American Friends Service Committee
Nobel Prize in Peace (1947) | |
Website | afsc |
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Designations | |
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Official name | American Friends Service Committee |
Type | City |
Criteria | Religion |
Designated | November 6, 1999 |
Location | 1501 Cherry St., at Friends Ctr., Philadelphia 39°57′20″N 75°09′53″W / 39.95559°N 75.16477°W |
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a
Background
Quakers traditionally oppose violence in all of its forms and therefore many refuse to serve in the military, including when drafted. AFSC's original mission grew from the need to provide conscientious objectors (COs) with a constructive alternative to military service. In 1947 AFSC received the Nobel Peace Prize along with its British counterpart, the Friends Service Council (now called Quaker Peace and Social Witness) on behalf of all Quakers worldwide.[dead link][1] Although established by Friends, acting individually, AFSC and the Society of Friends have no legal connections, as stated by its long-time Executive Secretary Clarence Pickett in 1945.[2]
History
In April 1917—days after the United States joined
They also developed plans for dealing with the United States Army, since it had been inconsistent in its dealing with religious objectors to previous wars. Although legally members of pacifist churches were exempt from the draft, individual state draft boards interpreted the law in a variety of ways. Many Quakers and other COs were ordered to report to army camps for military service. Some COs, unaware of the significance of reporting for duty, found that this was interpreted by the military as a willingness to fight. One of the AFSC's first tasks was to identify COs, find the camps where they were located, and then visit them to provide spiritual guidance and moral support. In areas where the pacifist churches were more well known (such as Pennsylvania), a number of draft boards were willing to assign COs to AFSC for alternative service.[4]
In addition to conducting alternative service programs for COs, AFSC collected relief in the form of food, clothing, and other supplies for
After the end of the war in 1918, AFSCs began working in Russia, Serbia, and Poland with orphans and with the victims of famine and disease, and in Germany and Austria, where they set up kitchens to feed hungry children.[5] Eventually AFSC was chartered by President Herbert Hoover to provide the United States sponsored relief to Germans.[6]
During the 1930s and through
In 1947 they worked to resettle refugees during the partition of India.[citation needed] Between 1937 and 1943, the AFSC built the Penn-Craft community for unemployed coal miners in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.[11]
In 1947 the AFSC was awarded the
On 7 December 1948 the UN Secretary-General
In the Gaza Strip the
One of the first tasks was registering the refugees, which was done by village of origin, and establishing a rationing system and baby milk program. The target was that everyone should get 2000 calories per day.[13] This was followed by establishment of clinics distributing medicines, malaria control spraying and water distribution.
By March 30, 1949, rudimentary school places had been created for 16,000 children.[14] In the absence of any political progress in the repatriation of the displaced people they were working with and lacking the resources or willingness to commit to a long-term aid program, in April 1950 the AFSC transferred their entire program to the newly created UNRWA.[15]
As the
During the U.S. war in Vietnam, AFSC joined with U.S. scholars of China to organize conferences which sought to raise awareness of what they viewed as the problem of the U.S.'s non-recognition of the People's Republic of China.[16]
Beginning in 1966, AFSC developed programs to help children and provided medical supplies and
In 1955, the committee published Speak Truth to Power: A Quaker Search for an Alternative to Violence, drafted by a group including Stephen G. Cary, A. J. Muste, Robert Pickus, and Bayard Rustin.[18] Focused on the Cold War, the 71-page pamphlet asserted that it sought "to give practical demonstration to the effectiveness of love in human relations".[19] It was widely commented on in the press, both secular and religious, and proved to be a major statement of Christian pacifism.
In the United States, AFSC supported the
Budget
In fiscal year 2020, AFSC had revenues of US$37.2 million and expenses of US$33.8 million.[20] AFSC had net assets of US$100.6 million.[21]
Programs and projects
Today AFSC programs address a wide range of issues, countries, and communities. AFSC describes the programs as united by "the unfaltering belief in the essential worth of every human being, non-violence as the way to resolve conflict, and the power of love to overcome oppression, discrimination, and violence".[22]
AFSC employs more than two hundred staff working in dozens of programs throughout the United States and works in thirteen other nations.
AFSC also provides administrative support to the
AFSC carries out many programs around the world. The organization's 2010 annual report
Cost of War project
Cost of War is real-time cost-estimation exhibits, each featuring a counter/estimator for the
Exhibits
Based on the National Priorities Project Cost of War concept, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) launched an exhibit title titled "Cost of War" in May 2007, at the close of the National Eyes Wide Open Exhibit. It features ten budget trade-offs displayed on 3x7 foot full-color vinyl banners. AFSC uses to cost of the Iraq War estimated by economists Linda Bilmes and Joseph Stiglitz in the article "Economic Costs of the Iraq War: An Appraisal Three Years After The Beginning Of The Conflict", written in January 2006 that estimates the total daily cost of the Iraq War at $720 million.[29] AFSC uses The National Priorities Project's per unit costs for human needs such as health care and education to make budget comparisons between the U.S. budget for human needs to "One Day of the Iraq War".[30] The ten banners read:[31]
- One Day of the Iraq War = 720 Million Dollars, How Would You Spend it?
- One Day of the Iraq War = 84 New Elementary Schools
- One Day of the Iraq War = 12,478 Elementary School Teachers
- One Day of the Iraq War = 95,364 Head Start Places for Children
- One Day of the Iraq War = 1,153,846 Children with Free School Lunches
- One Day of the Iraq War = 34,904 Four-Year Scholarships for University Students
- One Day of the Iraq War = 163,525 People with Health Care
- One Day of the Iraq War = 423,529 Children with Health Care
- One Day of the Iraq War = 6,482 Families with Homes
- One Day of the Iraq War = 1,274,336 Homes with Renewable Energy
There are currently 22 Cost of War exhibits located in Northern and Southern California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas/Missouri, Maryland, Massachusetts/Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York/New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia.
Eyes Wide Open project
In 2004, AFSC started the project Eyes Wide Open in
Current key issues
Currently, the AFSC has four key issues:[34]
Criticism
Throughout much of the group's history the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and other government agencies have monitored the work of this and many other similar organizations.[35][36][37]
Since the 1970s, criticism has also come from liberals within the Society of Friends, who charge that AFSC has drifted from its Quaker roots and has become indistinguishable from other
In June 1979, a cover article in
In 2010, Fager described that AFSC was "divorced" from Quakers' life as a faith community due to "an increasingly pronounced drift toward a lefty secularism" since the 1970s.[38] It was reported that the Committee in 1975 adopted "a formal decision to make the Middle East its major issue".[42][43]
Some Jewish supporters of Israeli government policies have accused AFSC of having an
The AFSC's position on its website is that it "supports the use of boycott and divestment campaigns targeting only companies that support the occupation, settlements, militarism, or any other violations of international humanitarian or human rights law. Our position does not call for a full boycott of Israel or of companies because they are either Israeli or doing business in Israel. Our actions also never focus on individuals."[46]
See also
- Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
- Peace Testimonyabout the Quaker peace testimony
- Pacifism in the United States
- List of anti-war organizations
References
- ^ "Nobel Peace Prize". 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
- S2CID 163984864.
- ^ "Origin of the American Friends Service Committee". 2010-03-29. Archived from the original on 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ^ Origin of AFSC Archived 2010-12-09 at the Wayback Machine by former AFSC Archivist Jack Sutters
- ^ a b c "American Friends Service Committee – History". www.nobelprize.org. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1947 – Presentation Speech". www.nobelprize.org. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ^ United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. "Quakers". Holocaust Encyclopedia. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ISSN 1350-7486.
- ^ All in the Same Boat: Non-French Women and Resistance in France, 1940–1944 Archived 2012-03-16 at the Wayback Machine, Hillary Mohaupt, Spring 2010.
- ^ Austin, Allan W. "American Friends Service Committee" Densho Encyclopedia. Accessed July 10, 2014.
- ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2007-07-21. Retrieved 2012-01-30. Note: This includes Louis Orslene and Susan Shearer (February 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Penn-Craft Historic District" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
- ISBN 977-416-105-Xp. 51
- ^ Gallagher pp. 66, 68, 161
- ^ Gallagher p. 86
- ^ Gallagher p. 110
- ISBN 9781501774157.
- ^ "Frances Crowe to read from her memoir at First Churches in Northampton on Sunday". 3 January 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ^ "Wendy Chmielewski, "Speak Truth to Power: Religion, Race, and Sexuality, and Politics During the Cold War"". Archived from the original on 2011-02-18. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
- ^ Speak truth to power: a Quaker search for an alternative for violence Archived 2017-08-30 at the Wayback Machine from AFSC's archives
- ^ "Financial Information". Tait Weller. 2021-04-21. Archived from the original on 2022-06-28. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
- ^ "2020 Annual Audit of AFSC" (PDF). American Friends Service Committee. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ AFSC's Our Work page; afsc.org
- ^ AFSC's Where We Work page Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine; afsc.org
- ^ AFSC's structure page Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine; Afsc.org
- ^ "Building Peace One Community at a Time: Annual Report 2010". Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
- ^ The official Windows and Mirrors Archived 2011-12-09 at the Wayback Machine information page.
- ^ Official Site; National Priorities Project
- ^ "How we got the numbers". Cost of War. National Priorities. Archived from the original on 2003-06-01. Retrieved 2007-02-08.
- S2CID 154437352. KSG Working Paper No. 06-002. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ Street, 351 Pleasant; MA, Suite B. #442 Northampton. "Cost of National Security". National Priorities Project.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "How would you spend it?". Wage Peace Campaign. American Friends Service Committee. 2013-02-06. Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
- ^ Mehta, Shreema (21 October 2005). "Empty Boots, Ravished Hearts". The Nation. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ^ "Eyes Wide Open". 2010-03-19. Archived from the original on 2022-06-28. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
- ^ "Key issues". Archived from the original on 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2016-07-02.
- ^ "Washington Post article, Monitoring America". Archived from the original on 2011-04-02. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
- ^ Documents released under the freedom of information act are hosted on the FBI's website Archived 2014-12-05 at the Library of Congress Web Archives
- ^ In recent years AFSC has worked with the ACLU on several efforts to end spying by local police, the FBI, the Pentagon Archived 2006-04-26 at the Wayback Machine and the NSA Archived 2006-09-07 at the Wayback Machine targeted at AFSC and other organizations.
- ^ a b c "AFSC & Quakers I: The Background of a Concern – A Friendly Letter". 2010-06-19. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
- ^ a b Chuck Fager, ed., Quaker Service at the Crossroads: American Friends, The American Friends Service Committee, and Peace and Revolution, Kimo Press, 1988.
- OCLC 17439651.
- ^ Fager, Chuck (1988). "Quaker Service at the Crossroads" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-07-17.
- ^ Romirowsky, Alexander Joffe and Asaf. "The Quakers, No Friends of Israel". Retrieved 2016-07-17.
- ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
- ^ Kirk, H. David (1979). The Friendly Perversion: Quakers as Reconciliers: Good People and Dirty Work. Americans for a Safe Israel.
- ^ Neusner, Jacob (1993). In the aftermath of the Holocaust. Garland. p. 17.
- ^ Allison Kaplan Sommer (January 8, 2018). "How a U.S. Quaker Group That Won the Nobel Peace Prize Ended Up on Israel's BDS Blacklist". Haaretz.
Further reading
- Austin, Allan W. (2012). Quaker Brotherhood: Interracial Activism and the American Friends Service Committee, 1917–1950. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
- Barnes, Gregory A. (2016). A Centennial History of the American Friends Service Committee. Philadelphia: FriendsPress.
- Ingle, H. Larry (January 1998). "The American Friends Service Committee, 1947–49: The Cold War's Effect". .
- Jones, Mary Hoxie (1937). Swords into ploughshares: an account of the American Friends Service Committee, 1917–1937. New York: Macmillan.
Archives
- Tyree Scott Papers. Archived 2015-09-20 at the Wayback Machine 1970–1995. 73 cubic feet (73 boxes). Contains records from Scott's service with the American Friends Service Committee, Pacific Northwest Regional Offices in the late 1970s. At the Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
- Records of the American Friends Service Committee, Midwest Branch, Advisory Committee for Evacuees. 1942–1963. 10 linear ft. (25 boxes).
- Emery E. Andrews Papers. 1925–1969. 2.93 cubic ft. Collection materials are in English and Japanese. At the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
- American Friends Service Committee Collection. 1942–1947. .4 linear feet (1 box). Contains materials the American Friends Service Committee produced and collected pertaining to their activities and the experience of Japanese Americans during and after World War II. At the Japanese American National Museum.
External links
- Official website
- American Friends Service Committee on Nobelprize.org
- "American Friends Service Committee Internal Revenue Service filings". ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- American Friends Service Committee's FBI files on the Internet Archive
- Quaker United Nations Offices
- Cost of War Official Site