Skip Navigation

Who are Quakers and what do they believe? Quaker Activist, George Lakey, gives answers and discusses his new book

  • Aniya Faulcon

 George Lakey

Airdate: December 19, 2022

According to Community Literacy, there are about 75,000 Quakers within the country and about 377,000 Quakers worldwide.

Many may have little to no knowledge about Quakers and what they believe.

On The Spark Monday we dove beneath the surface and learned more about Quakerism and George Lakey, a Quaker activist who fights for peace, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, labor, justice, and the environment.

Lakey led over 1,500 social change workshops on five continents for groups including Thai Buddhist monks, Russian LGBTQ, activists, U.S. coal miners, South African National Congress members, and Northern U.S. students.

On The Spark, we discussed Lakey’s recently published book, Dancing with History: A Life for Peace and Justice, which is his memoir.

Quakerism started in the mid-17th-century in England. Quakers believe that all people are capable of directly experiencing the divine nature of the universe—known as God, the Holy Spirit or Spirit, without a priest, spiritual intercessor, or any kind of ritual.

Lakey said, when Quakerism started it was an activist outfit, as their beliefs were considered controversial.

On The Spark, Lakey discussed his work as an activist and fight for his health, freedom of sexuality and the changes that he wants to see in the world.

 

 

Support for WITF is provided by:

Become a WITF sponsor today »

Support for WITF is provided by:

Become a WITF sponsor today »

Up Next
The Spark

What is pollution-free cooking and what are its benefits?