Dr.
Mica Estrada, Kallan Benson, Kenyatta James, and George Lakey will
share their visions of how we, as Quakers in this society, can move
forward into a shared vision of a better world for us all. Moderated by
Laura Magnani.
Laura Magnani is the Program Director for the
California Healing Justice Program of the American Friends Service
Committee. She is author of two books: America’s First Penitentiary: A
Two Hundred Year Old Failure (1990) and co-author with the late Harmon
Wray of Beyond Prisons: A New Interfaith Paradigm for the Failed Prison
System.(2006) She has a BA from the University of California (1971) in
Ethnic Studies, and an MA from the Pacific School of Religion (1982) in
Religion and Society. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from
Haverford College in 2016. She is a member of the Strawberry Creek
Friends Meeting Berkeley, CA.
Dr. Mica Estrada received her doctorate from Harvard
University and is an Associate Professor at UC San Francisco. Her
scholarship focuses on the ethnic populations who are historically
underrepresented in higher education, are most vulnerable to impacts of
climate change, and have potential to provide diverse and creative
solutions to presssing challenges.
Mica is active in the Pacific Yearly Meeting, serves on the Geneva
Quaker United National Committee, and follows her spiritual leading to
make the world a kinder place.
Kallan Benson, at 16, is already a veteran activist
with 7 years of experience fighting for a sustainable future. Kallan is a
national coordinator for Fridays For Future USA and integral to the
international movement. She initiated the national strike movement on
December 7, 2018, as one of the first two youths to establish strike
locations. In less than one year, her efforts built a broad
collaborative community, with approximately 300 weekly strike locations
across the country.
Through the Mother Earth Project, she co-directs a collaborative art
activism initiative, Parachutes for the Planet, which invites
participants to express their concerns about the future through
community art. The project, initiated by her own art parachute that
represented the voices of 1600 students at the Peoples Climate March in
2017, has expanded world-wide, attracting the participation of nearly
3000 communities of youth.Because Kallan is an introvert who is often
uncomfortable receiving attention, she is driven to seek creative ways
to express her activism and ease others into action. She has earned the
nickname "Butterfly" for a ubiquitous pair of wings from which she draws
confidence in crowds. Greta Thunberg famously asserted, "You are never
too small to make a difference." Those who work with Kallan quickly
learn not to underestimate the "Butterfly" effect.
Kenyatta James is an experienced speaker and
workshop host who specializes in helping communities understand the
importance of culture. As a community organizer, he's to improve green
spaces in Philadelphia and build an inclusive, resilient community.
During his time as a social entrepreneur, he helped healthcare
organizations connect with their audiences and improve health outcomes
for diverse populations. He currently works as a business consultant and
bookkeeper for the Germantown Mutual Aid Fund. He is a member of Green
Street Monthly Meeting in Northwest Philadelphia
George Lakey, 82, has been traveling in his ministry
for equality and nonviolence since 2016 with his most recent books,
Viking Economics and How We Win. His first arrest was at a civil rights
demonstration in March 1963, and most recent was January 10, 2020 while
demanding the U.S. Congress respond to the climate crisis. He has taught
at Swarthmore, Haverford, Pendle Hill, and Woodbrooke in England. A
member of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, he’s led over 1500
social change workshops on five continents.
