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
– Chris Mohr, Executive Director
AROUND FRIENDS CENTER
Check out our new podcast, “Friends on 15th”!
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.
Register here: https://www.warresisters.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=40
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM)
Annual Sessions
July 24-28, 2019 at The College of New Jersey
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.
Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (CPMM)
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.
TENANT NEWS
Girls Inc. Needs Your Support—Please Vote!
Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey is a Philadelphia Foundation Key to Community grant finalist in the Opportunity Divide category. This funding opportunity is unique because the public will determine who will win. Top prize in each category is $200,000; second place is $100,000 and third place is $33,000. All nine winners will also participate in their fall Leadership Institute.
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.
https://greenbuildingunited.org/events/lessons-learned-lbc-affordable-housing-demonstration-project
Rachel Miller becomes PLSE’s Director of Criminal Records Expungement
Via Generocity
Also, AFSC announces Jason Drucker as their new Associate General Secretary for Advancement.
EVENTS OUTSIDE FRIENDS CENTER
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.