In support of the Yearly Meeting’s commitment to continue to seek right relationship with Native peoples, the Permanent Board of the Yearly Meeting has appointed a short-term (until Sessions 2021) Right Relationship Resource Group, initially including Suzanna Schell of Beacon Hill, MA, Meeting; Andy Grant and Don Campbell of Mt. Toby, MA, Meeting; and Sara Smith of Concord, NH, Meeting. This next step builds on the previous work of many Friends over many years.
The resource group's role will be to provide resources and support to monthly meetings and worship groups as they take up the work of living into the draft Apology forwarded to local meetings for discernment by Sessions 2020, in the hope that a seasoned Apology might be approved by New England Friends at Sessions 2021.
The Yearly Meeting is grateful for the service and learning over the past few years of the previous Reparations Working Group, which asked Friends to be especially aware, in considering reaching out to Native communities in their area, that elders in the local Native American tribes have many demands on their time and energy. Friends without previous context are urged to learn on their own about tribal and settler history, before approaching Native communities, so that members of those communities are not burdened by teaching the history.
The Friends serving as the resource group supporting local meetings are available to learn with you and support your group in its discernment of steps you may take toward right relationship. As part of this support, the Yearly Meeting is developing a resource page, which will be expanded in response to requests and needs in local meetings as the year goes on.
You can find a current list of resources here. If you or your meeting have suggestions or learning you think might be useful to others engaged in this work, please share them with the resource group at [email protected].