Following on our April 22 ‘Let’s Talk About Deep Delta Justice’ session, Moorestown Friends Meeting’s Anti-Racism Committee welcomes our member Matthew van Meter to continue the conversation of his compelling book, the historic Supreme Court case Duncan v. Louisiana, and its implications for anti-racism efforts today. The book is available through Pendle Hill and numerous other outlets. Click here to join the discussion, or phone 646-558-8656 and use meeting ID 815 8781 6369.
History
A Brief Introduction to Black History
Haddonfield Quarterly Meeting will include a presentation on Black History, featuring Dr. Teresa Nance. Friends are invited to participate, with worship starting at 10 AM, followed by the program at 11 AM.
Nance is currently serving as the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Chief Diversity Officer at Villanova University. Her office has launched a new campaign called Living Race—Transforming Community that focuses on organizational systemic change and high-impact community engagement to facilitate opportunities for Black and minoritized students, staff and faculty to succeed and thrive within the University. She has ties with both Swarthmore and Central Philadelphia Monthly Meetings. Please see the PYM Stories about Dr. Nance for additional information.
Pre-registration is required; zoom information will be sent on Saturday, 4/24 to those who have pre-registered. Link: https://www.southjerseyquakers.org/quarterly-mtg-4-25/
Let’s Talk About Deep Delta Justice
Join Moorestown Friends Meeting’s Anti-Racism Committee as we read and discuss our member Matthew van Meter’s book about life, politics and civil rights in the 1960s – and the landmark civil rights decision of Duncan v. Louisiana. Matthew, a journalist and activist (Shakespeare in Prison), did extensive research to create an account of “how grassroots heroism can topple even one of segregation’s most fearsome tyrants.” The book is available through Pendle Hill and numerous other outlets. Click here to join the discussion, or phone 646-558-8656 and use meeting ID 873 3565 8140. And save the date: Matthew joins us Thursday, May 13, at 7:30pm, to discuss his work.
Know Thy Neighbor: Preservation Matters at Merion Meeting
This event is free and open to the public
Register at www.merionfriends.org, Zoom link will be forwarded prior to event.
Merion Meeting has been a part of Lower Merion for 325 years. You may have driven by this National Historic Landmark on many occasions and not known of its rich history and its importance to the community. The Meeting House, horse sheds and other buildings on the grounds are testimony of the remarkable legacy of the Quaker influence on the founding of our nation.
Know Thy Neighbor is a continuing series of conversations intended to share our history as well as our current civic engagement with the community.
DANIEL CAMPBELL is a registered architect with thirty years of experience in architecture and historic preservation. Join us as Dan shares his extensive knowledge of the meeting house and the horse sheds. Dan has worked with Merion Meeting for the last 15 years on the historical preservation of the Meeting House. This will be an engaging and enlightening opportunity for you to learn more about one of the oldest buildings in the township and its remarkable history.
Capital Campaign for Preservation Planning
Give directly and securely here.
Help us reach our $75,000 GOAL.
Only $31,000 more needed.
Reopen House Day: Philly’s National Historic Landmarks
We’re celebrating the International Day for Monuments and Sites on April 18th by holding a “Reopen House Day” welcoming visitors back to the region’s National Historic Landmarks! Over 20 participating historic sites will offer…Tours, Virtual Programs, Special Events, Discounts & Prizes …AND MORE!
Arch Street Meeting House will have musician Jocko MacNelly playing live music on our historic grounds from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, while inside the building, our “Ask a Quaker” program will be available from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm to visitors interested in learning more about the continued relevance of Quakers and Quaker history.
For more information on the event and participating sites, please visit: http://www.globalphiladelphia.org/nhl-reopen-house
–
Philadelphia is home to 67 of the country’s 2,618 National Historic Landmarks (NHLs). They represent some of Philadelphia’s most important historical places, events, and people and are found in neighborhoods throughout the city. The NHLs program is managed by the National Park Service and recognizes select sites on the National Register of Historic Places that represent outstanding aspects of American history and culture.
For more information, visit:
www.nps.gov/orgs/1582/index.htm or https://globalphiladelphia.org/heritage-map.
www.nps.gov/orgs/1582/index.htm or https://globalphiladelphia.org/heritage-map.
04-12 Byberry/Upper Dublin Zoom Book Club
Join us for an interesting discussion about “The World’s Favorite Board Game” in our Zoom Book Club discussion on April 12th at 7PM.
Why are we discussing “Monopoly” in a Quaker Book Club?
Read the book to learn the entire backstory. It is a fascinating account of “Obsession, Fury and the Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Board Game”.
Visit: https://byberryquakers.org/Groups/341461/Zoom_Book_Club.aspx for more information, and
Email: ByberryQuakers(at) gmail (dot) com for the Zoom Link
04-12 Byberry/Upper Dublin Zoom Book Club
Join us for an interesting discussion about “The World’s Favorite Board Game” in our Zoom Book Club discussion on April 12th at 7PM.
Why are we discussing “Monopoly” in a Quaker Book Club?
Read the book to learn the entire backstory. It is a fascinating account of “Obsession, Fury and the Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Board Game”.
Visit: https://byberryquakers.org/Groups/341461/Zoom_Book_Club.aspx for more information, and
Email: ByberryQuakers(at) gmail (dot) com for the Zoom Link
Let’s Talk with Local Farmers
The Anti-Racism Committee of Moorestown Friends Meeting seeks to identify political and legislative priorities to support anti-racism. Given the Meeting’s roots in NJ farming, one obvious area of interest is agriculture. The committee acknowledges the systemic racism that permeates agriculture and farming in the United States. US Senator Cory Booker has taken note of the relative paucity of Black-owned farmland not just in NJ but throughout our nation. The direct connection between discriminatory practices of the USDA and the status of Black farmers was first documented by government-sponsored reports in 1997. The discrimination primarily took the shape of denying Black farmers timely access to government loans which caused Black farmers to lose their farms. The 2002 Farm Bill and the 2018 Farm Bill signaled progressive efforts to address this discrimination. While some progress has been made, e.g., an increase in the number of Black farmers and the acreage of Black farms, more is needed as the average farm income of Black-operated farms in 2017 was 40% of that of white-operated farms. To address this gap, the Justice for Black Farmers Act, co-sponsored by Senator Booker in late 2020, seeks to provide land grants to Black farmers.
On the recommendation of Member Pete Small, several committee members met for a tour of Free Haven Farm in early November 2020. We fell in love with the owners, the kale, and the fire sauce. Established in 2017, Free Haven Farms is a Black-owned farm in Lawnside, NJ. Its owners are Cynthia (Moorestown Friends School, 1997) and Micaiah Hall. The Halls are passionate about their mission of sustainability and attainability. To that end, Free Haven Farm produces much more than produce – farm tours, ag workshops, soil testing, garden consultation, a science camp for kids, and yoga and capoeira angola (Brazilian martial art) classes. Mr. Hall is the former Farm Director of Mill Creek Farm in Philadelphia. Dr. Cynthia Hall is an environmental geochemist and Associate Professor at West Chester University. Their farm reflects their interest in building bridges into the community through healthy food and food education for those with limited access to both.
Please join the Moorestown Meeting’s Anti-Racism Committee on Thursday, February 25 at 7:30 pm by Zoom for a conversation with Cynthia and Micaiah Hall. Click here or phone 646-558-8656 and use meeting #873 3565 8140.
Quakers in Education: Nitobe Inazo, Elizabeth Gray Vining, and Joseph Wharton
This is the second in a series of articles about Quakers who’ve impacted the fields of education and contributed to global scientific, medical, political, or economic leadership. The first article was published on September 23 and covered Elise Goulding, Ezra Cornell, and Johns Hopkins.
Nitobe Inazo (1862-1933) was a Japanese Quaker who became the first Under Secretary General for the League of Nations. Nitobe was born into a samurai family on Honshu, the main island of Japan. While in college, he became a Christian and later a Friend. In 1884, He moved to the US for post-graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University. There he began attending Quaker meetings, telling friends, “I very much like their simplicity and earnestness.”
[Read more…] about Quakers in Education: Nitobe Inazo, Elizabeth Gray Vining, and Joseph Wharton
Quaker Farms – Then and Now
Not long ago, a typed narrative from a transcribed letter written by a Quaker farmer in “Chester Township” Pennsylvania showed up in some files. It was dated 10th month, 1725, and began “Dear Sister Mary Valentine, this goes with a salutation of love to thee, brother Thomas, and the children…”