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WEEK of DECEMBER 15, 2003 |
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| Quakerism 101 by Michael Sellers Sweatshop labor. Capital punishment. Animal cruelty. Same-sex marriage. These are some pretty weighty subjects for ninth and tenth graders to be tackling. But that’s just what happened in a recent Upper School Quakerism class taught by Whitney Thompson, when students presented action plans they had developed to fight issues that they felt were morally wrong or unfair.
“The purpose of the class is to give students a better understanding of Quaker beliefs and practices so that they will have a basic understanding of the religious foundation of the school and be able to develop a personal understanding of our school’s Quaker practices and beliefs,” says Thompson. “The students pick a topic that they feel is morally wrong or unfair. It has to be something they have strong feelings about—that’s the number one criteria. Then they figure out which Quaker beliefs support their point of view and develop a way to change the situation without violating Quaker beliefs.” Take the project developed by ninth grader Drew Cummins, who focused on the issue of sweatshop labor. In her presentation to the class, she spoke about the low pay, high mortality rates and dangerous working conditions of sweatshop laborers. Cummins came to the conclusion that sweatshop labor violated the Quaker testimony of equality, and offered her action plan for confronting the problem.
“I would write letters to the companies that use sweatshops to make them aware of their unfair labor practices,” Cummins stated. “I would make up a petition saying that sweatshops are wrong and get people to sign it.” Taking a cue from local labor unions that taunt non-union shops with a giant inflatable rat, Cummins said she would “get a 12-foot high hammer balloon to use at a rally where we would demand better working conditions. We would protest around the hammer, singling out companies and owners who use sweatshop labor.” According to Thompson, the social action projects her students developed are based on the Quaker belief of “witness.” “We bear witness to our beliefs through what we do and how we live,” she says. “One of the things that led [Quaker founder] George Fox on his spiritual quest was that he felt the professing Christians of his time failed to live out their beliefs, failed to practice what they preached. It is the idea that we must act on what we believe that fuels this project.” Even with such engaging assignments, helping students understand and appreciate the Quaker foundation of Brooklyn Friends is no easy task. “I think Quakerism is hard to get a grasp on, because there is not a set list of rules or practices that all Quakers follow,” Thompson says. “If you were to ask five Quakers the same question, you will probably get five different—some perhaps very different—answers. Even to questions about whether Quakers believe in God or if Quakers are Christian, where it would seem that many other religions would have clear answers. This makes it hard for students to get a handle on what Quakerism is and what it means for them here in our high school.” Even though the students’ action plans were required for the Quakerism course, at least one student has taken her project to heart. Ninth grader Tessa Clark will soon start a community service project focused on creating more no-kill animal shelters in New York City. As Thompson reminded her class, “We should not sit around and just talk or think about something we think is wrong. We should try to do something about it.” |
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