Thank you for the flood of response to the call for a conference on torture. Many ideas have been shared. It became clear that a large historic work, similar to early Quaker work in prison reform, abolition, and women’s suffrage, is at hand. Our planning will be for a long-term work, perhaps of more than one generation. It’s also clear that such large and difficult work is good for our spiritual muscles, individually and corporately.
The Quaker Initiative to End Torture (QUIT) has initiated the following:
• Our second conference was held on June 1-3 2007 at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina with 95 people. More information on our conference page.
• Our first conference was June 2-4, 2006 at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina with 126 people attending from 18 Yearly Meetings in 4 countries. Report on conference 2006 page.
• A planning meeting regarding future work will be tentatively held at Pendle Hill on October 6, 2007.
• Friends World Committee on Consultation provided conference seed money. We also thank the Brown Fund of NEYM for supoorting our work with a grant this year!
• Orange Grove Meeting in Pasadena, CA receives tax-deductible donations for this work and will process conference registration moneys. Checks should be made out to Orange Grove Meeting with a reference to QUIT in the memo line. And mailed to Joe Franko 7649 Airlie Dr Tujunga CA 91042
• A six member Planning Committee has been established:
-Liz Keeney- Learning Disabilities Tutor and Spiritual Director, Gambier, OH
-John Meyer- Coordinator Short Term Education Programs at Pendle Hill, Wallingford, PA
-Joe Franko- Professor of Mathematics, Mount San Antonio Community College, Walnut, CA
-Chuck Fager- Director Quaker House, Fayetteville, NC
-Scilla Wahrhaftig- Project Director for the American Friends Service Committee PA State Program in Pittsburgh
-Stephen McNeil- Assistant Regional Director for Peacebuilding, Relief and Youth Work in San Francisco AFSC and co-clerk FCNL
• We have received a growing number of minutes of support, including support from South Central, Baltimore, Canadian and Iowa Conservative Yearly Meetings and Fredrick Monthly Meeting of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. You'll also find minutes from Memphis Meeting, New Brunswick Meeting, Oxford Mississippi Friends Meeting, Pittsburg Monthly Meeting, West Hill Friends Church in Portland, Oregon (a member of NW Yearly Meeting, EFI), Boulder Monthly Meeting, Friends Meeting of Washington (Peace and Social Concerns), Morningside Meeting, Akron Friends Meeting, Nashville Meeting, South Starksboro (Vermont) Monthly Meeting, Pacific Yearly Meeting, New England Yearly Meeting, Sacramento Monthly Meeting, Salt Lake Monthly Meeting, Schuylkill Monthly Meeting, and Willmington Friends Meeting.
Some things you can do- (also see our THINGS TO DO PAGE!)
• Send links of this website to many.
• Read and distribute our Resources Book. Click here to see the book!
• Ask your Monthly and Yearly Meeting to support this work with
• Help your Meeting write a minute of support.
• Consider joining the planning committee, making donations of time or money, helping with eldering or spiritual support, helping with web-design and update, doing a teach-in (support material will be available soon to help you), and educating yourself about torture in the world and the USA.
• Hold this effort tenderly in your thoughts and prayers.
We join a great many others in this work. Please see our LINKS page.
She Made a Quilt to Spread the Word Denny Webster of Boulder Meeting CO wrote us, "The quilt I am making for the conference is coming along. I will send a photo soon. Mary White (who's now in Boulder, used to be part of Strawberry Creek meeting) has made glass tears for the faces. I think there are 32 faces on an American flag. It's taken longer than I hoped." Denny finished the quilt and we are proud to give you a photo. Click HERE to see the quilt.
To see some images that have been sent to us click HERE to see the pictures.