The Fall Retreat led by the Ministry and Worship committee was well attended and amply supported by the Committee on Adult Spiritual Education who provided a wonderful lunch. The workshop, “Seeking Right Relationship with Indigenous People,” led by Barb Adams, directed us in a process of self-examination, learning, and listening. While this retreat was a ‘success,’ creating energy and connecting us, we acknowledge it as only one step, and only one piece of a larger process of becoming more whole. Specifically, in addition to questions about appropriate next steps in our work on right relationship with indigenous peoples, questions arose as to how we can deepen our Meeting’s collective understanding of other marginalized experiences in the United States, including that of Black Americans, Latinx Americans, and Asian Americans. Do we seek to listen first or always jump to solution? Do we give issues concerning all people of color equitable and careful consideration? 3
These quotes, by Steven Charleston, a member of the Choctaw Nation, are timely for the month that contains Indigenous People's Day, October 10. Note: Indigenous People's Day 2022 is a state observance in 30 states, including Maryland, and a state holiday in 3 states and 1 federal district. From Ladder to the Light - An Indigenous Elder’s Meditations on Hope and Courage, by Steven Charleston, 2021, Broadleaf Books, p. 79 "One of the greatest challenges we face in our ascent to freedom is the fear of diversity. Throughout the centuries, oppressive cultures have invented scores of ways to pretend human beings are fundamentally different. They have invented the concept of race. They have developed elaborate caste systems. They have engineered class distinctions. They have economically separated people by gender. They have practiced religious exclusivity and intolerance. The list goes on, but the results have been the same. Humanity has remained fractured along imaginary fault lines created by fear and perpetuated for social control and domination.” Charleston, a member of the Choctaw Nation, goes on to tell us how to climb the ladder: "In the kiva, we begin overcoming this fear. We begin to see the deeper truth of our own humanity. The higher we climb on the ladder, the more we realize the reality of our own existence. We are not different; we are the same. The light exposes these false divisions and helps us recognize one another for what we are: brothers and sisters in the great tribe of human beings." This column is prepared by the BYM Working Group on Racism (WGR) and sent to the designated liaison at each local Meeting. The BYM WGR meets most months on the first Saturday, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, currently via Zoom. If you would like to attend,contact the clerk at david.etheridge@verizon.net
ASE is delighted to announce the return of its fall series: “Books that Nurture the Spirit.” In these sessions, members of our community who have been deeply touched by a particular book will explore how the book connects to their spiritual journeys. Participants will be given opportunities to do the same, whether they have read the book before the session or not.
We will offer four Zoom sessions, Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:30/10:45, as follows:
Saturday, September 24: Tao Te Ching led by Steve Humphrey, facilitated by Allen Lee
Saturday, October 8: Black Like Me by John Griffin, led by Paul DiPasquale, facilitated by Howard Garner
Saturday, October 22: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, led by Susan Singer, facilitated by Rita Willett
Saturday, November 12: This Day, Collected and New Sabbath Poems by Wendell Berry, led by Janet Thoroman, facilitated by Barbara Hulburt
Remember that it is not necessary to have read the books in order to participate fully in these sessions!
The Working Group on Racism of our Baltimore Yearly Meeting is offering a reading group on CASTE, the extraordinary, highly readable book by Isabelle Wilkerson. I read the book last year and plan to participate. Please join in, if you are so led!
You can learn more about the group and how to register here.
The Working Group on Racism (WGR) is asking Baltimore Yearly Meeting Friends to read Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, The Lies that Divide Us by Isabel Wilkerson.
WGR members will host a Caste reading group by Zoom, available to all in the Yearly Meeting. Zoom offers the option of access to the reading group by phone.
Friends are also invited to read Caste as Monthly Meetings or as individuals. The BYM Working Group on Racism is available to support these options. Ellen Cronin can be reached at ecronin343@gmail.com.
The Caste reading group will be offered via Zoom seven Wednesday evenings, 7-8:30, beginning Wednesday September 14 and ending December 14. Many across the Yearly Meeting have been reading and working in anti-racism for years. CASTE is a somewhat difficult reading rather than a beginners’ introduction to reckoning about race and racism. Each session will feature readings, together with questions and queries, and online, opportunity for large-group discussion and small-group sharing. Friends of Color are invited to indicate a preference for an affinity group. We hope the numbers will make this possible.
The aims of the series:
Offer white Friends an opportunity for spiritual searching and growth in processing the information and perspective presented by the author, seeking to understand historical and present-day prejudice and trauma from a Black perspective.
Offer a place for participants to practice ways to approach difficult readings and conversations, aided by somatic body work and supporting each other, especially when making mistakes and taking risks.
Offer BYM Quakers an additional means to educate ourselves together, and move closer to having BYM be an anti-racist faith community.
Quaker House shares the invitation from Eno Meeting. Eno Meeting gathers on Zoom each Thursday evening for worship sharing around a specific topic. ThisThursday, September 15th at 7:30, we will be joined by Quaker House executive director, Wayne Finegar. Wayne will be leading us as we consider the queries posed by Quaker House for the International Day of Peace.
Eno invites all interested Friends to join them! Please email Sally at sallyfreeman@earthlink.net if you are interested. She will send you the Zoom link. [end shared part]
I'm attaching the full Picnic For Peace piece to share on the website and anyplace you're led.
peace and thanks.
Patricia Stansbury Epic Gardens
International Day of Peace End Racism. Build Peace. September 21, 2022 The United Nations General Assembly has declared September 21 as the International Day of Peace The International Day of Peace has been devoted to strengthening the ide- als of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. But achieving true peace entails much more than laying down arms. It re- quires building societies where every person can live in safety and peace. For over 50 years, Quaker House has been a manifestation of the Friends’ Peace Testimony. Quaker House provides daily direct counseling and sup- port to members of the military who are questioning their roles and suf- fering from the affects of their participation in the military. We also con- tinually advocate for a more peaceful world for everyone, everywhere. We encourage Friends to consider these Queries:
What does peace mean in a world plagued with racism and inequal- ity? Can there be peace without equality for every person?
Many Friends have reconsidered their relationship with the Peace Testimony in light of recent events across the planet. Do conscious or unconscious racism affect reactions to violence in different parts of the world?
What one thing can I do in the next 24 hours to try to ad- vance peace and end racism? What can we, as Quakers, do to spread the message of seeking Spirit in each other throughout the world?
