This may be denied by society and, indeed, by the individual. But we cannot join in the widespread writing off of people, without denying our central testimony to and experience of the potential of love to transform even violence and hatred. Hence our need to renew our social testimonies. The article explores a pivotal transition year for the organization, when it celebrated its thirtieth anniversary, received the Nobel prize, and confronted the Cold War, the latter exemplified by the suspicion cast on a long-time consultant, Alger Hiss when he was charged with being a Communist spy by the Quaker Whittaker Chambers. The AFSC also became more explicitly political as it moved to counter Cold War policies that its leadership believed threatened peace.
Interested readers can see the article at a university library.
EMM has talked about AVP as a domestic version of the classic Quaker testimony against war, for some years, without any particular involvement, with the sole exception of Nancy Kariel. In losing Nancy, we have lost our only resource person. No Friend seems to have followed up this suggestion. However, I suggest that it might be well worthwhile for Meeting as a whole to set aside one 3-hour period, at a convenient time, for a workshop with Littke, just to get a sense of what the whole AVP method is about. AVP was started by practising Quakers in NY state about 25 years ago.