religious Archives Network)
- Other online exhibitions (by LGBTQ Religious Archives Network)
- Nametags, Pronouns, and Lifting the Burden (It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way blog)
- George Fox University, Trans Housing, and Quakers (It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way blog)
- Interfaith Trans podcast (by Blessed are the Binary Breakers)
- Trans Christianity: A Timeline of Gender Diversity in Christian History (by Blessed are the Binary Breakers)
- Good Practices: Demographic Data Collection (by LGBT Equity Center, University of Maryland)
- PDF: Do Ask, Do Tell: Capturing Data on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Globally (by Stonewall) [Note: sex terms are erroneously used in the report to describe gender]
- Vimeo: Transfigurations – Gender Outlaws in the Bible (by Peterson Thomas Toscano, 48 minutes)
- YouTube: How Jesus Affirms my Queerness (by Kody Hersh for QuakerSpeak)
A few trans 101 resources for self-education or reference:
- Trans 101: A Gender Diversity Crash Course (by Ygender and Minus18)
- Resources on Personal Pronouns (by MyPronouns.org)
- From the Sylvia Rivera Law Project
- From Trans People Speak (by the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition)
- Trans FAQ (by GLAAD)
- Book: Trans Allyship Workbook: Building Skills to Support Trans People in Our Lives (by Davey Shlasko)
Disability and Ableism
- YouTube series: Disabled & Blessed
Across Populations and Isms
- The Arrow: A Journal of Wakeful Society, Culture, & Politics
- Binary Breakers
- Holiday Lessons and Resources – race, religion, mental health (Center for Racial Justice in Education)
- Classroom Resources (Teaching Tolerance)
- Woke Kindergarten (by Ki)
- Parenting 4 Social Justice – Tips, Tools, and Inspiration for Conversations and Actions with Kids
- PDF: Transforming Quaker Welcoming: Greeting Diverse Newcomers (by Friends General Conference, adapted from the Unitarian Universalist Association)
Books and Pamphlets
Books meant for children and Young Friends are noted with an asterisk (*)
On Race, Racism, and Quakers of Color
- Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions? A Quaker Zionist Rethinks Palestinian Rights (by Steve Chase, Pendle Hill Pamphlet #445)
- Fit for Freedom, Not For Friendship: Quakers, African Americans, and the Myth of Racial Justice (by Donna McDaniel and Vanessa Julye)
- Indigenous Peoples (5-pamphlet set by Pendle Hill)
- Books about Bayard Rustin
- We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin (by Larry Dane Brimner, ages 9-11)*
- Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington (by Jacqueline Houtman, Walter Naegle, and Michael G. Long, ages 13-18)*
- I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin’s Life in Letters (by Bayard Rustin and Michael G. Long)
- Black Lives Matter Instructional Library (several books, across ages)*
- Race, Systemic Violence, and Retrospective Violence (by Harold D. Weaver, Jr.; Pendle Hill Pamphlet #465)
- Nice White Parents (5-part NYT Serial series)
- Parenting 4 Social Justice – Tips, Tools, and Inspiration for Conversations and Actions with Kids
- List: #OwnVoices: Kids books by Indigenous authors and illustrators (by The Seattle Public Library, across ages)*
- See also many other featured lists on social justice and diverse populations for children and adults as curated by staff at The Seattle Public Library
- YouTube Channel: Sankofa Read Aloud (Online African American Children’s Stories)*
- YouTube Channel: Story Time with Ms. Melange (Children’s books)*
On Peace and Faith
- Why I Am a Pacifist (by Tim Gee)
- In STEP With Quaker Testimony (by Joanna Godfrey Wood)
- Holy Troublemakers and Unconventional Saints (by Daneen Akers, for children, ages unspecified)*
- Friends & the Vietnam War (by Chuck Fager)
- Help Wanted! The Experiences of Some Quaker Conscientious Objectors (by Arle Brooks & Robert J. Leach)
- Friends in Civilian Public Service: Quaker Conscientious Objectors In World War II Look Back, And Look Ahead (by Pendle Hill)
- The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical (by Shane Claiborne)
- Witness (a 4-pamphlet set by Pendle Hill)
- Social Concerns (a 5-pamphlet set by Pendle Hill)
- Vietnam (a 3-pamphet set by Pendle Hill)
Other Resources and Organizations
Training and Consulting
- Beyond Diversity 101
- The Centre for Community Organizations
- Think Again Training and Consulting
- Woke Kindergarten Consulting
Justice Organizations and Sources
- Global Nonviolent Action Database (a project by Swarthmore College)
- Poor People’s Campaign – A National Call for Moral Revival
- News, Resources, and History of the Poor People’s Campaign and the American Friends Service Committee
- Racial Justice Philly
- Sunrise Movement
- PDF: Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation Policy Packet (Bread for the World Institute)
- PDF: Racial Equity Toolkit: An Opportunity to Operationalize Equity (Local & Regional Government Alliance on Race & Equity)
LGBTQ Organizations and Resources
- ACT-UP Philly
- LGBTQ Religious Archives Network
- LGBTQ Religious History Award
- Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference
- Queer Theology
- Trans Central PA
Disability and Access
The listing of resources on this page do not necessarily constitute direct endorsement of affiliated people, organizations, or businesses. Regardless, if a particular listing is of particular concern, do let us know.
Pride Festivals and Events
Dates and event types vary from year-to-year and across hosting organizations. See these websites for up-to-date information. Additionally, many are holding online events due to the pandemic.
Delaware
Maryland
- Annapolis Pride
- Baltimore Pride
- Baltimore Black Pride
- Cumberland Pride
- Frederick Pride
- Howard County Pride
- Montgomery County Pride
- Rockville Pride
- Salisbury Pride
- Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride
- Westminster Pride
New Jersey
- Jersey Pride (Asbury Park)
- Jersey City Pride
- Jersey Gay Pride (Cherry Hill)
- Newark Pride
- North Jersey Pride
Pennsylvania
- Allentown Pride in the Park Festival
- Pride Festival of Central PA (linked to Facebook page while main website is down)
- Chester County Pridefest
- Lancaster Pride
- Lehigh Valley Pride
- New Hope Celebrates
- NEPA Pridefest
- North West PA Pride
- Philly Black Pride
- Philly Pride OUTfest
- Philly Pride Parade and Festival
- Pittsburgh Black Pride
- Pittsburgh Pride
- Reading Pride Celebration
- York County (hosted by Rainbow Rose Center)