Published January 27, 2025
This resource offers anti-racist clerking advices for Friends who want to bring a culture of equity and inclusion into Meetings for Worship for Business. Specifically, it provides guidance on what to do when heated or emotional ministry arises during business. Several Friends developed these anti-racist clerking advices together. This document does not speak for all Friends, as no document speaks for all Friends. However, it may offer useful starting points for clerks seeking to grow in this work.
About These Anti-Racist Clerking Advices
These advices emerged from conversations with Friends of Color and white accomplices who have experience in anti-racist clerking. The document honors the voices and experiences of its authors. It is not a set of “best practices” that Friends have corporately discerned. However, many Friends have successfully used these practices in multiple settings.
Later stages of the project involved group input and discussion. There are many ways to bring anti-racist practices into clerking. This document shares some of those ways. The authors hope this rich tapestry of voices will bring useful insights. They also hope it will challenge Friends to grow into the blessed community they are called to be. This is an evolving process. As Friends continue to learn, these anti-racist clerking advices will continue to evolve.
Who Should Use These Advices?
The authors and reviewers recognize that Friends Meetings and organizations vary in racial and ethnic composition. Some readers may wonder whether these anti-racist clerking advices apply to their circumstances.
Consider how teachers who teach with all their students in mind reach their whole class better. In the same way, Quaker communities are best served when words and actions reflect racial and ethnic diversity. This is true even if that diversity is still aspirational.
Very few Quaker spaces are majority-BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). These advices address this reality. Not knowing who will come through the door matters less than acting as though they have already arrived. This approach helps Friends live more fully into their intentions for beloved community.
A Note on Language
The language people use to talk about race changes over time. It also varies between groups. The authors made thoughtful choices in the terminology of these anti-racist clerking advices.
Terms and capitalization used in this document:
- Black: Capitalized to recognize it as a specific racial identity
- Indigenous: Capitalized to recognize it as a specific racial identity
- People of Color: Capitalized; sometimes abbreviated as POC
- BIPOC: Abbreviation for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. This term recognizes the unique experiences of Black and Indigenous communities within the broader category of People of Color in the United States. However, linguists note that this term is complex. Using umbrella terms can sometimes erase important differences between communities. There is no “one size fits all” language when talking about race. The authors use this term while acknowledging its limitations.
- white: Not capitalized
Why is “white” not capitalized?
The authors discussed this choice carefully. Capitalizing “white” would be consistent with other terms of racial identity. It would also help white people recognize that “white” is a specific racial identity, not a normative condition.
However, white nationalists and white supremacists often use “White” to indicate racial superiority. Furthermore, capitalizing “white” raises up a group that does not need raising up in this society. The authors found these latter considerations more compelling. They recognize that other choices are valid as well.
How to Use This Document
Most readers will probably not read these advices from start to finish. Instead, the authors recommend the following approach:
- Start with the executive summary. This section serves as a detailed table of contents. It presents the main points as a list of action statements.
- Identify topics of interest. The lettered section headings in the executive summary link directly to those sections.
- Read the summary paragraphs. These paragraphs introduce each topic.
- Dive deeper with the quotes. For more depth, personal stories, and experiences, read the italicized quotes following each introductory paragraph.
Feedback and Future Versions
The authors are open to revising these anti-racist clerking advices in the future. Revisions may correct errors, fill gaps, and share new learning. Friends who have thoughts about material that should be revised or added can contact Kat Griffith at katgriffith@hotmail.com.
When reaching out, please include:
- Contact information
- A summary of changes or additions suggested
The authors will reach out if and when they undertake a revised edition.
Thank you for your commitment to anti-racist clerking!
Originally written by Kat Griffith, scribe, editor, and project coordinator
Updated by FGC Ministry on Racism Staff on December 11, 2025
Authors (bolded names were in the initial group of interviewees, starred names are POC Friends):
- Jean-Marie Barch*
- Euclid Bautista*
- Lauren Brownlee*
- Justin Connor
- Lisa Graustein
- Kat Griffith
- Shel Gross
- Barry Scott*
- Sonia Tuma*
- Marijke van Roojen
- Regina Renee Nyégbeh*
Reviewers:
- Jean-Marie Barch*
- Willie Colon*
- Lauren Brownlee*
- Lisa Graustein
- Shel Gross
- Eppchez Yes*
- The Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism Steering Committee (various members discussed the text as a group)
Get Involved
FGC’s Ministry on Racism program supports Friends in anti-racist work. The Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism also offers resources and community for this journey.
Please email the Ministry on Racism team at alician@fgcquaker.org or shainar@fgcquaker.org to learn more about anti-racist resources or to get involved with the Ministry on Racism program.
Last updated December 14, 2025.