In yesterday’s post, we revisited a letter from the late Friend Alan Robinson on making some sense of the controversy over SAYMA paying Sharon Smith for her “ministry” on racism among Quakers. He proposed applying the test in Jesus’ parable (in Luke 6:43-45) about judging trees by their fruits. One of the “trees” targeted by … Continue reading SAYMA and Smith: “Judging the Fruits” by Their Own Words
Over the past decade, I’ve witnessed and reported on the breakup of five U.S. Yearly Meetings. This “assignment” was at best unpleasant, and often disheartening. After the fifth schism, I had hoped the ugly epidemic was over. But now there’s a possible Number Six. A showdown for it is coming on July 20. The previous … Continue reading SAYMA Showdown: Another Yearly Meeting Split?
For Juneteenth, I should be completely pleased with the news that the City Council in Charleston SC will be doing its best to dethrone a statue of John C. Calhoun. The plan was announced in connection with the fifth anniversary of the horrible mass killing of nine black worshippers at the city’s Mother Emanuel AME … Continue reading Removing the Statue of John C. Calhoun will be easy. Banishing his Ghost will not.
The May 25 New York Times features a description of MLK50, a scrappy, pot-stirring news operation in Memphis. MLK50 was started by Wendi Thomas, a Memphis native and veteran journalist. “We unapologetically exist to dismantle the status quo where it doesn’t serve low-income residents in Memphis, the overwhelming majority of whom are black,” Ms. Thomas … Continue reading The Spirit of Ida B. Wells returns to Memphis?
[Note: this post is not as long as it may appear; some attachments are at the end for completeness and accuracy.] Two years ago next week, Sharon Smith met her match. It was on March 16, 2018, in a weekend anti-racism workshop at a suburban Asheville community center. It was presented by the Racial Equity … Continue reading SAYMA’s Not Safe, III: New Trouble: Threats Against Three Meetings