Lisbon Area Christian Outreach (the food pantry we support) will hold a Christmas Craft Fair on December 6, 2025, from 8am to 4pm at the Lisbon Falls Baptist Church, 555 Lisbon Street, Lisbon Falls, Maine.
On November 9, we sent out a Friends Note seeking monetary assistance for legal costs in aid of two migrants (Miguel and Patricio) who had been seized by ICE. Haven Immigration Law has filed habeas corpus petitions on their behalf, but funds are needed to pay for this legal assistance. Money can be sent via Venmo to Christine Livia@steeny-bean, or to one of the four organizations below. (NB: links need to be retyped.)
For the message at Durham Friends Meeting on November 9, Jeanne Baker Stinson read Encounter, a children’s book by Brittany Luby (writer) and Michaela Goade (illustrator). The publisher (Little, Brown) describes it as “A powerful imagining by two Native creators of a first encounter between two very different people that celebrates our ability to acknowledge difference and find common ground.”
From Storytime Trail: “Based on an actual journal entry by French explorer Jacques Cartier from his first expedition to North America in July 1534, this story imagines the first encounter between a European sailor and a Stadaconan fisher.
“As the two navigate their differences (language, dress, food) with curiosity, the natural world around them notes their similarities. The seagull observes their like shadows, the mosquito notes their equally appealing blood, the mouse enjoys the crumbs both people leave behind.
“This story explores how encounters can create community and celebrates varying perspectives and the natural world. It is at once specific and universal. It’s a story based on a primary document and historical research, but it is in equal measure beautifully imagined. It makes room for us to recognize our differences while celebrating our shared humanity.”
Peace and Social Concerns Committee would like to call our attention to the emerging food crisis with the interruption of SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown. P&SC urges DFM folks to be especially generous in contributions to local food banks and pantries.
Here’s a statewide initiative to support food banks.
From Shirley Hager, regarding the Friends Committee on Maine Public Policy (FCMPP):
Please save Thursday, October 16, 4:00-6:00 p.m. for a fall FCMPP meeting on Zoom.
Maulian Dana Bryant, Executive Director of the Wabanaki Alliance, will be our guest to share highlights of what the Alliance would like to achieve in the upcoming legislative session, and also to talk about the importance of Question #1, on the ballot this November, for Wabanaki communities and for all of us. This is an opportunity to get revved up and focused on upcoming important issues, and to have your questions answered.
Members of the Episcopal Committee on Indian Relations are invited as well. I have included several of them in this email and invite them to spread the word on their committee.
Stay tuned for further details of the meeting, and for the Zoom link, a bit closer to October 16.
Best wishes to all amidst this beautiful fall weather.
Shirley — Shirley N. Hager
https://www.thegatheringsbook.com; And now an audiobook! https://utorontopress.com/utp-audio/ (click on book image)
Please include a request for anyone wanting to join us who are not on the FCMPP list to email me at: shirley.hager@maine.edu, so that I can send them the Zoom link and meeting details closer to the meeting date.
Peace and Social Concerns Committee calls to the Meeting’s attention bills before the Maine legislature that are of particular importance to the Wabanaki Alliance.
The following information, and more, can be found on the Wabanaki Alliance Bill Tracker website at https://www.wabanakialliance.com/legislative-bill-tracker/
To find your legislators go to www.maine.gov and type voter lookup into the search bar. Select Government: eDemocracy: Voter Information Lookup and enter the name of your town.
Important Wabanaki Legislation
132st Legislature
Updated May 23, 2025/Updated March 28, 2025/ Originally posted February 18, 2025
Important Wabanaki Legislation 132st Legislature February 18, 2025
The following information, and more, can be found on the Wabanaki Alliance Bill Tracker website at https://www.wabanakialliance.com/legislative-bill-tracker/
To support these bills contact your legislators. You can find them by going to www.maine.gov and type voter lookup into the search bar. Select Government: eDemocracy: Voter Information Lookup and enter the name of your town.
+++
LD 14, An Act to Provide Indigenous Peoples Free Access to State Parks
Sponsor: Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec)
The Wabanaki Alliance supports this bill. Read our testimony >> SUMMARY
This bill provides that a citizen of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or band in Maine is not required to pay a fee for admission to any state-owned park, historic site, camping area or beach managed by the State. The bill also specifies that to qualify for free admission, a person is required to present a qualifying tribal identification, as approved by the respective tribal government, to the park attendant or other designee of the Director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Read the complete bill text»
The Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry held a public hearing March 11 (read the public testimony) and a work session March 18. The committee voted that the bill Ought to Pass.
⚠STATUS: Passed initial votes in House and Senate!
The bill passed “under the hammer” (no roll call) in the Senate and passed the House 121-18 (see how your representative voted). The bill will undergo more procedural votes next.
+++
LD 958, An Act to Prohibit Eminent Domain on Tribal Lands
Sponsor: House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor)
The Wabanaki Alliance supports this bill. Read our testimony >> SUMMARY
This bipartisan bill amends the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement
Implementing Act and the 2023 Mi’kmaq Nation Restoration Act to prevent the state from taking Wabanaki land for public uses, often referred to as “the right of eminent domain.” This would apply to land located within Passamaquoddy Tribe territory, Penobscot Nation territory, Houlton Band Trust Land and the Mi’kmaq Nation Trust Land. By removing language that gives the state eminent domain power over tribal lands, LD 958 restores a fundamental principle that the Wabanaki Nations are sovereign governments with inherent power to regulate their territories. In committee, the bill was amended to stipulate that legislation would apply only to trust lands. Read the full bill text >>
Learn more in our Take Action Post on LD 958.
⚠STATUS: Committee voted OTP; Full Legislature will vote soon.
The Committee on Judiciary held a public hearing April 4 (read the public testimony). Committee members introduced an amendment that stipulates the legislation would apply only to trust lands. The committee voted 10-4 that the bill Ought to Pass as amended. It now goes to the full Legislature for a vote.
+++
LD 1474, An Act to Strengthen the Teaching of Wabanaki Studies in Maine Schools
Sponsor: Rep. Laurie Osher (D-Orono)
The Wabanaki Alliance supports this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill creates the position of Wabanaki Studies Specialist within the Maine Department of Education to oversee compliance with the 2001 Wabanaki Studies Law, which requires the inclusion of Wabanaki history, economic and political systems, and culture in the curricula of all public K-12 schools. According to
a 2022 report by the Wabanaki Alliance, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission, ACLU of Maine, and the Abbe Museum, most school districts in the state have largely ignored the law since it was enacted, which prompted the introduction of this legislation. LD 1474 requires ongoing funding for the Wabanaki Studies Specialist and for contracted Wabanaki advisors to advance the implementation of Wabanaki studies across the state. LD 1474 also directs the state Board of Education to require completion of a Wabanaki studies component within teacher certification requirements and ensures funding is available to hire Wabanaki advisors and educators who would help the Wabanaki studies specialist create short-term courses that would be available to all Maine teachers. A similar bill (which also included additional provisions related to African American Studies) was approved by the 131st Legislature but died on the appropriations table last spring along with dozens of other unfunded bills. Read the full text of LD 1474>>
Learn more in our Take Action Post on LD 1474.
STATUS: Voted OTP by the committee; full Legislature will vote soon. The Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs held a public hearing April 22 (read the public testimony). The committee held two work sessions and the majority voted (7-6) that the bill Ought to Pass. It goes to the full Legislature for a vote next.
Rachel Carey-Harper, a Quaker in New England Yearly Meeting, recently made a gift to Durham Friends. (At the same time she made similar gifts to other Meetings in NEYM.) She asked us to re-donate this money to causes of importance to us. Here is what we have done.
From the February 2025 Meeting Minutes: The Meeting received a $2,000 gift from Rachel Carey-Harper. She expressed a desire that the money support people who are affected by the ways in which our government is no longer funding organizations, e.g., immigrants and refugees, LGBTQ+, Women’s shelters, etc. The money may be given to more than one organization. The suggestion was made that a portion of the funds go to domestic violence survivors. Several people spoke in support of giving to Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services (MEIRS) today, the need being immediate. Clerk proposed giving $1,000 to MEIRS today, and return next month to discuss allocation of the remainder. Meeting approved this proposal.
From the March 2025 Meeting Minutes: “On the use of Rachel Carey-Harper’s Donation — Linda Muller. After conducting some research, Linda Muller and Sarah Sprogell recommend the Meeting donate the remaining $1,000 (out of the original $2,000 gift) to Safe Voices, a domestic violence direct service organization working in Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin Counties. This is a geographic area of greater risk, many towns without standing police departments. Over 2,700 women were served last year. Meeting heartily approved this contribution.”
Rachel Carey-Harper has asked us to look at and give feedback to Healing Reflections, a new website launched with support, collaboration, and guidance from Barnstable Friends Preparative Meeting and approval of Mattapoisett Monthly Meeting. The website focuses on grounding ourselves in what connects us, healing that which separates us from each other, and ways we can move forward in love. They would like to know if you think there is anything being presented that is contrary to basic Friends faith and principles. We are encouraged to contribute to the “From the Orchestra” section which includes messages or reflections sharing our sense of Spirit.
You can learn more about the family business, Eden Hand Arts, which Rachel Carey-Harper now owns, HERE.
to Register, GO HERE
Shirley Hager, of Winthrop Center Friends Meeting, brought the message to Durham Friends Meeting on December 15, 2024. She outlined the proposal now afoot for creating a Wabanaki Elder-in-Residence at the University of Maine. Initially, this would be a three-year pilot program, costing about $30,000 each of the three years.
The materials she distributed encouraging contributions from Quaker Meetings and individual Friends are below.
From Peace and Social Concerns Committee:
As we all seek to find our own path forward in the current environment, we invite you to join us in reading Active Hope by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone.
We will be meeting on the 4th Sunday in January, February, and March at 9:30 am.
A section of the book will be discussed at each meeting.
To learn more about the book follow this link.
From Peace and Social Concerns Committee:
When: Nov 1st, 6 – 7:30 pm
Where: Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main Street, Freeport
Tickets:
The lecture will be followed by a screening of the short film “Weckuwapok (The Approaching Dawn).”
Chris Newell’s book “If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving” will be available for purchase.
For more information about our speaker, Chris Newell, access his biography here!
There will be a LACO Fundraising Dinner at Durham Friends Meetinghouse, October 5, 2024, 4:30 to 6:30 pm.
LACO is Lisbon Area Christian Outreach, a food pantry amd clothing bank supported by a number of churches, including this Friends Meeting, in and around Lisbon, Maine.
FCNL is asking us to contact our congressional representatives urging support for creation of a Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies.
The Social Justice Book Project, at Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends in Maine, has produced the materials in this folder for use by teachers of young children and organizations wishing to establish similar projects in their communities. These materials are available to you to print and share. By October 1, 2024 all of the materials will be available and they include:
Guide Books
A Guide to Building a School Justice Book Project
Creating an Anti-Bias Classroom Community – the Role of Books
Exploring the Black Experience in America – the Role of Books
Exploring Wabanaki History and Culture with Attention to Care of the Environment – the Role of Books
Booklists:
Anti-bias Classroom Community Books
Black Experience in America Books
Books By and About Indigenous Peoples
Books About Social Justice Activists
Stories About Inspirational Figures
Books About Appreciating and Caring for the Environment
Resources:
A List of Other Recommended Resources
Peace and Social Concerns calls these events to our attention:
Dear friend, Over the course of 2024, partners committed to surfacing the truths of colonization and oppression in the place known for millennia by the Wabanaki people as the Dawnland will engage with local communities on a journey across land and water, shining a light on the ways that Indigenous, Black, and settler-descendent populations are represented—or not—in Maine’s commemorative landscape.Convened by the public history nonprofit Atlantic Black Box, the Walk for Historical and Ecological Recovery (WHERE2024) is a broad-based and community-engaged effort carried out in partnership with Wabanaki REACH, Indigo Arts Alliance, Community Change Inc., and In Kinship Collective. |
| Join WHERE2024 partners on Thursday, May 9 at 5:30 pm for a launch event hosted by the Land We Live Onto kick off this epic collective journey. Click HERE to RSVP |
| Over seven months, a series of walks and programs situated in seven locations throughout the state will engage the public in surfacing suppressed stories of genocide and survival, enslavement and resistance, displacement and represencing.Walking in solidarity to forward ongoing processes of truth-seeking and transformation, our aim is to catalyze creative and embodied approaches to antiracist and decolonial historical recovery efforts across the state and the region.Please join us on May 9 as we move to reckon with all that has happened here and to engage in dialogue around the ways that our past continues to shape our present-day relationships and our possible futures.CLICK TO RSVP OR JOIN MAILING LIST |
| Atlantic Black Box is dedicated to expanding the field of historical recovery. We empower communities throughout the Northeast to research and reckon with the region’s active role in colonization and slavery while recentering the stories of its historically marginalized groups. Atlantic Black Box is a 501c3 public charity EIN 86-2963335 P.O. Box 8771, Portland, ME 04104 www.atlanticblackbox.com info@atlanticblackbox.comCopyright © 2024 Atlantic Black Box, All rights reserved. |
Peace and Social Concerns Committee will be showing a film, “Common Ground” at the Meetinghouse on April 26 at 7:00 PM. More on the film HERE.
From the film’s website:
From the filmmakers of ‘Kiss the Ground’ (Netflix) comes the follow-up documentary ‘Common Ground’, winner of the Tribeca Film Festival. Common Ground is an important new documentary film featuring Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Woody Harrelson, Ian Somerhalder, Donald Glover, Rosario Dawson, Mark Hyman, Gabe Brown, and many others.
Directed by Josh and Rebecca Tickell, Common Ground provides hope for future generations with concrete ways to fix a broken planetary system. The film explores how regenerative agriculture can help heal the soil, our health and the planet.
From Peace and Social Concerns Committee:
We know elections matter, and we know that our voices matter. That is why Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) asks us to identify the top priorities that they will focus on in the next Congress, convening in January, 2025.
On Sunday, April 14 at 12 noon, our Peace and Social Concerns Committee will lead us in a meeting wide discussion and discernment. If you cannot attend, in person or by Zoom, please reply to this email (durham@neym.org) with your thoughts.
“We may all feel at times that we stand alone and are helpless as single individuals to influence issues that we have a driving desire (leading) to improve and/or change. Please recognize that if you accept this invitation to provide input to FCNL you will be joining hundreds of others pushing for a better world. The success of FCNL’s 80 years of advocacy work has always depended on persistence, patience and the support of caring people (examples: 2016 US-Iran Nuclear Agreement, 2023 repeal of 2002 Iraq War Authorization, 2024 advocacy for passage of Bill S.1723 Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act).”
On April 14 we will prepare a message from Durham Friends, letting FCNL know what is most important to us right now. Please help us do that by attending our meeting or sending your thoughts by email.
Here’s a list of current priorities, feel free to add yours under Other Issues
Economic Justice:
Sustainable Energy and Environment:
Justice Reform and Gun Violence Prevention:
Just Migration:
Native American Concerns:
Middle East Policy:
Nuclear Nonproliferation:
Pentagon Spending:
International Peace Building:
U.S. Wars and Militarism:
Voting and Elections:
Other Issues:
Portland Friends Meeting (and others) invite us to participate in a Zoom Letter Writing Party for Maine Gun Safety — to be held on Leap Day, February 29, 2024.
Here are the details:
(to avoid zoom bombing you’ll have to quickly take a moment to register)
Come spend an hour with Quakers and others throughout Maine by writing letters to your legislators, Janet Mills, or the newspaper, to promote the four priorities of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition.
Make it even more of a party by invite friends to join you in person at your home, and then log on together!
Can’t make the party? That’s ok, you can write a letter on your own time. Attached is a Letter to the Editor Toolkit, and you can also use that to help you reach out to Janet Mills or your legislator. Find your legislators here: https://nrcm.salsalabs.org/mainelegislatorlookup/index.html.
Also, we’re attaching a list of high-priority legislators who could use more nudging on this issue. Most of them are outside of Greater Portland (although one is in part of Westbrook and Windham). But please take a few minutes with the list, and if you know someone who lives in one of these towns, please reach out to them to contact their legislator, and invite them to this zoom party. This is how the work gets done!
Hosted by members of Portland Friends Meeting and Durham Friends Meeting, open to all!
Rob Levin and Heather Denkmire and Valerie Todd and Leslie Manning
Questions: email rob@roblevin.net.
Ingrid Chalufour brought the message at Durham Friends Meeting on February 4, 2024
Today I bring good news. Your money for children’s books is well spent. The 7 teachers who worked with us this fall have completed a process of using books to help them create an anti-bias classroom community. Basically, we have layered an anti-bias approach onto what they already do to create community. A definition:
“Anti-bias curriculum is an approach to early childhood education that sets forth values-based principles and methodology in support of respecting and embracing differences and acting against bias and unfairness.” From Teaching for Change
Note that we not only introduce injustice but we let children know they can do something about it.
The teachers received books about kindness; books that elicited empathy including topics such as homelessness and bullying; books that introduced all kinds of diversity (race, ethnicity, family structure, gender). They wrote reflections for us about the use of the books and the children’s responses. In conclusion, they wrote reflections about the impact of the whole unit. Their stories have provided evidence that the books do have an impact on children’s learning and on the teachers as well. I will share a few quotes:
Jeanne, who teaches a combined 1st-2nd Grade wrote, “I see that my work has had an impact this year because… my students feel comfortable asking questions and sharing ideas about the similarities and differences between us. I think the sense that any of these topics (race, ethnicity, language, religion, other aspects of culture…) are open for discussion and wondering is a key aspect of the anti-bias classroom. The other key component is the idea that we can each make a difference…. We all have such a long way to go but pure curiosity, without judgement, in a space of caring is how we start the journey.”
Aja, a PreK teacher wrote, “The books and conversations we had helped create a safe space where our ideas are not right or wrong but used to build knowledge from one another. We found joy in our physical differences and people colors are now widely used and discussed in the classroom. Children went home and talked about learning about melanin. We challenged some biases around gender stereotypes, abilities, and family and home structures. The kindness book was a wonderful book to read over and over and was such a simple yet helpful book in establishing a caring classroom community.”
From Emma another 1st-2nd Grade teacher, “I believe that because I made an effort to have open and honest conversations about identity, the children became more comfortable talking about the different ways they identify and the different ways people in their community identify. We spent time defining words like ‘empathy’, ‘race’, ‘diversity’, ‘community’. I know the majority understand these words because when I first asked what they meant, few students raised their hands and their answers were off-base; now when we have conversations revolving around those topics, it’s clear that we don’t need to define them because they are either a) using those words, or b) able to answer the questions I pose that contain those key words. I think in these early stages of language acquisition, this is a critical piece.”
Finally, from Kate a Kindergarten teacher, “Adding this layer has made me look more closely at the curriculum in order to figure out where could I weave in these books, so along with content students are experiencing, accepting, celebrating differences.”
We, the work group, are continually learning from the work of the teachers and from the consultants who are informing our journey. The teachers work this fall has taught us that spending time on creating an anti-bias classroom community is an essential foundation to the social justice work that follows which is exploring the Black experience in America and Wabanaki studies, with attention to care of the environment.
As we move from creating community to this new work about People of Color, we are introducing racism. Some ask why do you introduce 4- to 8-year-old children to racism. A primary reason is that small children are keen observers of the world. They are noticing similarities and differences and forming opinions, making judgements. When their judgements are made in the white dominant culture, they can begin to discriminate. At the same time these children are very quick to see unfairness. It is the perfect time to introduce the unfairness of racism. The question we have tackled recently is how do you do this. Young children are concrete thinkers so you must scaffold the message, moving from experiences the children can identify with to more abstract concepts like race. It is also essential to our approach that introducing any injustice is accompanied by the idea that you can do something about it.
Recently I happened upon a book at Curtis Library that does all of this. It is just the perfect book as our teachers transition to their new topic this winter and spring so we bought one for each of them and I will share it with you now: Our Skin, by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli and Isabel Roxas.
The following information, and more, can be found on the Wabanaki Alliance Bill Tracker website at https://www.wabanakialliance.com/131st-bill-tracker/ The bills listed below are currently being targeted for your support. They will be voted on by the House and the Senate in the near future.
TAKE ACTION: Contact your legislators. Contact your legislators and ask them to vote YES on LD 25 and LD 294.
To find your legislators go to www.maine.gov and type voter lookup into the search bar. Select Government: eDemocracy: Voter Information Lookup and enter the name of your town.
Sponsor: Sen. Craig V. Hickman, D-Kennebec
The Wabanaki Alliance supports this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill provides that a member of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or band is not required to pay a fee for admission to or use of any state owned park or historic site managed by the state of Maine. An amendment to the bill proposed in committee also waives camping fees.
STATUS: Vote coming soon.
The Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry held a public hearing on Jan. 25. The committee voted that the bill ought to pass as amended. It will go to the Senate next for a vote.
Sponsor: Rep. Benjamin T. Collings, D-Portland
The Wabanaki Alliance supports this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill would add a Wabanaki citizen to the Baxter State Park Authority, which has full power in the control and management of Baxter State Park. The nominee would be appointed by the governor based on a joint recommendation by tribal governments of the Mi’kmaq Nation, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and the Penobscot Nation.
STATUS: The Legislature will vote soon.
The Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry held a public hearing and work session during the first half of the legislation session. An additional work session was held January 17 and the majority of the committee voted the bill ought to pass as amended.
Peace and Social Concerns calls to your attention a lecture on
options: in person or via Zoom. Register here.
Earlham Scool of Religion is making available, via Zoom, the lecture Quaker historian Tom Hamm will give: “Quakers and Race in the 1920s.” Registration is required to get the Zoom link.
UPDATE: Peace and Social Concerns is asking that Friends meet at the Meetinghouse to view these webinars together (and to do the readings suggested beforehand). .
The Peace & Social Concerns Committee at Durham Friends Meeting Invite you to a Webinar Series, January-February 2024:
“Returning to the Land” by Nia To Go There (Cree)
Nia To Go There, PhD will offer a series of four webinars that are co-sponsored by Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples and Decolonizing Quakers (both national Quaker organizations). Nia will recommend short readings for each program.
January 13, 3:30-5 pm: “Returning to the Land: Cultural Perspectives.” Readings for this first session are AT THIS LINK.
January 27, 3:30-5 pm: “Returning to the Land: Seeing with a Native Eye.” Readings for this second session are AT THIS LINK.
February 10, 3:30-5 pm: “Returning to the Land: Colonization.” Readings for this third session are AT THIS LINK.
February 24, 3:30-5 pm: “Returning to the Land: Decolonization.”
Durham Friends look forward to some collective thinking about how we bring the important messages from these sessions home to Maine.
We hope to see you for all or some of these sessions at our Meetinghouse, 532 Quaker Meetinghouse Rd, Durham ME 04222.
Please contact Ingrid Chalufour at ichalufour@gmail.com with questions or to ask to have recommended readings forwarded to you.
Peace and Social Concerns commends these online programs being sponsored by Friends Peace Teams:
Upcoming ONLINE Webinars and Workshops December 4, 7pm EASTERN, 4pm PACIFIC: “Assimilate or Be Exterminated” by David Raymond (Mi’kmaw descendant). For much of their existence, the Quaker Yearly Meetings of Turtle Island and Britain pursued the eradication of Indigenous Peoples’ cultures and matriarchies as a means to save Indigenous Peoples from the supposed necessity of extermination (mass killing). David Raymond will examine Quaker writings and deeds from the late 18th century to the present and will offer reflections on the impact of the truth on his faith journey. Co-sponsored by Decolonizing Quakers. REGISTER HERE. January-February 2024: “Returning to the Land” by Nia To Go There (Cree) Nia To Go There, PhD will offer a series of four webinars that are co-sponsored by Decolonizing Quakers. We recommend registering for all four, although this is not required. Nia will recommend short readings for each program. January 13, 3:30-5 pm EASTERN, 12:30-2 pm PACIFIC: “Returning to the Land: Cultural Perspectives.” REGISTER HERE. January 27, 3:30-5 pm EASTERN, 12:30-2 pm PACIFIC: “Returning to the Land: Seeing with a Native Eye.” REGISTER HERE. February 10, 3:30-5 pm EASTERN, 12:30-2 pm PACIFIC: “Returning to the Land: Colonization.” REGISTER HERE. February 24, 3:30-5 pm EASTERN, 12:30-2 pm PACIFIC: “Returning to the Land: Decolonization.” REGISTER HERE.  “Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples” Workshop In this 2-hour participatory program, we experience the history of the colonization of Turtle Island, the land that is now known as the United States. The story is told through the words of Indigenous leaders, European/American leaders, and Western historians. We engage with this history through experiential exercises and small group discussions. And we are invited to consider how we can build relationships with Indigenous peoples based on truth, respect, justice, and our shared humanity. Facilitated by TRR’s Native and non-Native teams. Appropriate for high school students and adults. Two opportunities to join: January 21, 4-6 pm EASTERN, 1-3 pm PACIFIC. REGISTER HERE. February 18, 4-6 pm EASTERN, 1-3 pm PACIFIC. REGISTER HERE. During the Holidays:Visit Tribal Museumshttps://www.indian-affairs.org/tribalmuseumsday-public-map.html Give Gifts from Native American Artists and Businesses For your holiday shopping (and all year round) please consider purchasing gifts from Native American and Indigenous artists and businesses. Here are some websites where you can browse: 10 Buffalos Art by Shana Yellow Calf Lukinich, Northern Arapaho in Wyoming Earrings from Native HarvestNative Harvest for Ojibwe-made gifts (baskets, jewelry, maple syrup, more) Partnership with Native Americans: Buy Native, American Indian Services, 12 Indigenous-Owned Businesses to Shop this Holiday Sacred Circle Gifts and Art Native Owned (Etsy) A List from Good Housekeeping Business Insider’s list of 41 Native-owned businesses New York magazine’s list of 24 Best Gifts from Indigenous-owned Brands Parade Magazine, 24 Indigenous-Owned Businesses Support Native Media and Organizations Subscribe to these Native e-newsletters and support them: Native News OnlineIndian Country TodayThese and other Native organizations will appreciate your donation: National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, boardingschoolhealing.orgThe Mission of NABS is to work to ensure a meaningful and appropriate response from responsible agencies for those Native American individuals, families, and communities victimized by the United States’ federal policy of forced boarding school attendance and to secure redress from responsible institutions in order to support lasting and true community-directed healing. Native American Rights Fund, narf.orgFounded in 1970, the Native American Rights Fund is the oldest and largest nonprofit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide. Seventh Generation Fund, 7genFund.orgSeventh Generation Fund promotes and maintains the uniqueness and sovereignty of our distinct Native Nations by offering advocacy, small grants, trainings and technical assistance to Indigenous communities. Indigenous Environmental Network, ienearth.orgIEN is an alliance of grassroots Indigenous Peoples whose mission is to protect the sacredness of Mother Earth from contamination and exploitation by strengthening, respecting, and maintaining traditional teachings and natural laws. Indigenous Law Institute, ili.nativeweb.orgThe Indigenous Law Institute assists American Indian and other Indigenous communities to work toward a future of restoration and healing. They do this by working to develop a radically new basis for thinking about Native rights, from a Traditional Native Law perspective, and by contending that Native nations and peoples have an inherent right to live free of all forms of empire and domination. American Indian College Fund, collegefund.org The American Indian College Fund transforms Indian higher education by Funding and creating awareness of the unique, community-based accredited tribal colleges and universities, offering students access to knowledge, skills, and cultural values which enhance their communities and the country as a whole. IllumiNative, illuminative.org IllumiNative is a Native woman-led racial and social justice organization dedicated to increasing the visibility of—and challenging the narrative about—Native peoples. Indigenous Language Institute, ilinative.orgThe Indigenous Language Institute provides vital language related service to Native communities so that their individual identities, traditional wisdom, and values are passed on to future generations in their original languages. Indian Land Tenure Foundation, iltf.orgThe ILTF serves American Indian nations and people in the recovery and control of their homelands. Follow Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples on social mediaConnect to us on Facebook and Instagram! Upcoming events are regularly posted on social media and to our website: https://friendspeaceteams.org/upcoming-events DonateIf you’d like to donate to support the work of Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples, you can send money online here — be sure to choose TRR — or you can mail a check to Friends Peace Teams and write “TRR” on the memo line: Friends Peace Teams, 1001 Park Ave., St. Louis, MO 63104. Thank you! Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples is a program of |
From AFSC via our Peace and Social Concerns Committee
Here is the most recent “Take Action“from FCNL on the unfolding tragedy in Israel-Palestine. Our Peace & Social Concerns Committee urges us to communicate with Congress.
We are heartbroken by the recent violence in Israel and Gaza. As Quakers, we deeply mourn the loss of all lives and pray for those who have lost loved ones due to this latest escalation. We unequivocally condemn Hamas’ attacks and inhumane treatment of civilians and call for the immediate release of all hostages. We also condemn the indiscriminate and violent Israeli response that has already claimed hundreds of civilian lives.
More war and weapons won’t bring peace. In the face of growing violence, lawmakers must:
Urge Congress to call for an immediate ceasefire, de-escalation, and restraint to prevent further civilian harm in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Through it’s Peace and Social Concerns Committee, Durham Friends Meeting is one of the sponsors of an Indigenous People’s Day celebration, Monday, October 9, 10am to Noon on the Brunswick Mall
Peace and Social Concerns Committee is encouraging donations to an effort to collect kitchen items for new Mainers soon to be housed in Brunswick. Items can be brought on Saturday, September 23, 10am to 4pm.
