SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2025

Weekend Reading

AFSC staff have provided Know Your Rights trainings to students, families, school staff, and other community members and groups in Red Bank, New Jersey. Photo: AFSC New Jersey Immigrant Rights Program

Hi Friend,

Every child deserves to go to school without fear. But for many immigrant families, that’s not the reality right now. At Red Bank Regional High School in New Jersey, some students have had parents detained or deported. And parents have worried about their kids encountering ICE agents on their way to school.

AFSC has worked closely with the Red Bank community to help families feel safer and more supported. We’ve provided Know Your Rights trainings to over 130 school staff members. We’ve also held community meetings to help students and parents understand their rights.

These efforts have made a difference. Marisol Mondaca, a bilingual clinician at the school, says staff can now tell families, “While you're here, we’re going to do what we can to keep you safe.” For more, watch this interview with Marisol.  

TAKE ACTION

Tell Congress to end the shutdown and protect our health care 

The government shutdown will soon enter its fourth week, and Congress still refuses to act. At the center of this stalemate: lawmakers blocking an extension of a policy that helps millions of people afford health insurance. Meanwhile, millions of federal workers aren’t getting paid, essential services are frozen, and vital programs like WIC and SNAP are running out of funds. This is unacceptable. Urge Congress to end the shutdown and protect our health care!   

NEW EXHIBIT 

Bearing witness to Palestine’s past, present, and future  

In collaboration with Visualizing Palestine, AFSC has curated a joint downloadable exhibit that brings together visuals, archival photos, and stories to chronicle the Palestinian struggle for liberation. The exhibit, “Why We Record: Defying Fragmentation and Erasure in Palestine,” invites visitors to witness the truths of the past, the heartbreak of the present, and the possibilities of the future. You can host this exhibit in your community! Learn more.  To hear more about the project, join our next Action Hour for Palestine this Friday. 

FREE TOOLKIT

Plan for the future, leave a legacy of peace 

This week is National Estate Planning Awareness Week. Take a moment to plan and create peace of mind for yourself and your loved ones. AFSC offers a free, easy-to-use Estate Planning Kit to help you get started. Download your free kit.

GLOBAL PEACEBUILDING

Women mediators build peace in Burundi  

In the small town of Karonda in Burundi, women once stood on the margins of society. From 2021 to 2025, AFSC and U.N. Women supported a project to help women become peacebuilders in their communities. Today, project participants are mediating conflicts, supporting community members, and helping to drive local development. Read more from U.N. Peacebuilding.

Special thanks to our monthly donors, our Partners for Peace, for their ongoing support to make all our work possible.

American Friends Service Committee
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
United States | Donate

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