Join us Friday, May 15 @ 12 p.m. ET, to hear from U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib on AFSC’s Action Hour for Palestine! Register at afsc.org/actionhour
This Friday will mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, or catastrophe in Arabic, when Zionist militias drove more than 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and destroyed over 400 Palestinian villages. But the Nakba is not just a date in history—it never ended. Join us this Friday to hear from Representative Rashida Tlaib about what the Nakba means to her and her new bill in Congress to recognize the ongoing Nakba.
This Mother’s day ask your faith leader to guide your congregation in prayer not only for Mothers who are physically among you, but also for Mothers who are separated because of incarceration.
Use your personal prayer or meditation time to pause and think of Mothers who are separated from their families on days like this.
There are currently nearly 1,800 women living in Michigan’s one women’s prison.
190 Women in Michigan are serving life sentences (October 2025; AFSC dataset from Michigan Offender Tracking Information System).
Over 500 women are serving 15 years or more in Michigan’s prisons. (October 2025; AFSC dataset from Michigan Offender Tracking Information System). This means mothers who have sentences of long years and left young children and will not be with them again until those same children graduate college.
These long sentences make Michigan an outlier when it comes to length of stay in the United States.
According to the Council on Criminal Justice:
“More than half of women in prisons are parents to minor children, and estimates suggest that at least three out of four women in jails are mothers. Prior to their incarceration, mothers were more than twice as likely as fathers to be the sole or primary caretaker of their children.”
Last week, the Supreme Court dealt a severe blow to the Voting Rights Act—one of the most important gains of the Civil Rights Movement. This week, Tennessee Republicans acted quickly to carve up the state’s only majority-Black district.
This is voter suppression. It is part of a long American pattern of racist efforts to undermine Black and Brown political power.
We all deserve to participate in the decisions that impact our lives. AFSC stands with communities in Tennessee and across the country organizing to resist these attacks.
History has shown that every time democracy has expanded in this country, it is because people came together and demanded it. Today, we must do the same.
🚨BREAKING: MAERSK CAUGHT VIOLATING ITS OWN POLICY TO END SHIPMENTS TO ILLEGAL ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS
Damning new evidence released by @palestinianyouthmovement and @oxfamdanmark reveal Maersk containers shipping 280,000 KG of cargo to the illegal Ariel settlement.
These findings come after Maersk publicly committed to cutting ties with Israeli settlements and affirming their compliance with UN OHCHR guidelines just last year.
Our data tells a different story. For two years, @maersk_official has scandelously lied to its shareholders and the broader public while entrenching its role in the illegal settlement economy behind closed doors. These findings come as Maersk continues to facilitate the transport of military cargo to Israel amidst daily massacres in Palestine and Lebanon.
As one of the largest shipping companies in the globe, Maersk has the responsibility to implement strong, diligent due diligence processes to abide by international human rights law.
We DEMAND that Maersk end its role in transporting cargo to illegal Israeli settlements.
You can read the full briefing at maskoffmaersk.com/reports or through the link in our bio 🔗
📸 of Maersk containers obtained by: @afsc_org
Hunter, our Field Research & Data Analyst, shares some down-to-earth insight into Peace by Piece New Orleans! From gardening projects to the community fridge, we are working diligently towards equity and sustainability.
On May 5th, you can make a difference by joining us for a day of giving to benefit our program. Help us reach our goal of $5,000 to support garden expansion and community initiatives.
Donate here: /organization/Peacebypieceneworleans or click the link in our bio! Thank you for your support!
#nola #hollygrove #nonprofit #givenoladay #givenoladay2026
@gnofoundation@afsc_org
Since December, there have been over 100 Love as Action vigils across the country and hundreds of people coming together to bear witness and oppose the rising authoritarianism in the U.S.
Join us on Tuesday, May 5 at 8:00pm ET for a national Love as Action organizing call. This call is an opportunity to connect with others who are organizing or considering hosting a vigil, share experiences and lessons learned, and get support as we build toward the next phase of this collective effort.
Whether you’re brand new and curious about getting involved, actively planning a vigil, or have already hosted one and want to reflect and grow, this space is for you. We’ll answer questions, share updates, and invite your input to help shape the future. Sign up at: http://bit.ly/organizers-call
Hip hip hooray, it’s our 109th birthday! Check out AFSC’s 109 year history from our inception in 1917 to today.
When the U.S. entered World War I, young pacifists needed ways to serve their country nonviolently. That led to the creation of AFSC.
Throughout our history, AFSC has been at the forefront of some of the most important social movements in working for a more just, peaceful world.
LINK IN BIO: Join us on Saturday, May 2 for a discussion on state-level divestment campaigns in the United States. Activists from the state of Washington will share insights from their recent successful effort to push the state Treasurer to divest from Caterpillar, due to the company’s longstanding involvement in Israel’s grave human rights violations against Palestinians.
We will also hear from organizers in California who are building a broad, union-centered coalition to target the state’s pension funds and advance divestment efforts. They are motivated by the understanding that ending complicity is a legal and moral obligation.
And we’ll hear from activists in Minnesota, who successfully pressured the state to sell off most of its Israel Bonds.
This session will be valuable for activists who are already engaged in BDS campaigns, as well as for those just getting started. While the focus will be on campaigns in the US, the lessons and strategies discussed will be relevant to divestment efforts globally.
Last week, AFSC NJ traveled to Washington D.C. with a group of high schoolers to participate in @quakerlobby ‘s Friends Changemaker Weekend. Participants spent four days learning about the U.S. war in Iran and effective lobbying strategies. On the final day, students went to the hill to speak to meet with their state representatives and advocate for peace.
This week the Department of Justice filed a federal indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for their work infiltrating and exposing right wing hate groups. The move immediately drew criticism from civil rights groups, nongovernmental organizations, and legal experts as another example of the Trump Administration’s efforts to silence dissenting voices. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) spoke out against the indictment:
“As a Quaker organization that has worked tirelessly for peace and justice for over a century, we know our collective solidarity is our greatest strength,” said Aura Kanegis, AFSC’s Director of Global Policy and Strategy. “The Trump Administration is targeting civil rights organizations like Southern Poverty Law Center specifically because they know the vital role these organizations play in expanding and protecting free speech, democracy, and basic protections from discrimination.
We will not sit by silently when our rights and our partners are under threat. We will continue to offer support and solidarity to organizations facing repression and we will continue to advocate, agitate, and organize for peace and justice in the U.S. and around the world.”
