Yearly Meeting 2019

‘Unless we can own [our] shame, we’re not going to be able to go anywhere with people who have suffered.’

by Caroline Barrow, Rebecca Hardy, Joseph Jones and Elinor Smallman 31st May 2019

Note: several speakers offered their personal pronouns (he, she, they) before ministering. Where this did not happen we have made some assumptions. We apologise in advance for any errors. Reporting by: Caroline Barrow, Rebecca Hardy, Joseph Jones and Elinor Smallman – all staff at the Friend.

‘EXAMINING PRIVILEGE will be challenging’ warned the preparation document for Yearly Meeting 2019. Perhaps that explained the air of apprehension as Friday’s session opened. But early ministry worked to put Friends at ease. ‘I want you to know that you are loved,’ said one, and with that a weekend of careful, but pointed, exploration began.

This article is a long read. But we felt that the best way to understand this Yearly Meeting was chronologically, as it developed and unfolded. It felt wrong to separate sessions out, as if they were not connected. It felt right, in a Meeting focused on hearing new voices, to be as comprehensive as possible.