Discover: That of God in Everyone
At the heart of Quaker belief is the principle that “That of God in Everyone”—the Inner Light—exists within all people, regardless of their background, identity, or status. This belief teaches that every individual is inherently valuable, with unique gifts to offer the world and that each of us can have a direct connection with God. This principle is reflected in the lives of those featured here (and many more not yet featured). We Poughkeepsie Quakers seek to create an inclusive and welcoming space where the that of God in everyone is celebrated, and all people are invited to be part of the Friends community.
George Fox (1624-1691)
Quakerism begins in England around 1650. A young man, in his twenties, named George Fox was disillusioned and frustrated during the English Civil War when Christians were killing one another in the name of their politics and their various religious sects…
Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)
Quakers have been known for many things over the centuries—resistance to war, absolute gender equality, peace efforts and they were prominent in the abolitionist movement. Many of the leaders of the efforts to gain women the right to vote and other freedoms were led by Quaker women…
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987)
Bayard Rustin was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement and a prominent Quaker pacifist. He was the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, which is famously where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Rustin’s Quaker faith strongly influenced his commitment to nonviolence and his activism for …
Lucretia Mott (1793-1880)
Lucretia Mott was an early advocate for women’s rights and a key figure in the abolitionist movement. A devout Quaker, she helped organize the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls in 1848 and was one of the foremost leaders in the fight for gender equality and social justice. Her activism in both the women’s rights and anti-slavery movements was deeply influenced by her Quaker principles of equality and nonviolence….
Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010)
Wilma Mankiller was the first woman elected to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Although she was not raised as a Quaker, she was strongly influenced by the Quaker ideals of social justice, peace, and equality in her work with Native American communities. Mankiller’s advocacy for Native American rights and her leadership in the Cherokee Nation transformed the…
William Penn (1644-1718)
William Penn made up a large party of Quakers to come to America that would found the Pennsylvania colony. On August 31, 1682, he set sail from Deal, England, in the good ship Welcome that arrived at New Castle on the Delaware on October 27, 1682. A settlement was made named Philadelphia which means “brotherly love…