News from The William Penn House

Who's Coming, Who's Going
This past month, we welcomed Wilmington College, the Emerson Hunger Fellows, and UW-Bothell. Coming in in the next few weeks are Tandem Friends School, Norwood School, and New Garden Friends Meeting (NC). In addition, we are hosting the YAF gathering prior to the potluck mentioned above. Consider the possibilities with your own groups.

Visiting DC?

There is no better place to start your visit to this amazing city than right here at the William Penn House. In addition to comfortable and affordable lodging, we have easy access to all the major sites either on foot or by Metro.

And, starting in 2008, we have an agreement with Bike the Sites to provide affordable bike rentals. Biking is one of the best ways to see the area, and our knowledgable and enthusiastic biking staff can provide many suggestions from the casual ride to the more hard-core rider who wants to explore the more distant sites.

Not on our list?

"Becoming..."

Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it. - Andre Gide

There is a church in the DC-area that has a saying on its weekly bulletin: "We are an open and affirming congregation, becoming anti-racist". We have all seen the term "open and affirming", and in popular vernacular this is often meant to mean welcoming of people from the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered/questioning community. But, we were struck by the term "becoming". It is a humbling word, stating that the goal is to be "anti-racist", but at the same time acknowledging that there is some work to be done.

Here at The William Penn House over the past year we have had increasing emphasis on developing programs that nurture all of our ability to be more conscious of our world, the challenges we face, what we can do to address these challenges, and how ultimately all the challenges we face are interconnected. Many social justice institutions carve out a turf - often along diagnostic, demographic or geographic lines - and members of society often choose the cause with little understanding of greater connectivity. "I only want to help the really sick and downtrodden, but not prevent these conditions"; "I want to help the poor 'over there', but not here"; "My issue is homelessness, not hunger". These are some of the sentiments we have heard over the years. Perhaps the most glaring was when Brad met with a disappointed volunteer at his previous place of work who was stopping her volunteer work because none of the clients were dying from AIDS.

So, back to the word "becoming". Perhaps we can start talking about all of our programs and services as creating opportunities for all of us to become more conscious and more connected, while acknowledging that we will probably never get there, just closer to there. For pacifists and peace-makers, this means declaring that we are becoming better pacifists, rather than boldly (and sometimes erroneously) declaring we are peacemakers (the error being if we draw the line that "we" are the good, and "they" are the bad, we are entering into phase 1 of the 8 phases of genocide by declaring a world of us vs. them. See Stop Genocide Now for more about this). In allowing the notion of "becoming" to be more of what we do, it takes the pressure off of having to live up to an unrealistic standard, while freeing us and empowering us to always move in the direction of what we hope the world can be. It also helps us to minimize perhaps one of the most obstructive things in our world: a belief that "we" have the answer, and if only "they" would become "us" will the world be right. This is a division that then plays out everywhere from our close relationships to international conflict. It is our commitment here at William Penn House that our programs and our presence helps all of us take the time to see what we want to become as people and as a global community, and humbly acknowledge that we all have some work to do.

Do You Know the Truth About Medicare and SS?

It was a real pleasure for us to recently host an afternoon community discussion about Medicare, Social Security, and Politics. About a dozen residents of the Capitol Hill neighborhood - many of whom had lived in the area for years but did not know much about The William Penn House - left with a much better understanding of both the subject matter of the afternoon and about us.

Capitol Hill Village, a one-year old organization that is instrumental in supporting and nurturing the "aging in place" movement and a growing partner in our Washington Quaker Workcamp programs, was the organizer of this presentation. Laura Feldman, the Grassroots Manager of the DC-based National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, gave an energetic and informative talk about the real challenges that face Medicare and Social Security, and the politics that are played out that can distort the realities. In addition, Laura gave great information about the distinction between Social Security and SSI, a separate program that many people confuse with Social Security.

If any of these topics peak your interest, and information would be of benefit to any group you are involved with (especially Monthly Meetings), Laura's organization would be glad to schedule a presentation at your gathering place. You can reach Laura directly at feldmanl@ncpssm.org.

DC Rights?

Recently, in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Washington DC's gun-ownership laws, the House of Representatives approved a bill that would strip the city of requiring gun-ownership registration and would allow the sale of semi-automatic weapons. The bill is sponsored by Representatives from Texas and Mississippi, and has the backing of 50 Democrats as well as the majority of Republicans. The stated concern of the backers of this bill is to protect the Constitutional rights of the citizens of DC to protect themselves.

But, how about the Constitutional rights of the citizens of DC to have a say in how they protect themselves. Washington DC has a mayor and a council. These people are elected directly by the citizens of this city, but apparently that representation means nothing. Meanwhile, non-citizen residents, if this bill gets approved by the Senate and enacted into law, can start to arm themselves. The troubling thing is that many of these residents who do not become citizens, also do not take the time to really know the city other than as a place to work and perhaps have fun. There is minimal interaction with the people that have lived here for generations through the good and the bad, and bear the environmental and economic burdens of the city.

Beyond the question of gun-ownership, this issue goes to the heart of self-rule and self-representation. Why do some in congress think it is ok for the Federal Government to overrule self-governance in this case, but not in others (such as environmental acts that many states are trying to enforce)? Needless to say there are other social issues where, when looked at in the big picture in relation to this gun proposal, are not consistent. Perhaps the consistent thing we can do is speak up.

Thanks, Judy!

William Penn House Maven Moving On

If you have ever stayed at the William Penn House or joined us for potluck, you most likely have met Judy Hubbard, who has affectionately been called the Maven of William Penn House. For the past four years, Judy has been the conscience of hospitality - always putting aside whatever might be going on to greet weary travelers with a warm smile and making sure they settled in well, making sure that people calling we getting the information they needed, and always keeping an eye on the house for comfort. It is with sadness and good wishes that we see Judy moving on to take a job in Cleveland Park as community liaison for her elected city representative. Community work has been a passion of Judy's, so this work will be a breeze for her. For those of us who have been fortunate enough to work with Judy, its' been a real pleasure. We know we will continue to see you at potlucks and at Friends Meeting of Washington, but we will miss your presence with us on a daily basis.

It is a pleasure, an honor and a charge we take seriously to be a presence for Quakerism in this powerful, exciting and troubled city. In the true tradition of Quakersim, we know that our ability to provide the opportunity to bear witness to what is and what can be in our world, and to make a difference through all of our programs is exciting. We hope you will join us along the journey

Sincerely,

Byron, Patricia, Brad, Greg, Faith, Ben, Kelli, and Lynette
The William Penn House