At Friends School of Minnesota, we continuously explore our commitment to these values and what they mean to the daily life of our school. These values are a lens guiding our classroom studies, offering new or unique perspectives. During meeting for worship, these values provide a point of reflection for anchoring our silence– with an emphasis on what it means to live these values, not just talk about them.
Our Friends Gathering for Racial Justice is one of the places where that learning, reflection, and action becomes visible.This gathering deepens our understanding of our values and invites the community to join in our reflection.
Each year, the event centers around a different Quaker testimony. This year, we are focusing on integrity.
The Testimony of Integrity
Our school has created resources to help us frame each testimony (a.k.a. each S.P.I.C.E.S. value).
A Guide to Quaker Practice is one of those resources.
In A Guide to Quaker Practice, integrity is framed in this way:
To have integrity is to be a whole person whose words and actions reflect one’s beliefs. Quakers seek always to be honest in all instances toward both others and themselves. Integrity can be viewed as the most basic testimony. It strengthens the other testimonies – and our lives – by saying that we will say and do what we are. Integrity is also doing your best at all things you do. Quakers strive to live with the truth in the world in every waking moment, with guidance from the Light in worship and from the testimonies.
We look forward to the continued study of this year’s testimony, and how that study is reflected at this year’s Friends Gathering for Racial Justice and Integrity.
More Information About the Friends Gathering for Racial Justice
New to Friends School and not sure what Friends Gathering for Racial Justice is? The Friends Gathering for Racial Justice (FGRJ) is an important all-school event at Friends School. For the past few years it has happened in April.
It is a time we come together as a school community and a time devoted to sharing our ongoing commitment to racial justice work. The event is always transforming – most recently adapted from a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. to an event looking at the broader scope of racial justice. In the past the event has included performances and presentations of student projects. Check out last year’s webpage documenting the event.
We are looking forward to this year’s event.
“Live with the truth and be what you say you are.”
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”
– George Fox
– C.S. Lewis
