With a quick glance at the Quaker Matters board, it is easy to tell that the students at Wilmington Friends are deeply invested in social justice issues. There are multiple clubs to discuss these topics, although most clubs center on a specific theme or group. One such club is Amnesty International; clerked by Hannah Kushner ’17 and Lindsay Weber ’17, Amnesty discusses all types of people and issues. The club focuses on raising awareness about little known events and human rights violations worldwide that the community will care about. This club is an important element in our community because it promotes social justice, opens up difficult dialogues and represents our fundamental Quaker values.

Gustavo Silveira ’17, who has been involved in Amnesty for three years, said, “The club goes in two directions: advocacy and activism.” As far as advocacy goes, the club puts out ‘ABCD’s (Atrocities Behind Closed Doors), which are one page write-ups focusing on different human rights issues. Additionally, Amnesty is currently partnering with other clubs such as Charity Water & Ecology and Half the Sky to on projects like ‘Toilet Twinning,’ an organization that builds toilets in poor countries. The clubs are hoping to get the school involved! As for the activism part, the club organizes different activities a workshop on MLK day in January, and a “Write for Rights” project to send letters to people whose human rights are being attacked.

Kushner, one of the club’s clerks, remarked, “Our ABCDs and club meetings offer a louder voice for students concerned about social justice issues. I think these conversations can often be challenging for us, since they force us to confront our own privilege and biases, and realize just how many people in the world are lacking basic human rights in one form or another.” These difficult conversations are important because they help us to be more aware of where we stand as highly privileged people, and open our minds to different points of view.

Kathleen Martin, the school’s College Guidance counselor, oversees Amnesty and provides guidance as well as insight to the members. She stated of the club: “Amnesty has done an exceptional job of raising awareness of human rights atrocities throughout Friends School. By coordinating letter writing campaigns, Atrocities Behind Closed Doors, and a (highly effective) activity on gun control laws, Amnesty has encouraged our community to think about human rights and how we can make the world a better place. To me, Amnesty International clearly represents (and acts on) Quaker values.” The members of Amnesty use their voices to speak out about issues that matter to them. This is an example of multiple of the Quaker spices, but most predominantly, the testimony of Stewardship, because the students are protecting and taking responsibility for making a small part of the world a better place.”

Amnesty is an essential part of our school because the club works tirelessly to spread awareness about human rights issues, provide a space for challenging conversations about global topics, and stand for our the Quaker testimonies that are so important to this community. This club is unique because it gives a voice to all types of people instead of one particular interest group. It opens our minds, educates us, and makes us thankful and aware of our own privilege. Next day five, be sure to stop by the College Guidance room and give Amnesty a visit. You will learn something, guaranteed!