Drawing on her experiences as a leader in the field of environmental justice, Yeampierre provides a unique perspective on how to promote meaningful engagement toward concrete, inclusive, community-based solutions to deal with the climate emergency we are facing as a community, a city, a nation, and world. In these times of political and environmental uncertainty, Yeampierre’s thoughts will leave an impression on audience members’ thoughts and actions regarding climate change and climate justice.
COMING SOON:
ALL-GENDER, ACCESSIBLE RESTROOM FOR 1501 CHERRY ST. BUILDING
At the request of one of our equity
partners, the American Friends Service Committee, we will be converting the
first floor shower room in the 1501 Cherry Street building into a fully accessible, all-gender restroom.
The Friends Center board of directors enthusiastically
endorsed the idea, as it will increase both our restroom capacity and provide
more equitable access for all people.
Construction starts in mid-October, and
will take a few weeks. The contractor plans to cordon off the work area so
people can still pass by to use the existing women’s room and access the first
floor office suite. Inevitably, there will be noise and disruption. We hope you
can live with it for a short while, knowing that a larger benefit is on the
way.
By the way, the existing shower room on
the second floor of 1501 will remain. It’s part of our green building practice,
for those who walk or bike to work.
Thank you in advance for your patience
with the construction phase of this project. Please let me know if you have any
questions.
– Chris Mohr, Executive Director
AROUND FRIENDS CENTER
World Quaker Day is Sunday, October 6!
Please see the last piece in this
newsletter for more information.
Mighty Writers hosts Anti-Violence Town
Hall here
On Friday, 9/27, in the Rufus Jones Room, Mighty Writers held an Anti-Violence Town Hall for Philadelphia youth impacted by violence, as part of their MightFest. Click here for coverage by NBC10 and WHYY
If you witness public instances of racist, anti-Black, anti-Muslim,
anti-Trans, or any other form of oppressive interpersonal violence and
harassment, use these tips on how to intervene while considering the safety of
everyone involved.
We’re excited to
invite PYM Families to our next Community Playdate for Apple and pumpkin
picking, autumnal FUN at Solebury Orchards in Bucks County.
The Community
Playdate is an opportunity for fellowship and learning with our PYM Family
community.
We’ll meet on Saturday,
October 12 at 9:00am at Solebury
Orchards in New Hope, PA.
Kimani Keaton, Children and Families Program Facilitator, will be there to
greet and gather our group, and then lead families on wagon rides to pick
apples and find the perfect pumpkin in the patch.
In case of inclement weather and cancellation, we’ll email those who have
registered (see below) and post on the PYM Families Facebook page. No
parking, entry or wagon ride fees; apples are $1.50/lb.
Join
us for worship at 11 AM every Sunday at Friends Center
Central
Philadelphia Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends is a large, urban
Quaker meeting, diverse in many ways. We welcome visitors throughout the year.
We worship by
gathering and silently waiting for the Spirit to guide us.
We celebrate
diversity and welcome people from all walks of life. We are a welcoming
and affirming congregation for LGBTQ people.
We are also
involved in various activities to further peace and social justice.
TENANT NEWS
Singing City Fall Concert–The Road Less Traveled Singing City and Lyric Fest together in concert.
Saturday, October 5, 2019, 4 pm: Haddonfield United Methodist Church, 29 Warwick Rd., Haddonfield, NJ 08033
Sunday, October 6, 3 pm: Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, 23 S. 38th St., Phila., PA 19104
Songs of journey and diaspora, welcome and belonging, leaving home and finding home. A timely program exploring world-wide migration and America’s roots as an immigrant nation.
Bartol Foundation (@BartolFdn) Workshop: Introduction to Trauma-Informed Practice for Teaching
Tuesday, October 15, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM at Friends Center
Recap of Living
Building Challenge
with Community Ventures
Green Building
United recently completed a “Living Building Challenge” for infill affordable
housing with our tenant, Community Ventures. Read about it here.
Across our churches, meetings,
countries and sections, we feel the power of God connecting us in to a faithful
family. We celebrate all expressions of Quaker worship!
This year’s theme is Sustainability: Planting Seeds of Renewal for the World We Love
FWCC invites you to join Quakers around the world for the 6th annual World Quaker Day.
Across our churches, meetings, countries and sections, we feel the power of God connecting us in to a faithful family. We celebrate all expressions of Quaker worship!
Visit the resources page for ideas on how to get involved.
On this episode of “Friends On 15th” we were joined by Happi Grillon (Executive Director) & Yael Leiner (Programs Assistant Manager and CASA Volunteer) of CASA Philadelphia.Right to left (Chris Mohr, Happi Grillon, Yael Leiner, Shakirah Holloway (front) and Jennifer Lee)
Issue 52, September 2019Friends Center Tenant Newsletter
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE
I hope you had a
good summer! The fall is often a time of renewed vigor and commitment, as well
as cooler temperatures. When it’s nice out, please feel free to crack open the
windows. As a LEED Platinum green building, it’s designed to use natural air
conditioning.
Fall
also comes with an uptick in the use of Friends Center’s event spaces. Please
be sure to book your events well in advance!
Our
staff does their best to balance the needs among our many tenants as well as
the many outside groups that rent our facilities. Thank you for your patience
and flexibility as we do our best to accommodate your requests. I also want to say
how much I appreciate the good work of Shakirah Holloway, Erick Emerick,
Jennifer Williams, Ed Waters, and our evening/weekend staff, who together keep
the event facilities humming; thank you!
– Chris Mohr, Executive Director
AROUND FRIENDS CENTER
CONSTRUCTION ON RACE STREET
If you drive or bike down Race Street, be
aware that there is street construction this week, possibly for as long as a
month. The city is apparently replacing street light wiring on both sides of
the street.
Find Us On…
Are you and your organization following
Friends Center on social media? If not, we encourage and invite you to do so.
We like to feature the posts of our partners and tenants!
Also be sure to check out Friends on 15th , our new podcast. We will soon be getting it listed on many of the podcast directories. Meanwhile, check out the podcast page on our website.
The American Friends Service Committee was one of several groups protesting the conditions and treatment of children at the Homestead facility and organizer Mariana Martinez declared victory.
“Hello, my name is Joshua Ponter. I am a member of Haddonfield Monthly Meeting in South Jersey’s Philadelphia area. I have embarked on a year-long mission to travel around the country collecting stories about the founding of different meetings and looking at the way we practice Quakerism today. I will be blogging about my travels on the PYM website. Find my latest entry here. Please email me at JPonter1@gmail.com if there is anyone from your meeting who would like to sit down with me and speak to some of your history—or if you would like more information on me or my project. Thank you!”
The weekend will
start on Friday, October 11, with a potluck and a dramatic reading of an
original play about Mary Fisher, an early English Friend who undertook a
dangerous journey alone to Turkey to tell the Grand Sultan about Quakerism.
Saturday will feature several workshops, including one on spiritual gifts offered by the Gifts and Leadings committee and a workshop led by Carolyn McCoy entitled “Opening to the Spirit.” After a catered lunch, families will enjoy a midday swim at Friends Select School as well as crafts and games. A highlight of the afternoon will be a tour of the “mysteries” of the building, including the secret safe and the windows and doors to nowhere. A talent show will follow a taco dinner, and will end with a fun overnight sleepover. Sunday morning before worship will feature a pancake breakfast.
TENANT NEWS
Singing City and Lyric Fest together
in concert
Fall Concert–The Road
Less Traveled
Saturday,
October 5, 2019, 4 p.m.
Haddonfield
United Methodist Church, 29 Warwick Road, Haddonfield, NJ 08033
Sunday,
October 6, 3 p.m.
Philadelphia
Episcopal Cathedral, 23 S. 38th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Songs
of journey and diaspora, welcome and belonging, leaving home and finding home.
A timely program exploring world-wide migration and America’s roots as an
immigrant nation.
The Alternative to
Violence Project Presents
AVP: Introductory
Workshops for Radical Peacemaking
Friends
Center
Choose
1 day: Fri. September 6th, or Sat. September 7th
9:30
am – 4:00 pm (Sign in at 9:30, workshop at 10:00 am)
Complimentary
lunch included. This event is free to attend, and registration is required
Peace Day Philly is the
Philadelphia region initiative for the International Day of Peace, September 21. We invite individuals,
communities, organizations and civic leaders to use this powerful global
platform to build peace on personal, local and global levels. Participate in a
way that’s meaningful for you and your organization! Learn more.
Friday, September
13, 2019 –
Monday, September 23, 2019
The
City of Philadelphia Office of Immigrant Affairs partners with more than 30
community organizations for 10 days to honor the city’s multiculturalism. The
week’s aim: Engage immigrant communities like Philly’s Latino neighbors and
neighborhoods, with a variety of to-be-announced events. Learn more.
On this episode of Friends on 15th we had the pleasure of interviewing Dena Herrin and Cherice Arrington of Girls INC! Take a listen and learn how girls get started learning to run the world!
(Right to left) Chris Mohr, Cherice Arrington, Dena Herrin, Jennifer Lee, Shakirah Holloway
In a time when it
seems every day brings news of some fresh example of injustice, violence, and
inequality, I’m glad to be a part of the Friends Center community. Of course,
it’s true that the people who work, attend events, or worship here are by no
means perfect nor better than anyone else. Still, a lot of good things are
happening here to advance justice, peace, and equality. This newsletter gives just
a few examples.
Speaking of the
newsletter, Jennifer Williams has been doing a great job collecting your
stories for it. I thank her for her good work. I am also pleased to announce
that she was recently promoted to the position of Guest Reception and Marketing
Coordinator. She has taken on new duties, such as producing our new podcast
(see next item), and I know you’ll want to join me in congratulating her.
– Chris Mohr, Executive Director
AROUND FRIENDS CENTER
As you all know by now (or at
least that‘s what we’re hoping) Friends Center has launched its Podcast
“Friends On 15th” and it’s a hit!!! Friends On 15th
was birthed out of the appreciation we have for the good works being done by
our tenants. Friends Center houses roughly 40 non-profit organizations, both
Quaker and non-Quaker, whose mission statements we support. By this we were
compelled to find a new way to help get their good doings on the front line.
We will be interviewing the
organizations in our building, providing them with an opportunity to showcase
their accomplishments.
We hope that you will give Friends On 15th a listen and look forward to hearing your feedback.
The American Friends Service Committee was one of several groups
protesting the conditions and treatment of children at the Homestead facility
and organizer Mariana Martinez declared victory Saturday. Read more
on this amazing story!
The Annual Sessions has ended and the
atmosphere has shifted! As light hearts and smiling faces pass me by I couldn’t
help but to wonder (as a non-Quaker) why are these individuals so filled up? Soon
after, the opportunity to sit and briefly chat with attendees of Sessions was
upon me.
I was able to gain a better understanding of the annual sessions and as
a result, I am no longer in the dark about the Light. Below is a lovely and
enlightening quote from one the the delegates who attended.
“It is no coincidence Sessions comes at a time of
full bloom. A sense of expansiveness & freedom pervades the day and we are
reminded of our commitment to come together. We gather with full whole hearts
seeking spiritual renewal while enjoying sweet fellowship in an environment
full of integrity & love.”
-Kimani Keaton, Gifts processing and data entry associate, PYM
Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting is a Quaker congregation.
We don’t typically refer to ourselves as a church; instead we call our congregation a “Monthly Meeting” (because we hold a business meeting once a month) or “Meeting” for short.
You’re welcome to join us for waiting worship in the manner of Friends any Sunday at 11 am.
CPMM is a diverse and affirming environment; we welcome people of all ages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations and faith backgrounds.
TENANT NEWS
ARSP says goodbye to its U.S. programs director, Mark McGuigan.
PLSE Releases Report on First Year of Pardon
Project. Read more here.
Girls
Inc.: In the spring of 2019, a class of senior FOX Sports
University students in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at
Penn State were challenged to create a strategic campaign for Girls Inc. that
encourages FOX Sports fans and viewers to learn more about the organization’s
mission: inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold. Watch
here on YouTube.
EVENTS OUTSIDE FRIENDS CENTER
Pardon Workshop with
X-Offenders for Community Empowerment
When: August 12, 2019 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Where: 2227 N. Broad Street Philadelphia PA
19132
Need assistance with a pardon? Wayne
Jacobs, Co-Founder and Executive Director of X-Offenders for Community Empowerment
is hosting a workshop to get you started with the pardon application. Mr.
Jacobs hosts his clinic at 2227 N. Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19123 every 2nd
Monday from 6-7pm. For more details, please call 215-668-8477 or email
jacobs19132@yahoo.com.
Hidden
Lives Illuminated
Mark
your calendars for the debut of Hidden
LivesIlluminated! Short films
created by currently-incarcerated artists will be projected onto the walls of
Eastern State nightly August 15 through September 12. Learn more at HiddenLives.org. #HiddenLives
Issue 50, July 2019 Friends Center Tenant Newsletter
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S NOTE TENANT COOKOUT
It’s hot outside, and once again it’s time to gather in the courtyard for good food, fun games, and great company here at Friends Center. It’s our way to thank the tenants for being part of the community here.
If you’re interested in being a tenant here at Friends Center, please contact Chris Mohr at 215-241-7191 or by email at cmohr@friendscentercorp.org
Beth Feldman
Brandt and Melissa Talley-Palmer of the Stockton
Rush Bartol Foundation joined us for the first episode of the Friends on
15th podcast (July 2019).
If you are interested in being featured on the Friends on 15th podcast, we encourage you to reach out to Jennifer Williams, our receptionist.
EQUITY PARTNER NEWS
American Friends Service
Committee (AFSC)
Roots
IRL: Abolition, Global Solidarity, and the Future
An outside Netroots event
Evening
of Saturday, July 13
Outside of Netroots we are building a communal space in Philadelphia
grounded in organizing practices that are accountable to visions of divesting
resources away from state violence at home and elsewhere, and investing instead
in a future for our children, and in people power that remakes the world. Dream
Defenders, AFSC, War Resisters League, Adalah Justice Project, and other
partners are co-creating a spacetobring those in Netroots interested in
people-powered movements who have been transforming Philadelphia and the planet
into where the real work happens, in community and struggle.
We believe world-making starts within our communities so these sessions
will share skills, experiences, and tactics that apply an abolitionist and
internationalist framework through local specific strategies that can be
enacted wherever you live. Towards a future without war, settler occupation,
prisons, and police. Building a future with environmental justice, community
safety, global accountability, and abundance.
11:00 am – 2:30/3 pm: Bus Tour of Black Radical
History in Philadelphia led by Mike
Africa Jr., preregistration required, can reserve a spot at the ticket link.
6:00 pm Dinner
6:45 – 8:15 Teach in workshops, choose 1 Breaking Borders: diaspora
internationalist and indigenous organizing
Disseminating a
narrative of decarceration, electing a progressive DA, and moving toward
abolition
Hanging up on
911: Restorative Justice and the world beyond police
Not your
Grandad’s Union: Labor Organizing in the Gig Economy
People Power Per
Million: Environmental Justice and the fight to save our future.
8:30-9:30 Plenary presentation Plenary presentation with Marc
Lamont Hill in conversation with Kempis “Ghani” Songster and Mike Africa Jr.
Annual Sessions is a wonderful opportunity for
Friends of every age from 100+ Meetings to gather together for fun, business,
and fellowship. Grounded in Spirit, we conduct shared business, plan collective
projects and learn from one another in worship sharing and in interesting
workshops. We encourage YOU to register today! Drop by for just a session, stay
for a day, or attend the whole five-day program.
The theme for the 339th Annual Sessions is “How
do we Center ourselves in Trust and Love”.To “center” is to access the essential
knowingness that you are alive, which is all you need to see what is true.
Start with your breath. Notice how you breathe–feel the ground beneath you and the
air that moves through your lungs and throat. Centering in trust and love is
about the choices you make when truth comes knocking on your door. Trust
compels us to open it willingly and joyfully and to welcome the transformation
that might come next.
CPMM hosts Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting of
Friends
Sunday, July 21
The day begins at 9:30 with a program titled “Climate, Race, Justice and Democracy: We’re all in this together.” Several Friends will share stories of their efforts to address the intersection of these issues. We will then take time in worship sharing to reflect on what we can learn from these connections and how we might bring greater joy, clarity, faithfulness or power to our engagement with this critical work in the world. From 12:15-1:00 pm, hospitality will take place and all are welcome to bring salads, dips, chips and light desserts. Meeting for Worship for Business will take place from 1-4.
Every day until July 26th, you can vote for them once daily here. In addition to
voting daily, please spread the word – we want everyone to know that
we’re a finalist for this awesome opportunity. Thank you all for your support
and happy voting!
RULES
Vote once per day in each category through
July 26.
Those 18 and over in Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Delaware and New York can participate.
Make your choice and then select “Vote
Now”. Results appear after the ballot is processed.
You can sign up to get daily reminders to
vote
Share your participation via social media
and encourage others to vote daily!
Hosted by
Community Ventures at Friends Center:
Lessons Learned:
Living Building Challenge Affordable Housing Demonstration Project
Tue, 7/16/2019 –
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Please join Green Building United as they
present the Living Building Challenge’s Affordable Housing Demonstration
Project! Together we will review the design process and final design solutions,
discuss lessons learned, and celebrate the success of the group! After a brief overview
presentation, we will gather in small groups and review the project using the
imperatives of The Living Building Challenge as a guide. The goals is to
continue our efforts to provide sustainable affordable housing if dense urban
environments, and to determine priorities for next steps. Project leaders will
be on-hand to help guide discussions.
Decarcerate PA: Fundraiser for
Philadelphia Bail Fund
Date: July 11th, 2019
Location: “Tattooed Mom” 530 South St, Philadelphia Pa 19147
Time: 7-9 pm
Join Decarcerate
PA as we celebrate and raise money for the Philadelphia
Community Bail Fund! Help bring our loved ones and
community members home. Enjoy raffle prizes from local businesses and artists.
Hear from Philly Community Bail Fund organizers about the success of Mama’s Day
Bail Out, and learn how to get involved throughout the year.
The Philadelphia Community Bail Fund posts bail for residents of Philadelphia
who cannot afford to pay bail while advocating for the abolition of bail and
pretrial detention in our city. Their goal is to end cash bail in Philadelphia
while working to free as many people as we can.
The Philadelphia Community Bail Fund is run by a collective of volunteer grassroots
organizers and active members of the community, including folks they have bailed
out. They are committed to organizing
with and for the people most directly impacted by the racist system of mass
incarceration, criminalization and policing. They use a non-judgmental approach
and do not consider a person’s charges to respect an individual’s
constitutional right to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
Beth Feldman Brandt and Melissa Talley-Palmer of the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation joined us for the first episode of the Friends on 15th podcast (July 2019).
