SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2023

Weekend Reading

Dear John,

We’re grateful to everyone who has donated to support our response to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Last week, AFSC staff visited some of the most devastated areas to assess community needs and coordinate relief efforts with local organizations. See the latest update from AFSC’s Bilal Olimat. [link removed]

We’re now working with local partners in lesser-served areas in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, providing volunteers, food, water, tents, blankets, diapers, and other essentials. If you haven’t already, please consider donating today. [link removed]

Here are this week's picks to inform and support your activism:

Leading for justice: [link removed] In West Virginia, people affected by the criminal legal system are building their advocacy skills and pushing their elected officials for real change. In an interview with AFSC’s JoAnna Vance, one involved West Virginian shares her story.

Advocates speak out against Biden’s new asylum restrictions: [link removed] The Biden administration announced plans to institute a ban on asylum seekers who have traveled through another country to reach the U.S. The “administration is replicating some of the worst policies the Trump administration attempted to put forward” and will further endanger migrant lives, says AFSC’s Pedro Rios. The Biden administration must withdraw this proposal—and instead protect the right to asylum by providing clear, accessible pathways for all who seek safety. (Border Report)

Tell Congress: Stop funding Israeli violence against Palestinians: [link removed] On Wednesday, the Israeli military killed at least 11 Palestinians during a daytime raid on Nablus in the West Bank. This comes just weeks after a raid in Jenin killed 10 Palestinians last month. Join our call for change: The U.S. must take immediate action to stop the violence by ending all military assistance to Israel.

Faith leaders urge President Biden: Lift sanctions to expedite earthquake relief: [link removed] For years, broad-based U.S. sanctions have made it harder for organizations to deliver critical aid in Syria. The recent earthquakes have far increased humanitarian need. AFSC joins with national faith organizations in calling for an end to U.S. economic sanctions to help earthquake survivors—as well as many more people affected by the war in Syria.

Register for “The Millennia Resistance Campaign: Holding Bad Landlords Accountable” (March 1, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT): [link removed] Millennia Housing Management is one of many landlords across the U.S. that get federal subsidies to rent to low-income people—even for conditions that are unsafe or unsanitary. For the past year, the Millennia Resistance Campaign has organized to expose Millennia's bad behavior and urge the federal government to hold Millennia accountable. Learn about our campaign and how tenants—no matter who their landlord is—can defend their right to safe housing.

Recognition for our Nobel Peace Prize nominees: [link removed] Last week, AFSC and Quaker Peace & Social Witness announced that we have nominated the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) and National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. The nominations have led to increased attention for FRRC and NCCK's tireless work to address the global threats to democratic government and voting rights. Read more about FRRC in the Orlando Weekly . [link removed] Learn about NCCK in this story by the Kenya Broadcasting Corp. [link removed]

Be well and take care



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

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