2018 Associate Members Log

1. Bliss, Aidan                                          
2. Bliss, Noah                                          
3. Clark, Gabriel                                      
4. Clark, K J                                              
5. Clark, Nora                                          
6. Clark, Tian                                           
7. First-Hartling Smith, Robinson
8. First-Hartling Smith, Rose       
9. Handy-Kanegis, Kai Byrd                     
10. Handy-Kanegis, Zola Ardea                 
11. Huebner, Thomas                               
12. Hunter, Sadie                                      
13. Hunter, Sam                                        
14. Tasker, Miriam                                    
15. Zimmerman, Grace                             
16. Zimmerman, Max

Transfer of Records to Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore

No records were transferred in 2018.

Respectfully submitted,

Olivia Evans
Recorder

Appendix 2

Brief Report from FFM's Peace and Social Concerns Committee (P&SC)

January 2019

Peace and Social Concerns Committee asks FFM members and attenders to be mindful of several actions to consider, all engaging our meeting at this time.

1. P&SC is actively engaging with immigration and sanctuary issues. Hearing great concern in the meeting, we have a number of people investigating and researching current and possible actions in Frederick County, in Quaker and interfaith groups and elsewhere. Our aim is to be thoroughly informed on sanctuary and immigration issues in order to propose (an) effective role(s) for Frederick Meeting in addressing these issues. Timely reports will follow.

2. P&SC initiated a simple Frederick Meeting humanitarian project. A number of FFM'ers are knitting and/or crocheting 9" washable yarn squares to be joined into a quilt. In March, the quilt will be donated to Morehead State University's Bed-in-a Box program. The program provides beds and bedding to very poor Appalachian children in eastern Kentucky's coal country. These children lack simple comforts that we take for granted. 

3. P&SC agreed to support the Multi-faith Alliance of Climate Stewards' (MACS) spring program of planting 1000 trees in Frederick County. Trees help mitigate climate dangers by sequestering carbon, preventing soil erosion, protecting streams, buffering severe weather and more. FFM participants will join 40-person teams drawn from various faiths. Teams will assemble from 2-4pm on March 31 and/or April 7 to plant the trees. This program is organized with Stream Links, which provides trees and digs the holes. Details will follow.

4.  We are just wrapping up planning for the annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. at the MLK Beloved Community Potluck Supper. This event, which our Meeting cohosts with a number of other churches and human rights organizations will be held on January 21, 6-8:30 pm at Trinity United Methodist Church on West Patrick Street, Frederick.  Please support this community-building work by attending and bringing a friend.

Appendix 3

BYM Peace & Social Concerns Committee

Immigrants, Refugees, Sanctuary Working Group

Minute approved by BYM Interim Meeting on October 20, 2018

            We, the Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, agree to work for the just treatment of immigrants, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.  We call on Friends to become active in local immigrant rights networks and help implement the Sanctuary Everywhere movement as proposed by the American Friends Service Committee (“AFSC”).  Together, we affirm our commitment to protect targeted communities from state violence and discrimination. 

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Background for the Minute

Our Quakertestimonies on equality and peace speak to the current refugee crisis worldwide. We recognize that war, civil conflict, economic inequality and climate change are primary factors driving more than 65 million people from their homes. (See United Nations refugee reports at www.unhcr.org.)These displaced people are the faces of internationalinjustice.  We believe there is that of God in every person and advocate for a humane immigration policy that is welcoming to those facing adversity. We support a pathway to citizenship for those who have lived in the U.S. for many years.

Friends helped to found the Sanctuary movement in the 1980’s that provided a safe place for refugees fleeing the wars in Central America.  TheNew Sanctuary Movement calls people of Faith to “provide support and solidarity to neighbors, friends and families who fear being detained, deported and/or profiled.” AFSC’s Sanctuary Everywhereinitiative asks “everyday people to work together to keep each other safe and protect targeted communities from state violence.” Friends are asked to “create safe, inclusive spaces for immigrants, people of color, Muslims and other targeted religious groups, or LGBTQ people” and become more effective allies. (See www.afsc.org) 

Suggested Action steps         

Support the call of Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL”- www.fcnl.org) to Congress:

• Reject increased funding on immigration detention centers whose practices are harmful to migrant parents, women and children and tear families apart
• Pass a CLEAN Dream Act that allows eligible youth brought to the U.S as children a path to citizenship and other legislation that provides a solution for Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) recipients who face losing status. (TPS long has been provided to those who fled environmental disasters, armed conflict and other adverse conditions that make it unsafe to them to return to their country of origin.) 
• Maintain a refugee admissions goal of at least 75,000 annually and support the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights’ refugee resettlement goals consistent with our nation’s size and economic strength.
• Freeze funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) which operates inside the country and Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) which patrols the border, and invest in an oversight system that provides the right to counsel, due process and humane treatment for all.