A Quaker Action Group
Encyclopedia
A Quaker Action Group was founded in Philadelphia during the summer of 1966 to "apply nonviolent direct action as a witness against the war in Vietnam".
Founding member Lawrence Scott was a Quaker and radical pacifist who had worked for the American Friends Service Committee
in the 1950s, but resigned in protest at what he saw as the AFSC's preference for words over action. AQAG, which was based in the peace committees of the Religious Society of Friends
' New York and Philadelphia Yearly meeting
s, aimed to renew the Society of Friends commitment to its historic peace testimony.
In 1966, AQAG attempted to mail relief packages to North Vietnam
, only to have the US Postal Service refuse the delivery. When they collected money for the North and South Vietnamese Red Cross Societies, the Treasury seized the donated funds.
In March 1967, members of AQAG sailed to North Vietnam in the yacht Phoenix, carrying medical supplies for North Vietnamese wounded by American bombing. The protest generated wide media coverage.
In the early seventies, AQAG, having abandoned its goal of transforming the Society of Friends, evolved into the Movement for a New Society
, a self-styled "transformational network" which would play key role in the anti-nuclear movement of the 1970s.
and London
. These groups focused mainly on pacifist campaigns, community living, and local projects such as providing food and shelter for homeless people.
Founding member Lawrence Scott was a Quaker and radical pacifist who had worked for the American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
in the 1950s, but resigned in protest at what he saw as the AFSC's preference for words over action. AQAG, which was based in the peace committees of the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
' New York and Philadelphia Yearly meeting
Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting is a term used by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, to refer to an organization composed of a collection of smaller, more frequent constituent meetings within a geographical area. These constituent meetings go by various names such as Quarterly Meetings, which...
s, aimed to renew the Society of Friends commitment to its historic peace testimony.
In 1966, AQAG attempted to mail relief packages to North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
, only to have the US Postal Service refuse the delivery. When they collected money for the North and South Vietnamese Red Cross Societies, the Treasury seized the donated funds.
In March 1967, members of AQAG sailed to North Vietnam in the yacht Phoenix, carrying medical supplies for North Vietnamese wounded by American bombing. The protest generated wide media coverage.
In the early seventies, AQAG, having abandoned its goal of transforming the Society of Friends, evolved into the Movement for a New Society
Movement for a New Society
The Movement for a New Society was a U.S.-based network of social activists, committed to the principles of nonviolence, who played a key role in social movements of the 1970s and 80s....
, a self-styled "transformational network" which would play key role in the anti-nuclear movement of the 1970s.
Other Quaker Action Groups
Following the pattern of AQAG, several Quaker action groups were formed in the UK in the late 1960s, most notably in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. These groups focused mainly on pacifist campaigns, community living, and local projects such as providing food and shelter for homeless people.