As Way Opens
“We Will Be Prisoners No More”
(Watercolor and Pen on Paper)
9” x 12”
By Sam Henry
Before I was even thought of, my dad took a bus ride through Atlanta and arrived at the King Center. There he experienced the pain and plight of black people in America, and it was then he resolved to do the next chapter of his life differently. Since I was a toddler, my parents have been raising us in the conviction of racial inequality, taking us kids to every Civil Rights destination we could check off with the weeks of vacation allowed. From a young age, images of peaceful protesters meeting resistance, lynchings, unity, and injustice were ingrained in my mind. These lessons, these experiences, these sacred places are all burned into the core of my being. Education on these issues from a young age opened my eyes to the vital role education has in generating empathy for people who don’t share the same background, skin, ethnicity, etc. In tandem with this education in Civil Rights, it was no secret that I was equally as keen to learn about the role art-making has in our society and the ways in which it has been used to bring about symbols of revolution. For this reason, I created this artwork as a means of representing the current Black Lives Matter Movement.
My painting posted here, as a whole, is meant to be read in the same way you would a book; the narrative flows from top to bottom. In this case, we start with the exigence of the story, the reason we are standing up for black lives here in 2020. Put in the simplest of terms, that would be the death of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, all of whom are considered to be at the center of modern day lynchings, whether at the hands of police or fellow citizens and white supremacists. It was these three cases and the videos which captured the deaths of Arbery and Floyd which caught a nation off guard and moved us all to break outside the confines of quarantine to bring justice. From here, we move downward to a different, more metaphorical message. While the victories of the Civil Rights movement and the current Black Lives Matter Movement have been substantial, it is important to recognize that we don’t live in a post-racial society and the black community is still taking the brunt of our racist structures. In this painting, this is symbolically represented through a church choir, donned in prison orange, and praising in chains, acknowledging how members of the black community are still viewed as criminals before humans and remain prisoners to a racist society. Throughout this painting, I wanted no specific honor to go to one person in order to avoid undermining the power the voice of the common people unified. Besides the memorial to victims in upper third, the other two thirds serve as a conceptual reimagining of the black community. That being said, the pulpit is not occupied by anyone famous or with celebrity. Rather, it is the pulpit itself, which is famous, as it is an artistic representation of the Ebenezer Baptist pulpit, clad in the banner of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Hopping over the fence of the prison, one which looks suspiciously similar to the fence currently surrounding the White House, we see the faces of the movement, bearing picket signs in protest against America’s corrupt systems. However, there is one who goes beyond, breaking through the barriers restraining the protestors and raising her fist with power, showing the strength of the black community when unified. As many locals may notice, the signs stuck to the fence and held by the people are actually redesigned editions of the signs made for our Fishers Equity Awareness Protest and Demonstration, making these words not just mine, but the words of my entire community.
-Sam Henry
Joys & Concerns
Congratulations! Vicki and Chris W’s son, Will, and daughter-in-law Liz, have welcomed a new member of the family. Dylan Christopher W came into the world on Saturday, May 23rd. Congratulations to the family and to proud parents Will and Liz!
Some Friends from our Meeting joined about 1000 people in a Processional of Lament and Repentance in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood. They stopped along the way to lament black lives lost, confess their complicity in systems of racial injustice and white supremacy, and repent with a commitment to tangible action as they seek a more just world together. (Thanks to Mary B for the photos)
Check this out, the B. family participated in a peaceful demonstration in Beech Grove carrying a sign with a quote from our Meeting’s response. Thanks to Marshelle for sharing these photos.
On Monday night, several people from First Friends attended the Black Lives Matter Multi-Faith Community Prayer Vigil and Peace Demonstration in Liberty Plaza at the Fishers Municipal Center, Fishers, IN. Pastor Bob was invited to join with other faith leaders in and around Fishers to share an opening prayer he wrote utilizing the words of Quaker Bayard Rustin. Thanks to Sue Henry for capturing these great photos.
Quaker-Affiliated Organizations
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Did you miss the premiere of our past Sunday Service? This week we had a special Prayer Service of Lament for Race & Injustice. Watch it ANYTIME at this link: https://youtu.be/5cTWEUEt1oM. We hope you had a wonderful and safe Sunday! Keep an eye out in your email for details soon on the coming Sunday’s virtual service!
Join us for a called meeting on Reopening ~ All Friends are invited to join us after our service on Sunday to a called meeting on reopening. The Reopening Task Force has been established and we are now looking to gather input from our members and attenders as the group weighs our reopening options. The meeting will begin at 11am, with Fellowship Hour following for any who wish to stick around and chat. To join, contact the office for Zoom meeting information.
Meditational Woods Bird-of the-Month for June
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Sweeter Than a Robin, but Icky
What could be sweeter than a robin? I’m talking bird songs here. Take the song of an American Robin, “Cheerio-cheerilee cheerio-cheerilee”, sweeten it up, enrich it, and extend it. You will have the song of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak! I suggest you listen to both on “All About Birds” or some other website. The icky part is the grosbeak’s call of “ICK.” It is diagnostic, meaning no other bird does it, and it is the way I find them if they are not singing. It’s like hearing someone say a single word down the hall in the meetinghouse, and recognizing the person by voice immediately, even though it may have been quite a while since your last encounter.
I have drawn a rose-breasted male, and one can see how the species gets its name. The female is brownish with a brown-on-white striped breast. Notice the huge bill (GROS-beak).
This species came through in May, in fairly large numbers, and yes, each year at least one stops by the Meditational Woods anytime during that month. By the time you read this, most rose-breasted grosbeaks have migrated farther north, however, some stick around for the summer in larger woods around here. Probably not ours, but one never knows, especially with the wooded neighborhoods nearby. Hence it is the bird for June, just in case. Listen for that sweet warble or the special “ICK”.
One final note: As of this writing 90 species have been documented in the Meditational Woods or seen on or from the First Friends property. That is significant because just a few years ago, the woods was simply a lawn with some large trees. More about that later!! ~Brad J
Women’s Book Study ~ Deb S and Mary Ellen L are looking to start a women's book study group. The hope is to study a book that has meaning for the group members and at the same time deepen the bonds of friendship among them. We would like to take up Richard Rohr's Universal Christ . If you are interested or you have questions, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org. The first task will be to select the best day/time for all, frequency and location. During pleasant weather, the group might want meet outdoors, then maybe via Zoom. Details will be decided once the group has formed. Deb and Mary Ellen are looking forward to a lively discussion of this book and, hopefully, others.
Cat Needs New Home! Ursula R is looking for a new home for her cat, Jake. He is six years old, charismatic, very loving and cuddly. Sometimes bites. Likes to go outside. If you or someone you know is interested in adopting this cat, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.
Free Seeds; Tomato Care
Free seeds are now available at many branches of the Indianapolis Public Library through curbside pickup. More branches have seed libraries than in the past. Take advantage!
Most Hoosiers love tomatoes, but at one time people thought they were poisonous. Tomatoes are native to South America and were called the “Apple of Love” when introduced in France and Italy. People in the U.S started cultivating them in 1835 although Thomas Jefferson was feeding his guests his home-grown tomatoes as early as 1781.
Tomatoes come in many colors and shapes. Determinate tomatoes grow to a predetermined height determined by their genes. Flowers set at their growing tips. Flowers along the stems set fruit in about two weeks. They are good choices for canning and creating sauces.
Indeterminate tomatoes increase in height throughout the growing season, continuing to produce foliage. Side shoots produce fruit continually throughout the season, creating a long harvest.
Smaller plants can be staked two feet apart; larger plants need three or four feet. Some closeness in a small garden can produce more fruit. Remove early forming flowers so plants can produce healthy foliage to support tomatoes. Too much nitrogen in fertilizer will produce more foliage so a high phosphorus fertilizer is better and can be applied one to two weeks after first fruits are set; two weeks after picking first ripe fruit; and six weeks after picking first ripe fruit.
Train plants in a cage or on stakes at planting time for better air circulation and less disease. Tomatoes do best when held off of the soil. Caged tomatoes have less sunscalding injury because of more leaf cover and suckers* do not need to be removed. To create more support, stakes can be woven through cages and sunken approximately a foot into the ground.
If staking plants, poles should be set one to two feet into the soil and about four inches out from the stalk. Placing poles when planting will prevent the root destruction that could occur when placed at a later date. Soft cord or strips of cloth can secure plants to stakes. Strips should be tied in a figure 8 with one loop around the stem and the other around the stake to prevent rubbing. Check sucker development weekly and pinch out growing tips of suckers just beyond the first two leaves on that branch. Allowing the first two leaves to remain will give better foliage cover and help protect tomatoes from sunscald.
Mulch will help conserve soil moisture and help prevent fluctuations. It will help prevent weeds which, in turn, will help to ward off breeding sites of stalk borers which tunnel in the stem and kill the plant. Apply two to four inches of straw, hay or bark chips or black plastic mulch. Otherwise cultivate shallowly to remove weeds when small.
Red tomatoes are created when weather is not too hot. Tomatoes tend to be pink, yellow, or orange when temperatures are above 86 degrees. If picked earlier to avoid scalding and skin cracking, they can fully ripen off the plant and do not need further light.
I enjoy planting several types of tomatoes because success can vary due to temperature and rainfall variations. These developments can create environmental stresses such as disease and insect invasions. My motto: All gardening is an experiment. :) ~Nancy
*Suckers are side branches that form in the axils of the plant, the points where the leaves join the stem.
Information about tomatoes is courtesy of Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, Department of Horticulture in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The Overman Family Scholarship, in memory of Jess and Mark Overman, is available again this year. High school seniors through graduate students are welcome to apply. Undergraduate students will be given first consideration. The scholarship fund is designated to support the members and attenders of Indianapolis First Friends Meeting. Scholarship funds may be applied to any school related expense, i.e. books, supplies, tuition, housing, computer, etc. The deadline for application will be June 30, 2020. For an application please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
Queries for the Week
(From self-led worship)
How can "Quaker Power" speed up "revolutionary changes" in our community/communities? How might it play a role in transforming systems of oppression?
How can we show "what love can do" for racial justice? Is there anything that should be added to Friend Barrington's list?
Is my Quaker meeting more than a "social club" for people with "common interests?" Who or what might be missing from our "Beloved Community?"