Lucy Duncan and Rob Peagler from Reparation.Works discuss the questions that help guide their work. Lucy has been involved with groundbreaking reparations efforts in Philadelphia's Green Street Friends Meeting. Later this month Lucy and Rob will co-lead an online workshop called Exploring a Quaker Commitment to Reparative Justice. It is sponsored by Pendle Hill Quaker Center in collaboration with the Woodbrooke Centre in Birmingham, England.

We share an edited excerpt of the conversation. Click Here to listen to the complete conversation.

Links

• (video) Rob and Lucy chatting with Quaker Earth Witness' Beverly Ward 

Avis Wanda McClinton talks about Manumissions and her mission to identify the Africans enslaved by Quakers in Philadelphia. The Quaker and Special Collections archive at Haverford College contains documents for 339 enslaved Africans who were freed between 1765 and 1790 by slaveholding families in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Avis Wanda McClinton explains that “The goal of the project is to be a restorative, healing force that connects modern descendants with their enslaved ancestors, and to understand the lives of these first generations of ‘freemen.’”

Last year Avis Wanda McClinton had a conversation with Martin Kelley, the senior editor of Friends Journal. You can see the entire conversation at the Friends Journal YouTube page.

Links

• Confronting the Legacy of Quaker Slavery by Avis Wanda McClinton. (Friends Journal)

Review: Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America By Candacy Taylor. 

This book is about the Green Book, one annual traveler’s guidebook but so much more. It is the story of a lost civilization: one that deserves to be lost but never forgotten. It tells the story of Black resistance to White repression, harassment, and tyranny. It tells about a subversive project: one that was designed to subvert Jim Crow but also contributed to the subversion of legal segregation and the denial of basic civil rights. 

-Paul Buckley, Friends Journal book review

Click Here to read a transcript of this episode.

After this episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What are your thoughts, feelings, and understandings about reparations?

Question for next month

How has your view of Jesus, God, or religion changed since you were young? This question is raised in Margaret Kelso's article about Lent, which will appear in the February 2023 issue of Friends Journal.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. 

Season One of Quakers Today is sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS) 

Are you a young adult between 21 and 30 years old? Do you know a young adult who is looking for community and purpose-driven work? QVS is a year-long fellowship for young adults. Fellows work at nonprofits while building community and exploring Quakerism. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org or find QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at [email protected].

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. Tracks include: Soakin up the Sun (Instrumental Version) by Ludlów, Humbot by Wave Saver, A Dark Road to Nowhere by DEX 1200, Brand New Beginning by Öman, 

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, “What does redemption mean to you?” 

Attorney, coach, mediator, and Quaker thought leader, Adria Gulizia, speaks with Peterson Toscano about evil. Adria’s article “Facing Evil, Finding Freedom: How Christ's Victory Over Sin Is Ours to Share Today” appears in the December 2022 issue of Friends Journal. To read more of Adria Gulizia’s writing visit Shadow of Babylon. 

Click here to hear a longer version of this conversation

We hear from a group of Quakers in New England who decided to meet regularly on-line to talk about White supremacy and the sin of separation. With the support of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting they created a  community where they could be honest with each other. Lisa Graustein, Aiham Korbage, Emma Turcotte, Jennifer Higgins-Newman, and Briana Halliwell talk about this experiment in community conversations. To learn more watch “Healing From the Sin of Separation” on YouTube. For more QuakerSpeak videos visit Quakerspeak.com. The series is produced by Rebecca Hamilton-Levi. New videos come out every other Thursday

We also look at reviews for the new memoir by longtime peace activist George Lakey. Dancing with History: A Life for Peace and Justice is published by Seven Stories Press and is available at FGC QuakerBooks or wherever you get books. Read Doug Gwyn’s review in Friends Journal.  

Click Here to read a transcript of this episode.

After this episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What does redemption mean to you?

Question for next month

Our question is inspired by Jeff Hitchock’s essay Quakers and Reparations for Slavery and Jim Crow. It appeared in the June 2008 issue of Friends Journal. Hitchcock opens his article, “Out of the silence a woman asked, ‘Why don’t Friends take reparations more seriously? It’s the kind of issue Quakers take on.’”  In his piece Hitchock asks more questions about reparations. What are Reparations? Why are Reparations a Quaker Issue? How Does Reparations Work Benefit Quakers? What can Quakers do? 

What about you? What are your thoughts, feelings, and questions about reparations? Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. 317 Quakers. +1 if calling from outside the USA.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. 

Season One of Quakers Today is sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS.) 

Are you a young adult between 21 and 30 years old? Do you know a young adult who is looking for community and purpose-driven work? QVS is a year-long fellowship for young adults. Fellows work at nonprofits while building community and exploring Quakerism. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org or find QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at [email protected].

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Getting Frisky by John Runefelt, Sneaky Sam by Jerry Lacey, Magnified by From Now On, Crab Boys by Auxjack and JOBII, Those Things You Do by Grip City Cronies, Soul on Fire by Nightcap, Through to You by Aluvio, and Excursions by Justnormal. 

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, “What is a fictional story that has inspired you or challenged your world view?” 

Writer Anne E.G. Nydam reads an excerpt from her short story, “The Conduits.” You can read the entire story in the November 2022 Fiction edition of Friends Journal. Click here to hear Anne reading the whole story. Visit nydamprints.com to learn about Anne E.G. Nydam’s block prints and books. 

Cai Quirk, a trans and genderqueer photographer, focuses on the intersections of gender diversity and spirituality throughout history. Through the QuakerSpeak video, The Spirituality of Storytelling, they talk about the power of stories we can experience through words and images. In the September 2022 issue of Friends Journal you can see some of Cai’s photos from their book Transcendence. The book is now available for pre-orders. You can hear an extended interview with them on a brand new podcast, The Seed. In the episode Cai considers the question, What can the natural world teach us about ourselves? The Seed is an excellent show hosted by Dwight Dunston. It is a project of Pendle Hill Study Center.

We also look at a new graphic novel about a radical, eccentric prophet against slavery. Marcus Rediker told the story in his 2017 book, The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist. And now there is the graphic novel, Prophet Against Slavery. It is authored by Rediker along with Paul Buhle. David Lester drew the dynamic and moving images. Read Gwen Gosney Erickson’s review of the graphic novel in Friends Journal. You will also find an interview with David Lester, the illustrator of the graphic novel. 

Click Here to read a transcript of this episode.

After this episode concludes we share listener voicemails in answer to the question, What is a fictional story that has inspired you or challenged your world view?

Question for next month: Today in the twenty-first century, what does redemption mean to you? We would love to hear and share what you have to say. Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377 (+1 if calling from outside the United States or Canada). Please have your answers in by December 5, 2022. 

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. 

Season One of Quakers Today is sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS.) 

Are you a young adult between 21 and 30 years old? Do you know a young adult who is looking for community and purpose-driven work? QVS is a year-long fellowship for young adults. Fellows work at nonprofits while building community and exploring Quakerism. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org or find QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at [email protected].

Hi I’m Peterson Toscano. I am a Quaker and a podcaster. Whenever I tell someone that they thought I think they imagine some dude sitting behind a microphone in quiet contemplation. 

Ah, no. For me podcasting is all about sounds. It is also about people and the stories they have to tell. 

For over 10 years I have produced or hosted nearly 10 podcasts. They have touched on a variety of issues. LGBTQ+ liberation, faith, Bible scholarship, climate justice, and storytelling. I come to all of these shows as a Quaker seeking to encounter the humanity, insight, wisdom, and world views of the people I feature. And as a member of the Religious Society of Friends I approach each episode with questions. Lots of questions. 

While hosting these shows I have not shied away from my Quaker faith and practice. And I never produced a show specifically about Quakers and the issues that draw us into deeper discussion and reflection. That was until now. I am thrilled to announce that starting on November 15th 2022 I will host the first season of a new Quaker podcast. Quakers Today is a monthly podcast that will feature people and stories from Friends Journal, QuakerSpeak videos, and content generated by listeners. The first season of Quakers Today is made possible through the generous support of Quaker Voluntary Service. 

I will feature Quakers and other seekers who share their questions and their journeys with us. You will also hear reviews about books, films, music, games, and more. 

Each episode begins with a question. Throughout the 15 minute show guests reveal their perspectives and insights. Listeners also have the chance to share their thoughts and feelings by leaving voicemails. Just call 317-QUAKERS.

In our first episode we consider the question,

“What is a fictional story that has inspired you or challenged your world view?”

It may be a story you read in a book or a magazine. It might be a TV series or a film. “What is a fictional story that has inspired you or challenged your world view?” Call 317-Quakers that’s 317-782-5377. 

Quakers Today is a project of Friends Publishing Corporations, an independent nonprofit Quaker organization that publishes Friends Journal magazine. They also produce the QuakerSpeak video series on YouTube. You will find excellent information about Quakerism on their website Quaker.org. Learn more about Friends Publishing's work at Friendsjournal.org and Quakerspeak.com. 

And many thanks to Quaker Voluntary Service for sponsoring Season One of our show. QVS is the only organization in the United States dedicated solely to the spiritual and vocational needs of young adult Friends and seekers. Learn about the year-long fellowship program for young adults. Or find QVS on Instagram. 

The first episode of Quakers Today will premiere on November 15th 2022. It is available wherever you listen to podcasts. Or visit QuakersToday.org. 

Thank you Friend. I look forward to spending some time with you. 

How do prevailing cultural values affect your life? 

What is your understanding of the Divine and how it works in you?

What music, films, or games represent how you see yourself in the world?

Quakers Today are asking all sorts of questions. We decided to invite Quakers and other seekers to share their questions and their journeys with us. Hi, I’m Peterson Toscano, host of the new Quakers Today podcast.

Every month Quakers Today will feature writers, musicians, and thinkers who are seeking wisdom and understanding in a rapidly changing world. You will hear views and reviews from a variety of guests, some famous, and most just everyday people.

I realize there is a lot of content coming at us all the time. So we decided to create a short 15 minute show to share some of the people, media, and questions that help ground and guide us in our pursuit of a meaningful life. Each episode begins with a question. We do not pretend to have all the answers. Instead we have a place where you can hear people speak from the heart, grapple with faith, and share the insights they have found along the way. It is also a place where you will have the opportunity to share your own insights, reflections, and questions.

Join me each month as I feature people who are not afraid to ask and answer deep questions. Quakers Today premieres November 15, 2022. 

Quakers Today is a project of Friends Publishing Corporation.