Reflection on: Why does Quaker education matter to your school population and the world?

By Waman French, Head, Friends School of Atlanta

I want to thank Darryl and Drew for the invitation to speak this evening on the topic of why Friends education matters to my school community and why the existence of a Friends School in Atlanta, Georgia, matters to the world.

The Friends School of Atlanta, or FSA, opened its doors in the fall of 1991 - that’s right, you heard me correctly...1991 not 1691... a time, pre-internet, and when, in the deep South, a modern multicultural educational movement was just beginning to get a toe hold in some schools. So, to more fully understand the significance of that opening I think it’s important to know a bit of the history of the Atlanta Friends Meeting which was formed in the early 1950s establishing a place for worship that was welcoming to all people regardless of their race or ethnicity. This was, of course, a crime at the time in Georgia punishable by fines and imprisonment.

Known as Quaker House, Atlanta Friends Meeting was established in an area that was on the dividing line between the White and Black communities of the city and it became a safe haven for worship and learning for people of all races and backgrounds. It became a gathering center for civil rights activists and where Dr. King spoke, delivering a series of presentations about Gandhian non-violence. He spoke of the foundational significance of pacifism as a cornerstone of his vision in building a beloved community and a racially just America. Since its founding, one of Atlanta Friends’ primary concerns has been the

desegregation of public schools. Our Meeting became central in the planning of school desegregation. It was at Quaker House, for example, that the students who would first desegregate Atlanta high schools in 1961 came to learn about non-violent resistance.

Many Atlanta Friends would commit their lives, their careers and their activism to the desegregation of public education. So, you see, for decades, opening a private Friends school in Atlanta was never really in the cards. Then in the mid-1980’s with waning public and judicial support for bussing as a tool for integration, a quick resegregation of the public school systems in the metro area resulted.

Over the three decades of FSA’s existence we have seen a steady resegregation of public education by zip code. The gentrification of metro Atlanta has created one of the most significant wealth gaps in our country and our public schools reflect that sad fact. Resegregation and the gap between the rich and the poor of Atlanta adds fuel to a racist school to prison pipeline that disproportionately impacts people of color.

So with this history as context, enter our small group of Atlanta Friends, who in 1991 sought to provide their young children and their Atlanta neighbors an educational alternative, one imbued with the values of Quakers. Our founders held a vision for building a beloved community that was inclusive and welcoming to all and they were fiercely committed to the non-violent uprooting of racism and white supremacy. They held fast to a vision of creating a school that would further Dr. King’s dream where teachers and students looked like the community in which our school

existed. They leaned into the then 300 year legacy of Quaker education and opened the only Friends school in the state of Georgia, the southernmost Friends school in the country.

Since its founding thirty plus years ago, FSA has embraced its mission to be a leader across the educational landscape of Atlanta in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. From our earliest days our school has sought to remove the financial hurdles and the racist cultural norms in independent school education that seek to perpetuate a white supremacist culture. Like so many of our Friends schools, we acknowledge our connection to an imperfect history and we strive to repair harm in our school community and in our world.

There are many less complex reasons why FSA families seek out our school. Small class sizes and a radical respect for student learning sets high expectations. But it’s our Quaker values and the centrality of our school’s commitment to building a beloved community that is, I believe, the overarching draw to our families as they sign on and re-enroll each year.

We’re not every Atlantan’s cup of tea. While most Atlantans are proud of the city's historic contributions to that bending of the arc of the moral universe toward justice. We remain located in the heart of the Bible belt and we not only carry the mantle of being the cradle of American civil rights but also the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan.

I am often told by parents, faculty and staff that our school serves as a kind of place of worship. It’s a place where they can not only bring their gifts,

talents and most cherished possessions - their children, but also a place to bring their social concern and activism. I think that phenomenon is something our schools may share in common. At FSA, we create a kind of vessel for holding concern - in that Quaker way - and provide a space for communal reflection on issues of great import so that we may individually and collectively explore the true nature of our hearts. Then we turn outwardly toward the world as a community and act with conscience, conviction and compassion.

During these times of reflection and action FSA families, students and teachers deepen their understanding of the Quaker practice of seeking that of God and goodness in ourselves and each other and in that seeking we learn more about each other, our shared humanity and our unique life experiences. When a student, teacher or parent believes and trusts that they can arrive at school each day and bring their authentic selves, then school is a place they belong.

In such an environment we can learn more about the goodness within and how we may share our Light in the world. Isn’t that the preternaturally optimist nature of Friends education? That seeking of the divine in others is what calls us together at Friends schools. And in coming together we unlock a wondrous potential for creating goodness and for changing the world. None of our schools are perfect nor should we claim for that to be our goal. What I believe to be unifying in Quaker education is the commitment to a continuous path of learning about how the Light manifests in our lives and how our schools can equitably support each member to grow in their goodness and in their capacity to be peaceful, kind and just.