Challenging Racism / March 15, 2023

Can black people be racist? This is not for me to answer, but something that I have wondered about. In trying to find a definitive answer to this question I have become more confused. I think it depends on how you define “racism”. In the Pendle Hill Pamphlet that we all received in the mail during COVID isolation, author/scholar/activist Harold D. Weaver, Jr. says, “No”. According to Dr. Weaver, racism = power & discrimination/prejudice. Power…

Babylon: Journeys of Refugees Film Screening & Discussion / April 26, 2023

Join us for a screening of Babylon: Journeys of Refugees, followed by a discussion with the creators and light refreshments. The film runtime is 1 hour, and will start promptly at 6:00pm. Location is the Bryan Jr. Auditorium in the Frank Family Science Center at Guilford College. “Using puppets and moving panoramic scrolls, five actor/singer/puppeteers tell refugees’ stories in original four-part choral songs… Babylon looks at the relationship of refugees to their homelands, lost and…

Friends Committee on North Carolina Legislation / Spring Lobby Day / March 22, 2023

Now is the time to push for the expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina. Both the House and Senate have passed versions of a Medicaid expansion bill, and a final bill is very likely to come up for a vote this session. Lobby Day will be a great opportunity to meet your legislators or members of their staffs, to introduce yourself so they will know who you are in future lobbying contacts. Between now and…

What Happened to the Black Lives Matter Sign? / March 8, 2023

The saga of the Black Lives Matter sign continues. The sign, which disappeared during construction of sidewalks along New Garden Road only to be found in the woods adjacent to New Garden Cemetery and reinstalled, has been dismantled. Here’s why. Greensboro zoning inspectors, responding to a citizen complaint about the sign, made a site visit and found the sign to be out of compliance on two points. One post slightly exceeded the maximum height limit…

Dinner to Benefit Earthquake Survivors Raises $3,500 / March 2023

Dear Friends, The turn out in the fundraising lunch has been great. I was told that we raised $2225 in cash and around $3500 in total with checks and digital donations. Thank you all for your collaboration, kindness and generosity for the victims of an earthquake overseas. We’re also thankful to Nazareth Mediterranean/American Cuisine who generously donated the meal today. We’re looking forward to continue collaborating with our Quaker friends in further activities. –– Peace,…

Challenging Racism / March 1, 2023

There was a book in our Little Free Antiracist Library entitled, “Black Rednecks and White Liberals” by Thomas Sowell. I’d never heard of Thomas Sowell and there was no picture of him on the book jacket. There was, however, a short review, praising the book, by a Fox News commentator, so I suspected it was probably not conducive to our antiracist purposes. Before recycling it at McKays though, I did my homework and was, yet…

Rosenwald Schools Documentary on PBS-NC / March 2023

Southern states, including North Carolina, largely ignored their responsibility to provide an education for rural Black children in the early 20th century. But then a plan hatched by a famous black educator and a Jewish philanthropist broke Jim Crow’s grip on funding for black schools. The resulting schools helped change the South and the nation, one student at a time. Tom Lassiter produced and wrote “Unlocking the Doors of Opportunity / The Rosenwald Schools of…