Good Friday Peace Witness: For more than 20 years, Quakers and friends from other groups have stood in silent vigil on the Boston Common at Park St. from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm on Good Friday, witnessing to the power of peace in a broken world. The morning started out with worship at Beacon Hill Friends House at 10:00 am. The group gathered walked down to the Common around 11:00 am where they were joined by other F/friends as well as other folks who felt affinity with the witness. By 1:00 pm over forty people had gathered for the witness.
The cold temperatures were challenging, as was the consistent standing. The witness organizers moved the group in a walking circle ever half and hour to keep people warm.
While the demographics of the group were predominantly White older Friends of mixed gender, a few people of color as well as some young people joined throughout the time. There was one baby in attendance, making it her first Peace Witness at 9 months!
While I personally believe that more active, colorful demonstrations with more media and higher profile attention are more effective than a Silent Peace Witness, it was encouraging to see how many people took a leaflet and actually read it while they were walking past the Witness line. The signs that you see in the pictures below were made in the 1960's and represent the legacy of this annual Peace Witness.
Comments (3)
Thank you for posting these pictures, Rachel. It brings back many fond memories, and it's wonderful to see so many familiar faces. It's been going on for quite a few more than 20 years! It was a long tradition when I first attended more than 30 years ago. According to one site, this would be its 54th year. http://www.ipernity.com/doc/protestphotos2/album/377575 Cheers, Jim Grace
[…] while I was getting ready to head downtown to participate in the Good Friday Peace Witness, I started monologuing in my head. “What’s the story here?” I kept asking myself […]
Thank you, Rachel, for your commitment and communication. I am inspired by your work and witness.