Friends Blog
Freedom Walk 2026 Comes to Poughkeepsie Next Week
Freedom Walk 2026 is coming to town! Join us for FREE celebrations honoring the legacy of the Underground Railroad. Historian Anthony Michael Cohen retraces his iconic journey, and we're one of only TEN CITIES on the route!
Events you won't want to miss:
#WearOrange for Gun Violence Awareness - June 5th-7th
We CAN end gun violence! The data is clear, we MUST work to end gun-violence. Whether it be through community interventions, safety laws and policies, or mental health and school support, we can make a real difference. Wear Orange and let it be an inspiration to you to get involved in this important work.
NYYM Statement on 2026 Iran War
The New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, “NYYM”, calls on Friends to get engaged and take action opposing the 2026 Iran War. Read the full statement here.
Meet George Fox
From a mystical revelation during the English Civil War, George Fox founded Quakerism on one radical idea: that every person has direct access to the Divine Light within.
A Quaker ‘Simple Meal’ for Ramallah Friends School
After Meeting for Worship, Poughkeepsie Friends gathered for a traditional Quaker Simple Meal, raising more than $1,000 for Ramallah Friends School in the West Bank and AFSC’s Gaza Emergency Relief efforts.
Meet Lucretia Mott
Long before women could vote, Lucretia Mott was preaching equality, sheltering freedom seekers, and helping launch the women’s rights movement — all grounded in her radical Quaker belief that there is “that of God” in everyone.
Quaker Prison Ministry with Yohannes “Knowledge” Johnson
After more than 40 years in prison, Yohannes “Knowledge” Johnson found transformation through the Quaker faith—an inspiring story of prison ministry, redemption, and spiritual renewal.
Meet Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin, Quaker pacifist and chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, shaped the Civil Rights Movement through nonviolence, racial justice, and LGBTQ advocacy.
Holding the Light in a Season of Political Tension
In a time of political division, Quakers reflect on peace, integrity, and equality—offering a nonpartisan faith-based response rooted in the Inner Light.
Quakers in the Women's Suffrage Movement
I have heard often about the importance of the women’s rights convention of 1848 in Seneca Falls, so beautifully articulated above by the first woman to run for vice president of our country. But it was not until I went there in August 2016 as a member of the newly formed New York Women’s Suffrage Commission that I discovered that the people who dropped that “stone” were almost all Quakers!
Quakers WEAR ORANGE for Gun Violence Prevention
During Gun Violence Awareness Month, Quakers wear orange for gun violence prevention and reaffirm the Quaker Peace Testimony, standing for nonviolence today.