Friends,
It has been a joy and a great privilege for me to join the National Council of the Fellowship of Reconciliation this year.
 I am blessed
I am blessed to come to FOR-USA as a member of a local FOR chapter that is as diverse as my family. Within FOR Atlanta we are multi-ethnic, multi-generational, and multi-faith. Our class and educational backgrounds also differ.
Given our Southern context, it is unique to have such a broad combination of different people electing to gather with each other, and there is a true richness to our diversity.
Please join me in making a year-end gift to FOR in thanks for the ways we join together to build the Beloved Community.
In my biological family, it’s the bonds of kinship that bring us together for a shared meals and conversation. But with FOR Atlanta, we are bonded by our common commitment to striving to create a more peaceful world.
 As with family, being together (especially given our diversity) is not always easy.
We sometimes struggle to understand one another when our opinions diverge about major peace and justice issues.
My local chapter challenges me, a Muslim woman standing in solidarity with Palestinians, to remain in conversation with my Jewish colleagues who do not share my opinion. It is this willingness to stay in community with each other that is the biggest blessing that I get from being a member of FOR Atlanta.
I am grateful
FOR Atlanta has cultivated a broad and supportive community committed to nonviolence as philosophical and spiritual practices.
Reflecting the best work of FOR at every level -- globally, nationally, locally -- we bridge the gaps between issues and causes with a consistent commitment to nonviolence. Weary activists find retreat for their marching feet among us.
Please make a year-end gift today to help FOR continue to bridge these gaps.
Like the larger FOR-USA, our local chapter has become like an incubator to local and international peace and justice laborers alike. As a public school teacher, I recognize the value in providing a space for people to learn, grow, take a time out, and get back to work.
I am grateful that FOR-USA and FOR Atlanta both provide that space for me and others.
Salaams,
 La Trina Jackson
Atlanta, Georgia
Photos, from top: FOR National Counci meeting in June, Nyack NY (Front row: Jeff Hood, La Trina Jackson, Sahar Alsahlani; Back row: Isaac Beachy, Rolanda West, Will Bontrager, Lily Tinker Fortel, Mark Meade, Max Hess); FOR Atlanta members La Trina Jackson and Gus Kaufman (in background) participate in a Ferguson solidarity rally in Atlanta in August. |
