339 Manumissions and Beyond Project

One 4-hour session: Saturday 2/1 (1-5pm Eastern / 10am-2pm Pacific)  This workshop will bring to a wider audience the work of the 339 Manumissions and Beyond Project.  The workshop will briefly outline the work of the 339 Project, and will then explore deeply three intertwined themes that are central to the project:  How could Quakers…

Workshop Description

One 4-hour session: Saturday 2/1 (1-5pm Eastern / 10am-2pm Pacific) 

This workshop will bring to a wider audience the work of the 339 Manumissions and Beyond Project.  The workshop will briefly outline the work of the 339 Project, and will then explore deeply three intertwined themes that are central to the project:  How could Quakers come to unity on one part of the Truth (that enslaving people was wrong) and not recognize the full humanity and equality of those who were enslaved?  How was that incomplete understanding passed down and institutionalized? And how can group discernment be unconsciously impacted by societal conditioning?

The project is a reparative genealogical project focused on restoring family histories and family trees to the descendants of those enslaved by Quakers.  It is an important way to repair one of the lasting impacts of slavery, while recognizing the benefits that Quakers received individually and collectively by engaging in this practice.  While the project itself is centered on those who were enslaved and their descendants, it is a majority Quaker, majority African-American driven project and seeks to also dialogue with the Quaker community about how this legacy impacts the Society of Friends today. 

The workshop has three parts.  Roughly the first hour is a PowerPoint presentation on how the project came to be, what it’s doing, and why it is important as a form of reparation.  There will be time for questions and an invitation to become involved in various ways.  The second part will explore the larger question of how history influences culture.  We will explore the concept of culture and the many interrelationships that shape one’s beliefs as well as individual and collective identities. By delving into the connections between America’s legacy of enslavement and immigration, we seek to understand how these foundational experiences have influenced both unconscious and conscious biases in society today. An analysis of this historical context helps explain the persistence of institutional racism and other systemic inequalities that continue to affect marginalized communities. The presentation aims to foster a deeper awareness about one’s self, the along with the interconnected cultural dynamics, encouraging participants to reflect on their own biases and work toward creating a more inclusive and equitable society. We will also look specifically at how early Quakers in the Philadelphia area shared many cultural expectations with the larger culture that surrounded them, both in the British Isles and in the colonies.  The third part will focus on understanding on understanding how spiritual transformation is critical to racial healing.  We will begin by discussing the range of spiritual engagement with the issue of slavery, from Benjamin Lay and Anthony Benezet who saw themselves and full Light in those who were enslaved to those who were led after many conversations to recognize that it was wrong.  We will then break into small groups in Zoom breakout rooms. Through a series of queries, participants will be asked to consider 1) how cultural conditioning affects how they see others, including in our meetings who are “different,” 2) how knowing something in our mind is different from knowing something in our heart, and 3) how spiritual transformation happens in our lives.  This third part will last the longest, roughly an hour and forty-five minutes.

Leader Experience

These presenters did two workshops at the 2024 Gathering. In addition, Avis and Dennis have done presentations at both monthly meeting and yearly meeting gatherings. Judith has conducted many workshops on diversity and inclusion for organizations and businesses.