Alumni Newsletter Autumn (2020)

For more than 50 years, Graciela Martinez supported efforts to uphold the rights and dignity of farmworkers and worked with AFSC’s Proyecto Campesino (Farm Labor Program) in Visalia, California, for many years. She died on Aug. 1.

Martin Toe, who worked as the grassroots organizer intern for AFSC New Hampshire and is the co-founder of Change for Concord, received the 2020 Rising Stars Awards for Civic Leader of the Year. 

The U.S. Postal Service released a forever stamp honoring Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa, whose family had been forced into internment during World War II. AFSC helped Ruth attend college through a scholarship, and in 1947, she participated in a work camp in Mexico that was influential to her artistic development.

Matthew Herron passed away in August in San Rafael, California. Matthew worked as a writer and photographer for AFSC in Philadelphia documenting the Civil Rights Movement.

Robert Levering, who worked as a Vietnam antiwar organizer with AFSC, is a producer for the film “The Movement and the ‘Madman,’” which chronicles the mainstream peace movement in the autumn of 1969 and its impact on the U.S. government’s war plans. 

Jacquelyn Chagnon, board president of the War Legacies Project, is working on an extensive project to identify Lao citizens who were exposed to Agent Orange. 

Hector Black, who worked for AFSC over 70 years ago, recently passed away. He was best known for forgiving the man who murdered his daughter and pleading with a judge not to give him the death penalty.

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Did you know that that the first African American woman elected to a state legislator is also an AFSC alum?  Before taking her seat on the legislature, Crystal Bird Fauset worked for AFSC after the establishment of its Interracial Section, where she traveled up and down the East Coast, speaking on the subject of race and equality.

From Sept. 9-13, AFSC led national days of action to #FreeThemAll, our campaign to get  people out of prisons, jails, and detention centers in this pandemic—as part of our ongoing work for a world without incarceration. Visit our webpage for resources, blogs, and videos from the days of action.

For five years, AFSC’s Peace by Piece New Orleans Program has worked with community members in Hollygrove, a traditional New Orleans neighborhood in Orleans Parish that was once an epicenter for the coronavirus. In the pandemic, AFSC and partners continue to work with partners to maintain a community garden to provide fresh produce to residents. 

Pillsbury, owned by General Mills, is a household name, known for its cookie dough and other sweet treats. But the company manufactures products in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory–violating international law and contributing to gross human rights abuses. Join our No Dough for the Occupation campaign to hold General Mills accountable and boycott Pillsbury products until the company stops manufacturing on stolen land. 

Join us every Thursday at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT for our weekly Facebook Live events. Each week, AFSC staff members share updates on our work and how you can take action with us. Click this link to join the livestream at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. 

Take action and tell Congress to pass a coronavirus relief bill–and ensure immigrants aren’t left behind. 

While staying home to help minimize health risks, many are also putting their affairs in order. If you are thinking about tackling this important task, AFSC can help. Visit our website to access a complimentary estate planning kit.

Thank you for reading our AFSC Alumni Newsletter! To learn more about our Alumni Network and connect with former friends and colleagues, visit our webpage and Facebook group. You can also email me questions and suggestions.

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