Mark Your Calendars!

All around the world, nonviolent movements for freedom and justice are making themselves visible. At a time when the planet faces its most serious ecological and social crises since the nuclear standoff, the power of peaceful citizen action is being demonstrated again and again in this critical hour.

Across the Middle East, corrupt regimes, dictatorships, and monarchies are making frantic economic concessions to avoid more nonviolent direct action (Egypt, Bahrain, Tunisia, Alegeria, Yemen, Jordan, Kuwait) while nonviolent demonstrations have spread to Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Iran, Bangladesh, and Wisconsin! Here in Philadelphia, high-school students have spent this week demonstrating at the School District and walking out during school hours (at risk of arrest!) to protest school privatization.

At the Earth Quaker Action Team, we are incredibly moved and humbled by this powerful, world-wide testimony. In these inspiring times, we are reflecting on our own calling to nonviolent action, and the struggle and sacrifice of those who have come before us.

In particular, we want to honor the recent passing of Judy Bonds, an ally and a visionary in the nonviolent movement to save Appalachia from mountaintop removal coal mining.

Judy protected her home from Massey Energy as Executive Director of Coal River Mountain Watch, and endured physical assault, verbal abuse, and death threats because she stood up for justice for her community. To celebrate her life and courage, and in the spirit of the peaceful engagement going on around the world, we want to carry our shared work forward by offering an open training in nonviolent direct action.

Everyone is invited, whether you have been looking for a way to get involved with the Earth Quaker Action Team, you want to hear Judy’s story, you are interested in learning about nonviolent action, or because you have been called to conscience by the events in the world and you want to do something that really makes a difference. Together, we will prepare to take nonviolent action as we grow our movement to end mountaintop removal.

Please help spread the word, by downloading and distributing flyers (available here), sharing our invitation with your Meeting, and joining us with a group of Friends.