Friends General Conference

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Multnomah Meeting Friends For Racial Justice Statement

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Dear Friends:

Multnomah Monthly Meeting reminds Friends of our Minute on Racial Justice:

This minute affirms the commitment of Multnomah Friends to live out the Quaker testimony of Equality for all people. While racism impacts many people in our community, we carry a special concern for those who are the descendants of African American people once enslaved as unpaid labor during the building of great wealth in the United States. While emancipated from slavery, few descendants have ever known economic well-being or freedom from racial injustice.

We recognize the impact of institutional racism on African Americans and we recognize that Friends are complicit in it. We seek to find ways that Friends can begin to tear down the walls of institutions that keep African Americans, and other people of color, from achieving equality and economic well-being, and then act upon our commitment.

The Divine Source is leading our meeting to face profound spiritual and moral questions, including that of white privilege and racism, beginning with the question, “Where is it in me?” White privilege is an invisible veil through which white people experience reality. We seek to come to deeper awareness of our privilege, and to discern actions for Friends to take that will change institutions that systemically oppress people of color.

In this time of universal mourning for the lives of black citizens who have been killed by and in the criminal "justice" system, we ask that friends take action to live our Minute. In addition to any specific action you are taking in response to the latest police killings of unarmed Black people, we especially encourage our white friends to please review this excellent article entitled "75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice." The Meeting's Friends for Racial Justice Planning Committee asks each of us to commit to doing one or two things from the list by a certain date. Please share the things you commit to doing (and updates on your progress) either on the Meeting’s Racial Justice Facebook page or by emailing the information to Lori Patterson (mamaknitty@gmail.com), who will post it on the Facebook page. These are concrete things we can do to work against racism in our own community and beyond. You can access the page by joining Facebook and searching for Multnomah Quaker Meeting Racial Justice Study and Action Group. You will see a link that says "Join Group."

Here are additional resources that you can access to find ways to support people of color and anti-racist work: Friends Committee on National Legislation (https://www.fcnl.org/updates/racism-and-whiteness-2821); Black Lives Matter (https://blacklivesmatter.com/); Don't Shoot Portland (https://www.dontshootpdx.org/); Campaign Zero (https://www.joincampaignzero.org/); My Brother's Keeper (https://www.obama.org/mbka/).

Justice & Peace,

Friends for Racial Justice of Multnomah Monthly Meeting

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