SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025

Weekend Reading

Hi Friend,

For decades, AFSC has provided free legal representation to immigrants in New Jersey. We now handle over 2,000 cases each year. Each of these cases represents a community member, neighbor, and friend.

Since the start of the Trump administration, more residents are being detained. Community members who have lived in New Jersey for years are being arrested at routine ICE check-ins. Families and communities are being torn apart.

To learn more about representing immigrants in these times, watch this video with AFSC Legal Director Alexandra Gonçalves Peña. [link removed]

YOUTH LEADERSHIP

A win for community safety beyond policing [link removed]
By Jon Krieg

Everyone deserves access to safe and affordable public transportation. But too often, transit agencies prioritize policing in their budgets. That results in more harassment for riders—especially working-class people of color—without creating real safety. That’s starting to change in Los Angeles. Thanks to advocacy by a coalition that includes AFSC, unarmed transit ambassadors are now permanent LA Metro staff. Youth participants with AFSC Freedom Schools helped advocate for the win.

STRONGER WITH IMMIGRANTS

Join our Week of Action [link removed]

From Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, through Dec. 18, International Migrants Day, communities across the U.S. are uniting for a Stronger With Immigrants Week of Action. Together, we are organizing rallies, vigils, and other community gatherings to take a stand for immigrant rights. Join us! Sign up to host an event in your area. [link removed]

IN THE MEDIA

New podcast episode: “The Quaker Prison Experiment” [link removed]

Eastern State Penitentiary opened in Philadelphia in 1829, inspired by the Quaker belief that people could reform through silence and reflection. Instead, it was a site of great suffering, leading to the widespread use of solitary confinement. Today, Quaker activists are confronting this legacy. In this episode of “Thee Quaker Podcast,” AFSC’s Bonnie Kerness explores the history of Eastern State Penitentiary and how AFSC and Friends are working toward healing justice today. Listen here. [link removed]

COMPASSION IN ACTION

Thank you for your support!

We are so grateful to everyone who joined our Compassion in Action Matching Challenge. Your generosity makes a difference for families and communities in the U.S. and around the world. With your support, AFSC is doing critical work, from providing legal services to immigrants in detention to delivering lifesaving humanitarian aid to displaced Palestinians in Gaza. We're also working with communities to address the root causes of violence, inequality, and oppression. Together, we're building toward a future where everyone can thrive.

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

DONATE [link removed]


American Friends Service Committee
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
United States | Donate [link removed]
Facebook [link removed] | X (Twitter) [link removed] | Instagram | [link removed] News [link removed]
View this email as a webpage. [link removed]
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] .
Update your AFSC email preferences [link removed]
[link removed]