As Way Opens
Have you ever heard of William Edouard Scott?
Neither had I, until last week when my son, Sam, asked if we could go to the Indianapolis Art Museum to check out an artist he was discussing in his First Year Scholars Class, Paris Noir. I have been fascinated by talking to Sam about this class which focuses on African American visual, literary, and performing artists who journeyed to Paris to find what they could not in the United States due to America’s systemic racism. In sharing with his professor that we lived in Indianapolis, she recommended that Sam look into Indianapolis native, William Edouard Scott.
Scott was born in Indianapolis in 1884. He attended Elementary School #23 and graduated from Emmerich Manual Training High School (Shortridge High School, today) in 1903, and studied under Indianapolis impressionist artist Otto Stark, who is known as one of the five Hoosier Group Artists along with T.C. Steele, Richard Gruelle, William Foresyth, and J. Ottis Adams. Under Otto Stark, Scott was invited to assist him in teaching freshmen drawing instruction making Scott the first Black person to teach in a public school in Indianapolis. He went on to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he became a well-known muralist. Scott painted many murals in schools both in Chicago and in Indianapolis.
Last Friday, Sam and I went in search of the one painting, Rainy Night, Estaples (1912) by Wm. Edouard Scott on display at the IMA. In the back of the American Art section flanked by a T.C. Steele painting on the left and a John Singer Sargent on the right, we found Scott’s painting. Almost hidden in plain sight, this black Hoosier still seemed struggling to be seen among the many white artists of his day.
As an artist of the Negro Renaissance, Scott was aptly characterized in a 1970 exhibition catalogue as:
“A painter who came out of the American tradition of Eakins and Homer, Scott nevertheless often devoted his skills to express his pride and dignity as a Negro. His pride and self-identification were as great as that of any contemporary Black absorbed into the mainstream and might have built a personal reputation; he chose however, to commit himself to the establishment of pride, dignity and self-realization for all Negroes. He strove to stir the Black community from resignation to awareness.”
My hope is that we at First Friends will continue William Edouard Scott’s legacy and commitment to creating awareness of the accomplishments of the Black community - not just during Black History Month, but throughout the year. We must remember that the impact African Americans have made on our city and country is part of our collective consciousness, and contemplating Black history draws us, from all of our diverse backgrounds, into the greater story that God is writing with our lives. And as we learn this truth, we will begin to see racial and ethnic diversity as a true expression of God’s manifold beauty.
Grace and Peace,
Bob
Quaker-Affiliated Organizations
Coming Soon to Your Couch: Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission Public Meetings
We hear people say all the time, “I’m not interested in politics.” To which it can be replied, “Well, that’s really too bad, because politics are interested in you!”
In Indiana, we have a system in which elected politicians draw the legislative district maps used for state and congressional elections. Every ten years, they get together and literally place you into the groupings--districts--where they figure they are most likely to win based on voters’ Census data and voting records. By drawing made-to-order maps, your representatives are choosing you long before election day, when you are supposed to be choosing them. In this way the process called redistricting is the ultimate conflict of interest. If you sometimes doubt that your vote makes any difference, or wonder why in some elections you don’t even have a choice of candidates to vote for, our redistricting system is a big reason why.
This year is a redistricting year. It happens only once a decade. Would you like a voice in the process this time? The Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission (ICRC) has been formed to demonstrate that redistricting done in a transparent way that encourages public participation will result in congressional and state legislative districts that are better for voters than districts drawn by incumbent representatives behind closed doors.
The ICRC is holding virtual public meetings to hear from Hoosier voters what they want in their new districts. Should districts emphasize compactness? What about competition--should maps be drawn to maximize competitive elections? Should current politicians have districts drawn around their residences, or should they be drawn “incumbent blind”? Also, what are the important communities of interest in Indiana, and should they be kept intact, or divided, in the new districts?
You are invited to this conversation. What do you think should drive redistricting where you live? There will be an ICRC public meeting for each congressional district. It is important that the ICRC hear from a broad range of Hoosiers, because the testimony from these meetings will be consolidated into a report the ICRC will give to state legislators before they begin redistricting this spring, so they will know what voters say they want their maps to look like.
Redistricting will impact federal and state elections for the next decade. It really matters that Hoosiers from all over the state are a part of this conversation. Including you.
Here is the schedule for the public meetings. Again, all virtual—you can participate from your own couch! Register in advance, either at www.allinfordemocracy.org, or by using the link following the meeting for your congressional district listed below. And feel free to share this; the invitation is open to all. Note that the meeting for the district including Indianapolis (district 7) is first, and the meeting for many Indy suburbs (district 5) is second.
Now is the time to make your voice heard! Please contact Phil Goodchild with any questions (goodch713@aol.com). Thank you.
February 24 – Congressional District 7, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jOCUnFlrSqqrITaeeTAKlg
March 3 – Congressional District 5, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bN5cRbOjRqmjk64-LT4_Qg
March 6 – Congressional District 1, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. CST
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tfTusC9tQCe72z1DDzuCxQ
March 10 – Congressional District 9, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wnyJd97cRUuZuF_DQkzUxA
March 13 – Congressional District 3, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. EST
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ujw84BSPStaPvW19xJc7hg
March 16 – Congressional District 6, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sz1D_NtNRleutD2o-ieeqQ
March 18 – Congressional District 8, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. CST
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_euCRCwNkR8Kb2V_vmXxkEQ
March 23 – Congressional District 4, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1_Tn9F59Rj2zT5TBPXEu0Q
March 30 – Congressional District 2, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. EDT
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5VQihioMQw2Mysl3HyK6kg
Joys & Concerns
MANY thanks to our food pantry volunteers from First Friends during the week: Linda and Rik L; David B; Barbara O; Ruth K; Kathy and Bill F; Virginia and Derek S; Christie M; Corinne I; Jim D. Our faithful volunteers braved the cold weather to serve about 60 families. Thanks to all!
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
What is Love to you? Friends, we’re asking you to send in photos that we can use in our upcoming Valentine’s Day service. Please take a picture of yourself and/or your family holding up a paper with your answer to “Love is…” Then send the photo into the office at office@indyfriends.org. Or, if you’re on an Apple product, you can send an iMessage text to office@indyfriends.org. Please get these in by TODAY, Wednesday, February 10. We can’t wait to see you and your answers!
Youth Group this Sunday ~ Youth Group will be meeting this Sunday, February 14 from 1:00 - 2:30pm with Aaron and Michelle via Zoom. Any youth (6th - 12th grade) that want to join us, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org for the Zoom link.
Changing Footprints Is Still Active! We are still collecting all types of gently used footwear for Changing Footprints. If you are not able to drop off shoes at First Friends on a Wednesday, you can go to changingfootprints.org, where there is a listing of our many community collection sites (Shoe Drops). Thanks for helping us to provide footwear to those who need it!
Creation Care ~ Our Woods provides habitat not only for birds and small mammals, our trees and shrubs provide homes for important pollinators. Each week, I will highlight a native plant and some of the wildlife it supports.
This week, let’s look at our humble and happy Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia sororia). Violet leaves which have a bland taste can be used as cooked greens or in salads, containing large amounts of vitamins A& C. Its bright blue flowers attract bees, skippers, and other insects. Caterpillars of Fritillary butterflies feed on foliage Speyeria diane (Diana), Euptoieta claudia (Variegated Fritillary), Speyeria aphrodite (Aphrodite Fritillary), Boloria bellona (Meadow Fritillary), and Boloria selene myrina (Silver-Border Fritillary)
For more information, consult Illinois wildflowers and the butterfly identification website and see pictures of the caterpillars, pupae and adult butterflies.
https://www.butterflyidentification.com/meadow-fritillary.htm
Start thinking about ways to join creating national parks in your own yard.
The Homegrown National Park™ Map Goes Live!
Based on the work of Dr Doug Tallamy and developed with Michelle Alfandari, the Homegrown National Park™ is a grassroots call-to-action to restore biodiversity and ecosystem function by planting native plants, removing most invasive plants, and creating new ecological networks. The goal is 20 million acres of native plantings in the U.S. – an area that represents approximately ½ of the green lawns of privately-owned properties.
A key feature of the Homegrown National Park™ is an interactive map, a community-based visual that shows each native planting site by State, County and Zip Code. It enables individuals to see their part in the whole – creating new ecological networks, connecting habitat and restoring biodiversity. As of 20th January, 2021, the map has over 2000 individuals registered and over 13,000 acres of native plantings mapped across the US; in Indiana, there are currently 71 individuals registering just over 180 acres of native plantings. The Landscaping with Natives Team would love to encourage anyone who might be keen to register their native plantings on the map – it is free and very easy to do. We would love to see Indiana well-represented – it can help us all to see that our individual plantings really can be part of the change!
For other links to local organizations:
https://indiananativeplants.org/
https://thewhiteriveralliance.org/
https://marionswcd.org
https://www.kibi.org/
· Your Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation (IFCL) is actively tracking environmental bills during the long budget session this year. This week, we’d love to have the General Assembly start a conversation about safely moving and capping coal ash ponds that are contaminating our ground water and potential to contaminate our rivers when flooding occurs. Final day for hearings on any bills is tomorrow, February 11. If a bill doesn’t receive a hearing, it will die in committee. Call today and
· Contact Senator Mark Messmer, Chairman of the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee to urge him to “schedule a hearing on Senate Bill 367”
o Phone: 317-232-9840
o Email: s48@iga.in.gov
· Contact Representative Doug Gutwein, Chairman of the House Environmental Affairs Committee to urge him to “schedule a hearing on House Bill 1469”
o Phone: 317-234-9139
o Email: h16@iga.in.gov
Better-Than-Good Reads from Quaker Library
Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness
By Robert K. Greenleaf
Quaker Robert Greenleaf developed his theory of Servant Leadership while an executive at AT&T. He lectured at MIT, Harvard, Dartmouth, and University of Virginia. A collection of lectures and essays, chapter headings focus on Servant Leadership for Institutions, Trustees, in Business, Education, Foundations, Churches. He writes about Servant-Leaders, Servant Responsibility in a Bureaucratic Society, America and World Leadership and An Inward Journey.
Greenleaf was born in 1904, died in 1990. He read widely and deeply the literature of his time: Robert Frost, Hermann Hesse, Herman Melville for example. He was familiar with the Bible and with George Fox’s writings. The ideas he espouses are in no way dated. I am so tempted to include many quotes here, or to make pencil marks in the book, but no! You must discover for yourself what wisdom he shares.
You can call or email the office (317-255-2485, office@indyfriends.org) John Moorman (757-561-1024) or me, Linda Lee (317-253-0053) to request delivery or to arrange to pick up a book from our library. Pick up on Wednesday when the office is staffed or most Thursdays between 3 and 5 when Linda is in the RSWR Stamping for Dollars room.
Birdwatch with Brad on February 20 ~ Brad J is going to lead us on a birdwatching tour of our Meditational Woods and Meetinghouse grounds on Saturday, February 20 at 9 a.m.* We will meet in the courtyard. Dress for the weather and bring binoculars if possible. Be prepared to walk on fallen leaves, dirt and grass. Birdwatchers will be out for about an hour. Connections Programmed Meeting arranged this activity.
Many of you may follow Brad’s bird column in Friend to Friend. He creates the pictures of each bird and has learned much about our feathered friends during his many years of following them as a hobby. He will answer questions and help us explore the fascinating and sometimes hidden world beyond our building. He can identify birds as well as their calls and songs. Come join the fun and be a birdwatcher with Brad!
*Watch Facebook for any changes in schedule due to weather.
Guest Speaker February 21! Tune into First Friends’ Meeting for Worship on Sunday, February 21 to hear guest speaker Jaimie Mudd! Jaimie and Bob are switching pulpits that day—Bob will be preaching for Greensboro First Friends in North Carolina. We hope you will join us in welcoming Jaimie that day. Jaimie has been serving Friends Meetings and churches since 1996. Currently serving Greensboro First Friends as Pastor for Congregational Ministries Jaimie has calling for fostering healthy communities. She leads retreats, workshops on discernment, and Friends Meeting/Church Revitalization. She has led workshops with Friends Meetings in Arizona, Inter Mountain Yearly Meeting, and Western Yearly Meeting. Over the past eight years Jaimie and her husband Dan have led Experiment with Light, and, Friends Couple Enrichment retreats. She provides coaching for pastors and retreats for faith communities that want to deepen their spiritual connections and community vitality.
Reopening Task Force Report ~ The Reopening Task Force’s most recent statement is available here. Currently, the Meeting-house is open to small groups, with requirements for face coverings and social distancing protocol. Participants assume responsibility for risk of COVID-19 exposure. To check on availability of small groups, including Zoom options, contact the office at office@indyfriends.org, 317-255-2485.
Queries for the Week
(From virtual worship)
What is my current perception of the word “radical”? Do I consider myself a radical?
Am I preoccupied and taken up with the relatively shallow things of life, encouraged by the media and contemporary culture generally and hardly feeling the depth of it all?
How might I embrace “radical metanoia” this week?
(From self-led guide)
We need to nurture the Inner Light—the source of the phenomenal power of the eighteenth-century Quakers. “Quaker Power” can be as effective as “Black Power” in speeding up revolutionary changes.
We need to listen in love to the black people of America and to submit ourselves to the violence of their words and actions if we are to identify truly with their anguish and despair.
We need to understand, to encourage, and to support the thrust of black people to achieve self-identity and power by sharing in the control of institutions in the community that affect their welfare and destiny.
We must invest our resources—money and skill—to provide incentives for black people to develop and control economic, political, and social structures in the community.
We must support the passage of antipoverty legislation leading to programs that will remedy the deplorable economic and social conditions existing in urban ghettos.
We must oppose racial injustice wherever it is practiced: in the neighborhood where we live, in our places of business, and in our contacts with the wider community.