The good news is that racist and antiracist are not fixed identities. We can be a racist one minute and an antiracist the next. What we say about race, what we do about race, in each moment, determines what-not who-we are.

Ibram X. Kendi from How to be an Antiracist

This observation by Ibram X. Kendi aligns with the Quaker notion of continuing revelation. There is always room to grow and more to learn. White Friends have made progress in their antiracism efforts…and there’s more work to do. In 2017, FGC made a commitment to transform into an actively antiracist faith community. The Gathering unites with this commitment by offering a variety of antiracism events for Friends to participate in.

Gathering events for People of Color only are listed here.

Workshops

Online Workshops:
Challenging Ethnic and Racial Divisions
Movement and Mindfulness
The Three A’s of Antiracism
Color Brave Conversation: White Friends Look at Privilege

Learn more about Anti-racism workshop levels

Afternoon Activities

Monday, July 4^th : Noticing Patterns of Oppression and Faithfulness 
Facilitated by Eppchez Yes 

Learn about FGC’s experiments with Noticing patterns of oppression and faithfulness. We will discuss how to support the whole discerning body to take part in noticing patterns and several practices and tools that have made the work of noticing patterns more effective and joyful. FGC’s Institutional Assessment Implementation Committee is asking for Friends to learn about and use this practice as part of a commitment to address harms and uplift wholeness in our faith community. We believe that this is one of many tools we can use to encourage a culture of self-awareness in all FGC committees and events that will allow us to live into the recommendations of FGC’s institutional assessment together.  

Tuesday, July 5^th : Quaker coalition for uprooting racism: Accelerating the movement for racial justice among Friends   Facilitated by Lucy Duncan, Bobby Trice and ,O  

Quakers uprooting racism is a coalition of five Quaker organizations (AFSC, Friends Council on Education, FGC, FCNL and Pendle Hill) which are working together to accelerate the movement for and capacity to create racial justice among (and beyond) Friends through the creation of a community of practice of racial justice changemakers learning and experimenting with actions together. Together we envision a liberatory, Spirit-led Quaker community that is a fully transformed, co-creative community continually dismantling white supremacy within the Religious Society of Friends. In June the first cohort of 35 Friends completed the first year of this project. Come learn from O!, Bobby Trice, and Lucy Duncan, three participants in the first cohort, about the project, plans for the next cohort, and how you can get involved. 

Wednesday, July 6^th : Decolonizing monolith + emqire   
Facilitated by tom kunesh 

Quakerism’s universalism is very anglo & kristocentric, making it very american AND a dangerous ’single story’ as well for people who are not anglofiles & not imperialists. Decolonizing is indigenizing, which raises the question of whether or not quakerism can actually diversity culturally, & how. What indigenous cultural sovereignty means & how to start reparations. 

Thursday, July 7^th : Reading to kids of all ages
Facilitated by a team of volunteers and YAY Staff  

Come hear several Friends read stories aloud from children’s books. We read to people of all ages, races, and ethnicities from books about and by People of Color. FGC’s in-person Young Adult and Youth Gathering will zoom in to participate in this intergenerational event. 

Friday, July 8^th : Afternoon with Friends General Conference’s Institutional Assessment Implementation Committee (IAIC)
Facilitators: Co-clerks Eppchez Yes, Miriam Muslow & Euclid Bautista 

Come to hear our annual Gathering update about the work of FGC’s Institutional Assessment Implementation Committee. This year we will focus on how FGC committees have been implementing the Institutional Assessment Implementation Committee recommendations; celebrating the successes and coming together around the struggles. 

Youth Programs

The 2020 High School Meeting for Business discerned a commitment to anti-racism – and a leading to provide mandatory anti-racism training to the High School Community. At FGC’s 2022 Young Adult and Youth (YAY) event, Creative Praxis will conduct a two-part anti-racism and liberation training for the High School community.

Plans for anti-racism programming for Junior Gathering participants are underway.

Evening Programs