Response to NEYM’s Minute 2016-64
Response to New England Yearly Meeting’s Minute 2016-641
from Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting of Friends
In 2012 and 2015, Concord Friends considered our response to racism and white supremacy, and minuted our considerations2.
Our most recent considerations regarding white supremacy began with a proposal to place a “Black Lives Matter” sign in front of our meetinghouse3. Subsequently, we asked our Peace, Social, and Earthcare Concerns Committee (PSECC) to lead a “search for creative ways in which the Meeting can expand God’s work in this area.”4 After two informal meetings of Friends, PSECC reported the considerations of those meetings.5 In our State of Society 20166, we reported that “[a]lthough the Meeting as a whole still lacks clarity with regard to displaying a “Black Lives Matter” sign in front of our meetinghouse, our discussion has led to ongoing discernment. We have started to explore the issue of white privilege and what we can do as a meeting.”
Since mid-2016, several Friends from Concord and Hanover Monthly Meetings have been active in a local Reparations Working Group. In February 2017, after creating a Social Justice Fund7 using a generous donation from a New England Friend, we, as a Meeting, agreed to co-sponsor a ‘train-the-trainer’ program on “Closing the Racial Wealth Divide”8.
In the spring and summer of 2017, a number of Friends organized to meet regularly as a group to read and discuss Debby Irving’s Waking Up White.9 On our website, we have also added links to relevant resources on racism and white supremacy10.
We remain deeply aware that we have much more to do.
2 https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/2012-11-11_CMM_Minutes#11.6, https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/2015-02-08_CMM_Minutes#2.8, https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/2015-09-13_CMM_Minutes#9.6
3 https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/2016-04-10_CMM_Minutes#4.7 “4.7 “Black Lives Matter” Sign: A suggestion to place a “Black Lives Matter” sign near the road in front of the Meetinghouse led to a larger discussion of the issue of racism and what other things we can do make sure that black lives matter. There was concern that we need to act as well just putting up a sign. We will consider these issues at next month’s meeting for business. ”
4 https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/2016-05-15_CMM_Minutes#5.6 “5.6 “Black Lives Matter” Sign: (Clerked by Ruth Heath) Friends discussed the placing of a “Black Lives Matter” sign near the road in front of the Meetinghouse. Friends would like to search for creative ways in which the Meeting can expand God’s work in this area through us, as well as expressing our solidarity with the history and emotions behind the meme.
Friends charged PSECC to lead this and open it to others who are called. Several members expressed interest in this work.”
5 https://www.concordfriendsmeeting.org/2016-06-12_CMM_Minutes#6.6 “6.6 PSECC Report on “Black Lives Matter”: The PSECC Committee has had two open meetings [regarding Minutes 2016.4.7 and 2016.5.6]. They considered organizing a vigil or a paid advertisement or an op-ed piece, but came to feel that the Meeting first needs to increase our understanding and determine what we are called to share by grappling with the issue together. The Committee will be gathering sources of information to be available here in the Meetinghouse. Friends requested that the committee return to the Meeting with suggestions for the next steps for how we are going to wrestle with this issue, both among ourselves and within the larger community. ”
