social justice activities
Activities & Events | Local Organizations Supported by Berkeley Friends
Activities and Events
Berkeley Friends Meeting
Minute on the Violence in Gaza
Approved December 10 2023
Quakers believe that we should love all our neighbors, with no exception. War is not the answer. The Berkeley Society of Friends supports a permanent ceasefire in the violence in Israel and Palestine so that negotiators can begin to work towards a peaceful solution. It is critical to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. We also oppose all hate acts and crimes, including those aimed against Jews and Muslims in the United States.
Other Social Justice Activities:
Check out the NEW Preston Partners project, a project of the Berkeley Friends Meeting
California State Ballot Propositions: Friends Committee on Legislation-California (FCL-CA) has done research and made recommendations on this year’s (2024) Ballot Propositions.
Recommendations on the Ballot Propositions (scroll down the page)
The Berkeley Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) acknowledges that this Meetinghouse is on the traditional land of the Chochenyo Ohlone in the territory of Huichuin.
The Berkeley Peace Statement (February 13 2022): The Berkeley Society of Friends (Quakers) supports peaceful resolutions of all conflicts. We are deeply troubled by the current tension between Russia, Ukraine, NATO, and the United States and call for all parties to work to de-escalate this crisis. A war in Ukraine would cause enormous suffering, as all wars inevitably do, and it would destabilize a world already suffering from many serious crises.
We call for all nations and all parties to work for peace in this moment and in all such tense situations, to resist all warmongering rhetoric and military build-up--to resist in particular the tendency to speak of violence as something inevitable--and instead to recommit to arms control, diplomacy, and peaceful cooperation. We remind all that peace takes hard and constant work, but that war is never the answer.
[Signed] Anne Nesbet, Clerk, Berkeley Society of Friends (Quakers)A “Conversation about the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)” with General Secretary Joyce Aljouny and staff Sterling Spence and Emily Clarke, November 7th, 2021 (Video recording). Co-sponsored by Berkeley Friends Meeting Social and Environmental Action Committee and Strawberry Friends Meeting Peace, Earthcare, and Social Witness Committee)
Recording of Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially Divided America from My Daughter's School: A Book Event with Author Courtney Martin and Participant Ingrid Hogle. October 15th 2021, hosted by the Racial Justice Action Team and Social and Environmental Action Committee.
Climate Crisis: Solutions and Possibilities— Dr. Mark D. Levine Presentation by Dr. Mark D. Levine, September 17, 2021 (PowerPoint slides Part 1 and Part 2 for presentation)
Berkeley Friends Meeting Minute on Engagement to Uproot and Dismantle Racism. Approved April 11, 2021.
Police Militarization and its Connection to Mass Incarceration Presentation by American Friends Service Committee Healing Justice Program co-directors, John Lindsay-Poland and Fatimeh Khan, February 17, 2021. (recording on YouTube)
Carbon Pricing Models as Solutions for the Climate Crisis Presentation by Tom Yamaguchi, September 20, 2020: (Powerpoint slides for presentation)
Recording of 9/20/20 Carbon Pricing Models Talk (via YouTube)
Handout— Carbon Pricing Model and Climate Caucus (2020)
Handout— Carbon Pricing Legislation Comparisons (2020)
The Berkeley Society of Friends supports the Quaker Statement on Migration developed by the American Friends Service Committee, Britain Yearly Meeting, Friends Committee for National Legislation, Quaker Council for European Affairs, and Quaker United Nations Office.
Civic Responsibility
AM I REGISTERED TO VOTE?
WHERE IS MY MAIN-IN BALLOT?
https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-status
If you’re in California, you can also track the status of your mail-in ballot here:
Quaker Speak Videos:
Compilation of Recommendations for 2018 California Ballot Propositions (compiled by Social and Environmental Action Committee) (Excel, .pdf versions)
Personal Greenhouse Gas Formation Questionnaire-- Interactive (Excel)
Berkeley Friends Meeting has a long history of social justice activities, including organizing and maintaining draft counseling services for many years out of our Meetinghouse. These activities follow Quaker testimonies of peace, equality, and harmony with nature.
Social and Environmental Action Committee meets on the first week of the month, on First Day (Sunday) at 1 pm in the Meeting Library to discuss and plan social justice activities for the Meeting.
Among other activities, Berkeley Friends Meeting has hosted:
Schools and Communities First Presentation: Oakland League of Women Voters Chair Deborah Shefler presented information on the proposed November 2020 ballot initiative, which seeks to amend the 1978 Prop 13 legislation to require commercial and industrial properties to be periodically assessed and pay property taxes; these funds would then go to local communities and schools.
Kate Cragg and Noah Foley-Beining from the Sunrise Movement speak to Berkeley and Strawberry Creek Meetings about the Green New Deal.
Immigration Issues Evening: Ramon Castellblanch gave a slide presentation on, “Refugee Rights and an East Bay Refugee Family,” an overview of immigration with a focus on Central America then attendees watched "Waking Dream," about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) participants. This December event was sponsored by Berkeley Friends Meeting Social and Environmental Action and Outreach & Nurture Committees and Strawberry Creek’s Peace, Earthcare, and Social Witness Committee.
In October 2019, Social and Environmental Action sponsored a very well-attended talk on the “Green New Deal” with speakers Kate Cragg and Noah Foley-Beining from the Sunrise Movement. The talk included a video, “A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” from Alexandra Occasio-Cortez, one of the original sponsors of the Green New Deal and Naomi Klein, the author.
Worked to get the plaque for our Meetinghouse acknowledging we are on the traditional land of the Chochenyo Ohlone in the territory of Huichuin.
The Berkeley Society of Friends Meetinghouse in September 2019 with our new plaque acknowledging our location on the traditional lands of the Chochenyo Ohlone in the territory of Huichuin.
Provided an immigrant accompaniment team under the auspices of Nueva Esperanza to help newly arrived immigrant families. This is the first stage of being a sanctuary congregation.
Co-sponsored the April 2019 Ending the Endless War workshop with Outreach and Nurture Committee and the Berkeley FCNL Advocacy Team, featuring speaker Stephen McNeil, retired staff from the American Friends Service Committee and current Friends Committee on National Legislation activist.
Participated in the Rise for Climate Jobs and Justice March and Resource Fair in September 2018.
Has signed onto the Quaker Statement on Climate Change and is working on a greenhouse gas survey for Meeting members and attenders.
Berkeley FCNL Advocacy Team (Berkeley Quakers and others) Celebrating Rep. Barbara Lee’s success at getting the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force passed in the U.S. House.
Hosts the Berkeley FCNL Advocacy Team, currently (2018) working against the possibility of going to war with North Korea.
Members and attenders have recently written letters about the North County Detention Center, against revoking the TPS (Temporary Protected Status) of Haitian and Salvadoran immigrants.
Financially supports a variety of local organizations (see below).
Regular activities each week include:
Circle of Concern vigil to protest the involvement of the University of California in the development of nuclear weapons, every First Day (Sunday) at 1- 2 pm at the west entrance to UC Berkeley and 12- 1 pm on Thursdays.
Letter writing on important issues of the day
Quaker-related organizations and activities. Meeting members and attenders participate in a wide variety of Quaker organizations that are involved in social justice activities. These include:
Individual concerns. In addition, individual members and attenders have their own, wide range of activities in which they participate and in which others also participate. These include anything from climate change, food security, wildlife preservation, gun control, peace and many more.