The Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism is a coalition of six Quaker organizations and Friends who are working together to accelerate the movement for, and capacity to create, racial justice among (and beyond) Friends through the creation of the Quakers Uprooting Racism community of practice program– racial justice changemakers learning and experimenting with actions together.
The QCUR Steering Committee—made up of representatives of the below organizations and Friends—
oversees the care of the Quakers Uprooting Racism community of practice program.
Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism Vision, Mission, & Goal
Getting Involved
Financial– This is a huge need of QCUR as we heavily rely on financial support from meetings to carry forward our work
- For more information on donating and/or getting your meeting to help fund this work please reach out to quakersuprootingracism@gmail.com
- Donate directly via FGC’s One-Time Gift page– Under ‘Please use my gift to support:’ select ‘Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism‘
Join the Racial Justice Quarterly Newsletter-
- This newsletter we will send individually to your email adddress. If you or others in your community would like to receive these newsletters, please visit https://groups.google.com/g/qcur-newsletter and click “try asking to join the group.“
Theory of Change:
We see ourselves as a seed reflecting the Quaker community that is not yet, a thriving beloved and loving community that feels like freedom, where our differences are affirmed rather than eradicated. We understand that it is through circles of influence that this growth and transformation can manifest in community. This expansion is dependent on the interconnected relationships within the Religious Society of Friends and beyond.
Our theory of change is built on these assumptions and suggests:
If…
- We bring together a group of racial justice co-conspirators to deepen relationships, teach and learn skills together, and co-activate systems interventions; and
- We center the voices on the margins of the Religious Society of Friends recognizing they often hold the deepest vision for Quaker community (e.g. BIPOC Friends, young Friends, queer Friends, those who are affiliated with Quaker communities but not members);
Then… we can move the Religious Society of Friends forward in becoming a fully transforming, co-creative community which understands that dismantling white supremacy and creating beloved community is an elemental aspect of our faith.
Quakers Uprooting Racism Program
This 9-month hybrid program seeks to be Spirit-led, made up of a wide representation of the Quaker community, co-creative and focused on developing skills, knowledge and experiences to aid in the dismantling of white supremacy within the Religious Society of Friends and beyond.
The through the 9-month Quaker Uprooting Racism Program the community actively practices…
- Building trusting relationships with one another;
- Collectively naming and developing strategies to dismantle white supremacy and foster root level change (meaningful rather than performative change);
- Skill-building toward change strategies and experimenting with them, bringing learnings from those actions back to the group.
Quaker Uprooting Racism Program Format
Share the below flyer with your meeting!
QCUR statement on Racial Wounding and Racial Justice in Quaker Communities
Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism’s:
Catalyzing Communities Newsletter
This is the last newsletter we will send individually to your email adddress. If you or others in your community would like to receive these newsletters moving forward, please visit https://groups.google.com/g/qcur-newsletter and click “try asking to join the group.”
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Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism’s
Catalyzing Communities Newsletter
August 2023
The Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism’s Catalyzing Communities Committee creates pathways of connection for people in Quaker communities (including QCUR alumni and cohort participants) to plug in and feel inspired, supported, and sustained in racial justice and liberation work. We hope this seasonal newsletter of offerings and resources can support that effort.
To add an offering to our newsletter please fill out this submission form.
2024 Quakers Uprooting Racism Cohort Application
The Quakers Uprooting Racism program is a nine-month transformative journey that brings together a diverse cohort of Friends and those at the margins of Quakerism. From January-October 2024, participants will cultivate skills to recognize and disrupt racism within and outside of Quaker communities. Apply today! Applications are due August 30, 2023.
Fall 2023 Events
2023 Hybrid Fall Retreat for Friends of Color
Nov 3-5, 2023
Deadline for in-person registration is September 15th. Deadline for virtual registration is October 20th.
Friends’ Decision-Making and Clerking: Participating in Meetings for Business with Joy and Confidence
Nov 17-19, 2023
A weekend workshop with Steve Mohlke and ,O on liberatory clerking skills and principles, including addressing racism in the context of Friends’ decision-making and clerking.
Ongoing Offerings
FGC’s Ministry on Racism has been offering ongoing virtual spaces for people of color and white Friends confronting racism to worship and find fellowship. To sign up for a worship, please click the link to register.
- Worship for People of Color (Wednesdays weekly, 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. EST)
- Worship Sharing for People of Color (Tuesdays bi-weekly, 5:00 p.m. EST)
- BIPOC Women’s Space (First Monday, 3:00 p.m. EST and Thursday, 8:00 p.m. EST of the month)
- Open House for Friends of Color (Fridays bi-weekly, 7:00-9:00 p.m. EST)
- Worship for White Friends Confronting Racism (Thursdays, 8:00 p.m. EST; Fridays, 12:00 p.m. EST weekly)
- FCNL: Join an Advocacy Team – https://www.fcnl.org/act/join-advocacy-team
Racial Justice Resources
Racial Wounding and Racial Justice in Quaker Communities
The Steering Committee of the Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism believes we have a responsibility to name the patterns of white supremacy culture and racism that we have experienced, witnessed, and heard the pain from throughout the Religious Society of Friends and associated organizations. To that end, we have created a guide with examples of harm and interventions towards racial justice, attached to this email. This guide, inspired by the work of Tema Okun and several Quaker institutions, points to the ways that we see White Supremacy Culture weaving its way into Quaker culture and suggests methods to disrupt it. Each organization represented in the Steering Committee has committed to having discussions about these patterns, and we invite our network and others in Quaker communities to join us.
Faithfully,
The Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism Steering Committee
Lauren Brownlee, Friends Committee on National Legislation
Francisco Burgos, Pendle Hill
Willie Colon
Linnea Halsten, Friends General Conference
Vanessa Julye, Friends General Conference
Frances Kreimer, Pendle Hill
Deborra Sines Pancoe, Friends Council on Education
Zenaida Peterson, Quaker Voluntary Service
Hanae Togami, Friends General Conference
Bobby Trice, Friends Committee on National Legislation
Countercultural Leadership for the World We Seek, Lauren Brownlee and Alicia McBride
Friends Journal, June 1, 2023
Inviting Quaker communities to realize the possibility inherent in Friends’ principles and practices to question, challenge, and shift away from White Supremacy Culture.