QSCM Cohort Call
Nov 14, 2017 5:30PM PST
Check-ins:
Phil Newberry OK City Mtg
Doing well mtg & self
More passive support from some members
Paul Hammer New Haven Friends Mtg CT
Sunday session about leadings
concerns that haven’t risen to level of leadings
individual’s leadings how to support each other in them
Fairly small worship meeting don’t know what each other
are doing
Recycle bicycles in CT
Carol Bartle
A bit challenged in meeting of 6 worship group
community garden
thurs eve peace vigil
Arthur:
Leadings workshop down the road
happy to share resources
Shan Cretin at Quarterly Mtg Fall Fellowship
Nogales AZ Border Watch w
Mary and Jim Summers
Synchronicities: Rev. Deborah Lee, others doing detention immigration visitation
Need help moving towards accompanying a group
Business Mtgs often caught up in other issues
Viv?
No longer with Committee for racial healing and wholeness
Every murder is real healing center
Quaker X group variation of SCQM model
Philadelphia Yrly Mtg work with/some fed up with
Getting bogged down in business – other groups similar experience
in fact what we’re doing is part of the work
Building relationships so that when we fall we’re there for each other
Lucy Duncan
Green St Mtg & Quaker X
Lots of running around before call, not as focused as hoped
Phil elected most progressive DA in country
mass incarceration mvt, 74% of vote
canvassing
mvt bldg that builds up political power
“incarcerate” group to get families out doing organizing & canvassing
Ex prisoners actually having used political position to make change
Relationships are the foundation
how to build resilient community
Local activism led by people most impacted way to shift political landscape
Tonight talk about accompaniment:
Reading some things from SCQM manual
How to do well
find group to accompany
support each other
“Doing social change as companioning”
1 on 1 as well as group
companioning is being present without trying to take away the pain
going to the soul without being responsible for
listening with heart w/o —- head
w/o judgement act of listening
not about leading with expertise and solutions
gift of sacred silence w/o filling w words
being still w/0 frantic mvt
learning from others before teaching them
cultivating curiosity w/o expertise
context of hospice
Quotes:
1 Chris Pratt? Follwership
coming to Philly this wkend
white anti racist organizer UU
standing on side of love
thousands of UUs participating in black lives matter
bringing spiritual leadership
empowered followership
providing food
free space for meetings at church
sharing actions with ntwk of community and families
paulo fiere
Oppressed class joining
airs of expectation
lack of confidence in people’s ability to think and organize
because of bkgd don’t trust their ability
Tamarie Day
Anti Racism liberation and justice
Rev James Lawson follow the lead of people of color
white end up wondering how to get blacks to join them
better to listen and participate to learn how to support
formation of relationships of sufficient trust
relationships of accountability and mutuality
Sympathetic to problem Arthur mentioned:
how we’ve addressed problem
Stillwater:
When we got involved with people arrested on non-violent charges or false charges
couldn’t put off until biz mtg
formed own committee and raised our own money
small group of dedicated people
wasn’t bldg political power
direct involvement with victims
moved to OK City
When allotted time in mtg for biz exceeded
Not always
urgent uses worship time
marginalized guy
didn’t have clothes for job interview
ended up paying us back
arrested for traffic ticket
job he got will be lost if he doesn’t get to it
OK Mtg not like Phil or LA
but if a few supportive, response possible
Group supports our leadings
know we’re sincere and cautious
another group wasn’t as responsive
can’t wait a month when people suffering
Paul:
We have diverse interfaith immigrant rights & sanctuary group
Quakers in New Haven taking supportive role
individual initiatives others have started
Greatest things to happen from interfaith
Yale Law Immigrant Bail Fund started
to help immigrants in detention
Embraced by interfaith group
practical aspect to it
Our Mtg meagre funds in P&SC budget
individual members & attendees very generous
Hope to see same sort of fund crop up all over country
Don’t see Quakers as having leadership role, but supporting
Pastor Rabbi and Imam together
Lucy: Other thoughts: How to find groups or learn companioning work?
A lot of the stuff we talk about sounds like buying people out of trouble
follow cases, look at arrest logs, 90% of cases we follow we end up talking and
offering sympathy, what to expect legally, drawn out process confusing, try to offer sppt
and assure support
Most of time no opportunity to interfere to positive end
Showing up helps
People with personal experience
SE OK City started off, not birkenstock liberal professors
bunch of nuts in OK City – several done drugs in past
respecting people’s boundaries
can’t show up thinking you have answers
attention to injustice of it appreciated
Lucy:
think really notable
encounters really change us
Look into: Immigrant Bail Fund in CT
OK – immigration stuff 0% success rate
2 year stays best accomplished New Haven
A lot of good PR
Yale Law Professors with students helping them
Lucy
interviewed Ingrid Latour
peru woman in sanctuary in mountainview friends mtg
court date
false papers fraudulent meant deportation
governor didn’t pardon
about to be deported
went back into sancuary
this has to change massive economic resistance
AFSC does legal representation
landscape of situation people getting deported
Figuring out both ends of affected individual
So powerful in terms of narrative
am I figuring out how to choose a group to accompany
not just supporting affecting individuals
congregational sanctuary one way to do that
Boycotts and strikes needed economic impact
Maybe bring representatives to your group to present on their projects
QSCM Topics you would like?
Electoral Politics
How to empower ourselves in that area
Maybe invite a guest for next call
stories about organizations building political power
Langston Hughes poem
“I look at the world”
I look at the world
From awakening eyes in a black face—
And this is what I see:
This fenced-off narrow space
Assigned to me.
I look then at the silly walls
Through dark eyes in a dark face—
And this is what I know:
That all these walls oppression builds
Will have to go!
I look at my own body
With eyes no longer blind—
And I see that my own hands can make
The world that’s in my mind.
Then let us hurry, comrades,
The road to find.
-Langston Hughes