Summer 2005 • V ol. 86, No. 2 • A Publication of the American Friends Service Committee QuakerAction World Social Forum shows that another world IS possible In Newark, immigrants get legal aid and much more Speaking tour inspires the next generation of Africa activists Cambodian villagers improve their food and economic security www.afsc.org What’s new Summer 2005 on afsc.org QuakerAction V ol. 86, No. 2 Join our email newsletter FEATURES We’ve recently reformatted our monthly email newsletter to better inform you about our current 3 Imagine actions and resources. World Social Forum shows that another www.afsc.org/email/ world IS possible Find Youth and Militarism resources 4 A family feeling Find information In Newark, immigrants get legal aid and about what’s much more true and false in military recruit- Foss Terry ing, conscien- 7 Putting all the options on the table tious objection, P A G E S I X AFSC ????? AFSC and military recruitment the military’s access to our schools, and more. www.afsc.org/youthmil/ DEPARTMENTS Support Israeli conscientious objectors 8 Currents AFSC’s Faces of Hope campaign has information about jailed Israeli News from around AFSC conscientious objectors and ways you can help support them. 10 Words from Our Sponsors www.afsc.org/israel-palestine A China workcamp volunteer All about economic justice continues a family tradition Terry Foss Terry From one page, you can now fi nd resources, action alerts, and more PAGEP A G E ELEVENE L E V E N 11 Focus on Missouri about our federal budget priorities, Speaking tour inspires the next international debt, maquiladoras, trade pacts, and other economic generation of Africa activists justice issues. www.afsc.org/economic-justice On the cover 12 Worldview: Cambodia A monk in Sre Ambel, Cambodia, at Cambodian villagers improve their the Center for Moral Education, food and economic security tends to saplings donated by AFSC. The monks in Sre Ambel work with Khmer Ahimsa [Khmer Nonvio- 13 Recommendations lence], which grew out of an AFSC Staff picks: Tips on movies, books, initiative to address village violence. and music to expand your horizons Ann Morrell Part of the group’s focus is to PAGEP A G E TWELVET W E L V E inspire monks to become educa- tors, mediators, and peacemakers 14 Just Among Friends in their communities. See related A message from AFSC General story on page 12. Secretary Cover photo: Jim Wasserman Who we are Editor: Willie Colón Reyes National Offi ce The American Friends Service 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1403, Tel: (215) 241-7000 Quaker Action Consulting Editors: M’Annette Ruddell, Published by the Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker John Treat, Tony Heriza Southeast Region Great Lakes Region Pacifi c Mountain Region American Friends organization that includes people of 92 Piedmont Ave., N.E. 637 S. Dearborn, 3rd Fl. 65 Ninth Street Service Committee various faiths who are committed to Design: Gerry Henry Atlanta, GA 30303 Chicago, IL 60605 San Francisco, CA 94103 www.afsc.org social justice, peace, and humanitar- Design Consultant: Middle Atlantic Region Central Region Pacifi c Northwest Region ian service. Its work is based on the David Gerratt/Nonprofi tDesign.com 4806 York Road 4211 Grand Avenue 814 N.E. 40th Street belief in the worth of every person Baltimore, MD 21212 Des Moines, IA 50312 Seattle, WA 98105 Photography: Terry Foss and faith in the power of love to New England Region NY Metropolitan Region Pacifi c Southwest Region overcome violence and injustice. E-mail address: [email protected] 2161 Mass. Avenue 15 Rutherford Place 980 N. Fair Oaks Avenue Cambridge, MA 02140 New York, NY 10003 Pasadena, CA 91103 Imagine World Social Forum shows that another world IS possible Imagine a sea of more than 200,000 In January, dele- celebratory, united voices marching for gates from AFSC trav- social justice, humane economic change, eled to Porto Alegre, and peace. Brazil, to participate in Imagine 3.5 kilometers full for six days with workshops and panels (2,000 in the fifth WSF. This all). was AFSC’s fourth Imagine collaboration between trade year participating in unions and workers, religious and secular the gathering. peace groups, indigenous peoples from AFSC delegates at- Latin America and Asia, African move- tended strategy ses- ments against the debt, student groups, sions on various issues and women’s organizations. and networked with Imagine that another world IS possible. partner organizations. Imagine the World Social Forum. AFSC led three work- shops: some of the systemic biases it seeks to confront. he World Social Forum (WSF) • Peace and Social Justice Movements For example, there is under-repre- is a vital manifestation of the on the Global Stage: Building Power sentation of Arab delegates from the diversity and strength of the through Strategic Nonviolence T Middle East, indigenous peoples, and international peace and justice move- • Faith and the Future: Can Organized groups from Africa. One of the ways ment. It began in 2001 as a response to Religion Play a Constructive Role the WSF is addressing these issues is by the World Economic Forum, an in the Struggle for the New Global holding the WSF in countries other annual meeting of governmental and Reality? than Brazil. corporate leaders that endorses free • The Impact of the Recent U.S. In 2004, the WSF was held in market policies and promotes corpo- Election on the Peace and Justice Mumbai, India. The 2006 WSF will rate globalization. Movement take the form of decentralized, region- Since then, the WSF has become an al forums, and in 2007 it will be held annual event that brings together grass- AFSC delegates also presented on on the African continent. roots movements, unions, NGOs, panels led by other groups, discussing Currently, many are discussing campesino (rural worker) groups, and issues such as migration, nuclear weap- whether the forum should continue as others to develop and share a peoples’ ons, U.S. military bases, and water a “space for debate” or develop into an alternative to corporate globalization privatization. organized movement for change. and militarization. In addition to the workshops, AFSC delegates attended strategy ses- However, as AFSC’s General Sec- sions on programmatic issues retary Mary Ellen McNish, who such as U.S. military bases, mi- attended this year’s forum, explains, gration, water privatization, “No matter what happens … the ener- the global antiwar movement, gy that drew 150,000 people to engage Israel/Palestine, and debt can- in these important issues will prevail Sunanda Ghosh cellation. Many of these ses- and the WSF will be a force to be reck- (bottom) oned with in the future.” t; sions focused on organizing global campaigns and actions. Arnie Alpert;Alper Photos: (top) Water rights activists The WSF does have room to (top) prepare for the 2006 World Water Forum; grow and is working to address (bottom) AFSC delegation at the 2005 Photos: Photos: the ways in which it replicates World Social Forum opening march. 3 l SUM MER 2 0 0 5 l Quaker Action A family feeling In Newark, immigrants get legal services and much more BY WILLIE COLÓN REYES lanca Molina’s dedication to her migrated from throughout the world, work defending the rights of consultations with drop-ins, and pre- BU.S. immigrants is fueled by a pared for the frequent presentations mix of compassion, altruism, and first- about immigrants’ rights and immigra- hand experience—she was once an tion law that they’re asked to give. undocumented immigrant herself. Then there were the reams of pa- Blanca, originally from El Salvador, perwork required for each case. The came to the AFSC Immigrant Rights forms sound like a highway system Program in gone mad: I-90 (Replacement of Green Newark, New Card); I-360 (Special Immigrant Juve- Jersey,Jersey, iinn 11991991 nile); I-821 (Temporary Protected Sta- because she Esther Chavez (seated) helps day laborers tus); I-765 (Work Permit); I-485 (Ad- solve a problem. needed help justment of Status to Permanent navigating the • Community outreach and education Resident); and on and on. maze that is to immigrant groups I, for one, was ex- the U.S. immi- • Legal counseling and representation hausted. Yet, according gration sys- to low-income immigrants to several staff members, t e m . S h e • Educational meetings on immigration this was a slow day. stayed on as a laws and immigrants’ rights As attorney and pro- Blanca Molino, legal • Community organizing and assistant/community volunteer, was gram director Amy Got- organizer hired as a com- leadership development tlieb noted, the office’s munity organizer, and is now both an With 13 staff members, the program level of activity reflects organizer and legal assistant for the pro- is also part of AFSC’s nationwide Proj- two factors: the tremen- gram. ect Voice, which works with immi- dous need and the few AmyAmy Gottlieb, “I get very emotional when I think grant-led organizations and their allies lawyers who want to do program director about the relationships between the to influence the national agenda for this work. people here and their families back immigration policy and immigrants’ “The stakes are so high,” Amy said. home,” Blanca said. “They can’t go rights. “We make a mistake and deportation home.” Small wonder that the uninitiated can be the consequence.” Blanca’s emotion about the people can get overwhelmed after spending a she tries to help was echoed during in- day in the program’s bright, new, sixth- Aggravations abound terviews I conducted with other staff floor offices on Newark’s bustling Frustrations are similarly high. and volunteers, some of whom also Market Street.