Summer 2013 BeaconBeacon Hill Friends Hill House Friends Newsletter House 1 Summer 2013 Newsletter Contents • Getting back to ‘OK’ 1 • A new face in the kitchen 1 • British abolition 2 • Snowdays and workdays 3 • New spiritual seeking program 4 • Strength in community 4 • Codman academy internship 5 • Fond memories from afar 6 • One thing leads to another 6 • Alumni news 7 • A sauce for newfound friendship 7 • New website and e-news 8 • First Annual Summer BBQ 8 Residents gather in the dining room during Winter Storm Nemo. Post-marathon bombings, getting back to ‘OK’ By Bill Mitchell, incoming resident ate just what is meant by the term ‘OK.’ Monday night. I was startled by the subject The first speaker to break the Quaker My wife, Carol, and I are planning to line of a message from a friend in Dublin: Meeting silence at Beacon Hill Friends move to Boston in June, and Carol was “Everyone OK?” We were, thankfully, but House on Sunday, April 21st described a among the spectators lining the route of the perhaps no more so than the speaker at the scenario that most of us had experienced marathon along with our daughter, Kate, Quaker Meeting. ourselves during Boston’s painful past our son-in-law, Marton, and our 2-month- A few days later, in a student and fac- week. She had heard from friends all over old granddaughter, Leila. I spent most of ulty session on the oasis-like campus of the the world, each of them asking, one way or the week in Egypt, working on a project American University of Cairo, I got a feel another, “Are you OK?” aimed at spreading the best social media for some of the impact that 18 days of revo- Although she had escaped physical in- practices of the Arab Spring, and discov- lution had on the Egyptian community. jury during a week that included death and ering new ways of sustaining independent Hassan H. Mohamed, a social media ac- maiming by bombs and guns, she conclud- media. tivist and advertising specialist, told us that ed: “I am not OK.” In fact, she added, the I first heard of the bombing while an- amid the chaos of the revolution, his sister week’s events had prompted her to reevalu- swering email in my Cairo hotel room last continued on page 2 → A new face in the kitchen, a new alum in SF By Holly Baldwin, Director theme weeks, especially Pride Week when Chef – Kitchen Manager, and to call BHFH This spring, Zach Alexander, our each meal was a different color. (www. home. He is quicklyTM learning the ropes in Kitchen Manager of two and a half years, cookingfor20.com/2012/06/03/menu-for- the kitchen and in the community. Myles divested himself of worldly possessions, pride-week-2012) In the office, with Zach’s brings a passion for food and for systems packed his bags and headed west to seek leadership of our website we were able to and organization, which should serve the his fortune. He’s gone to San Francisco to launch a re-design and establish a new da- community well. Outside of BHFH, Myles’ a prestigious intensive software develop- tabase. Around the house, we’ll miss his other love is music. He joyfully participates ment training program called App Acad- puns, his dance parties, and his thoughtful in the folk music and dance communities. emy. Zach has been tremendously helpful contributions to house meetings. We’re sure He has recently co-published a song book in the kitchen and in the office in his time his careful, smart attention to the matter at for shape-note singing called “Shenandoah at BHFH. His meals have been delicious, hand will serve him well as he launches Harmony.” (www.shenandoahharmony. healthy and interesting. He is well re- himself into a new career. com). We’re delighted to have Myles on garded for accommodating a wide variety Zach’s departure has made room for board and look forward to the many good PDFof dietary restrictions. We won’t forget his EditorMyles Dakan to join our staff, as Resident meals and good times ahead. 2 Beacon Hill Friends House Newsletter Summer 2013 ← MARATHON from page 1 trauma and inspire significant change for in this together. plowed her car into a taxi. “It was all her the better? In the hours immediately following the fault,” he pointed out, “entirely her fault!” One answer came from another speaker bombings, for example, Google made its She braced herself for a verbal assault from at Beacon Hill Friends. Noting that she’d People-Finder available to help those un- one of Cairo’s legendarily aggressive cab been spending a lot of time recently work- able to connect with loved ones. Through- drivers. Instead, Mohamed related, “The ing in a Dorchester community garden, she out the region people volunteered help on a taxi driver told her it was OK, that we were encouraged us to think of what we can do Google Doc titled “I have a place to offer” all in this together, and that she should just with our hands. linked from the Boston Globe’s website. go home and not worry about the damage That got me thinking about first-re- Although the specific need for those to his cab.” Mohamed said, “For 18 days we sponders, and the lives they saved with sites has passed, other needs remain. Will had a spirit of unity.” their hands. It got me thinking of my visit someone crowdcare those? Will I? That spirit of generosity has not sur- to the makeshift memorial on Boylston Shortly after touching down at Logan vived subsequent events in Egypt. An AUC Street that runners and others created with from Cairo Friday afternoon, I was on the teacher, Galal Zaki, said that must be ad- their hands. It got me thinking about some phone with our son, Matt, who lives in dressed one Egyptian at a time, each en- things I can do with my hands, if only on a California. “How does it feel,” he asked, “to couraged to do something to restore the keyboard. fly home from the unity lost. For all the social media witch hunts and Middle East to a Driving around Boston on Saturday, I other abuses in the aftermath of the bomb- war zone?” wondered what it would take for the spirit ings, the opportunity to create media that I didn’t have a of the “We are one Boston” signs along the heals rather than hates has never been good answer for road to take permanent root in the region? greater. A new culture of “crowdcaring” ap- Matt on Friday. What would it take, in other words, for pears to be taking hold, with social media But I think I’m a transformative narrative to emerge from activists and journalists alike developing getting closer to the Marathon bombings — actions and apps and compassionate ideas to ease peo- being able to tell stories that help facilitate recovery from ple’s pain and, well, act as if we really are all Bill Mitchell him: “It feels OK.” British abolition and its meaning today By Ben Lawent, resident a persecuted minority sect also disposed boycotts, petitions, and legislator report The story of British Abolition is very them against slavery. In both England and cards. Thanks to the efforts of the Aboli- inspiring. It’s about a small group of dedi- America, Quakers who did not free slaves tion Committee, the issue of slavery was cated people, many of them Quakers, who they owned were expelled from the church. transformed in Britain from a fringe issue brought about positive social change in the Some Quakers who owned slaves not only to a mainstream issue in the span of just a world. This article will briefly tell the story freed them but also paid their former slaves few years. The Quakers and their allies ul- of British Abolition and then consider its compensation, a step more far-reaching timately succeeded in abolishing the British meaning for today. than anything before or since. slave trade in 1807, and slavery itself ended In the 1780s, Britain maintained a Quakers were experienced activists with throughout the British Empire in 1838. worldwide colonial empire, and its most a strong national network and a tradition of For me, this story serves as both an in- lucrative colonies were in the West Indies, supporting their beliefs with generous do- spiration and a call to action. In 2013, there where slave-grown sugar was produced. nations. However, an obstacle for them was remain many problems of enormous mag- To give you a sense of how lucrative these that they were a marginalized religious sect nitude, including poverty, climate change, Caribbean slave colonies were, note that on that lacked political power. Eventually, they and violence. I veryTM much believe that the the eve of the Revolutionary War, the value formed strategic alliances with Anglicans progressive ethical views of Quakers and of British imports from Jamaica alone was like Thomas Clarkson and William Wilber- their allies are as valuable and powerful to- five times the value of imports from the force to further the abolitionist cause. In day as in the days of the Abolition move- thirteen mainland colonies combined. 1787, they formed an Abolition Committee ment, and that our actions have as much Slavery was accepted by most British consisting of both Quakers and Anglicans. potential to change the world. people as normal. It was not the subject Today we take for granted the prac- Note: My source for the information in of significant mainstream public debate.