Sunday, February 15, Quaker Courage had its second meeting. Eight alums and one law student attended. All of us are motivated by a desire to see Penn live up to its values in the face of pressures from our federal government.
During the past month, we (Shobhi and Sharon), have begun connecting with two other Penn-based organizations, Stand Up Penn and Alumni for Freedom and Democracy. Participants in this meeting included representatives from both organizations.
We engaged in further discussion and refinement of Quaker Courage’s mission. Core themes the group seemed to agree on are support for freedom of speech, academic freedom, and resisting government overreach — that is, the government’s attempts to arbitrarily control the policies and operations of institutions like Penn. (A lively discussion unfolded regarding the complexities of “freedom of speech” and controversies on campuses about what kinds of speech an institution should allow. Quaker Courage is concerned primarily with resisting government’s attempts to dictate such matters.)
We discussed possible actions to further our mission. There was lots of enthusiasm for the three organizations working together to plan events at Penn this spring, during the weekend of Commencement and Reunion. Possibilities mentioned include a rally, making signs for alums to carry during the parade of classes, holding a forum or presentation, and setting up a table where folks could engage in conversation with us about the issues Penn is facing in its relationship with the government.
This idea, and other possibilities for collaboration, will be discussed further by leaders of Quaker Courage and Stand Up Penn at a joint meeting scheduled for February 19. Watch for follow-up emails from us regarding action plans and a date for our next QC meeting.