Report to the October 2024 Meeting with Attention to Business
Summary of Peace and Social Concerns Committee in 2024
The Fort Myers Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends Peace and Social Concerns Committee began 2024 by listening to concerns from the FMMM community. Two areas that were emphasized were chosen as our goals for 2024:
1. To work on issues shared with other local organizations.
2. To share our belief in peace and non-violence more widely through speakers and workshops.
Our work with concerns shared with local organizations included:
· Reinstating our monthly collection of donations to Mission Peniel in Immokalee.
· Supporting the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance by sharing their appeal for funds for a new playground for their new Affordable Housing apartments.
· Increasing our involvement with the LIFE organization by adding volunteers on Affordable Housing and Mental Health Issues Committees. There was also larger than usual Quaker turnout at the annual Nehemiah Action.
· Joining with the Unitarian Congregation to send a letter to members of the State Legislature objecting to Florida State Bill HB 599 and Senate Bill 1382 that would deny employees the right to use their preferred pronouns.
· Working with a Gaza Peace Statement from St. Petersburg Friends Meeting. After some revisions the Statement was approved, signed by our Clerk and mailed to FCNL, AFSC’s Philadelphia and Miami offices, the two Florida Senators, and representatives from our surrounding counties. Our statement was also printed in the News Press as a guest opinion piece by Clerk Richard Frechette.
· During the summer, we had some members attend the community Juneteenth celebration with an interest in supporting candidate Kari Lerner and looking for ways we might become more involved in Juneteenth next year.
To meet our second goal, we participated in a September 21, Peace Day event in St. James City on Pine Island. To prepare for Peace Day, we asked Friends to share their thoughts on how to Cultivate a Culture of Peace, the UN’s 2024 theme for International Peace Day. At the event, we asked visitors to add their thoughts on a culture of peace and invited them to participate in our usual “Bean Poll,” where they answered six questions by dropping a bean into a “yes” or “no” bottle. The questions, and their answers, are below. Many participants commented on the complexity of the questions and enjoyed discussing their thinking with us.
1. Should the United States continue to support Israel’s war in Gaza with additional military support? YES 37 NO 33
2. Does retaliation lead to peace? YES 9 NO 61 3
3. Do you support a federal ban on assault weapons? YES 41 NO 27
4. Do you think carrying a gun for self-defense makes our community safer? YES 37 NO 35
5. Do you believe our world can develop a culture of peace? YES 59 NO 12
6. Does having a strong military lead to a culture of peace? YES 43 NO 29
PSC’s discussions through the summer culminated in a gathering of Friends for a postcard writing event supporting Amendment 4 on the Florida Ballot (Right to Abortion).
As the year ends we review our goals and our budget and make recommendations for 2025.
Carolyn Stanley, 2024 Clerk of Peace and Social Concerns
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