By Elise Riley & Miki Gilmore
Watch the Video.
"Quakerism is opposed to the statement of strong emotion.
Quakerism is also opposed to strong emotion." - Community stakeholder
Moved By the Spirit.
On Sunday, November 8, 2015, 10:30 AM, we attended the Germantown Monthly Meeting. The community gathers every Sunday for Meeting for Worship, a religious service that is conducted in silence and is open to anyone. During Meeting for Worship, community members stand and speak when they feel moved by the spirit of God.
Passionately Confronting Racial Disparities.
Midway through the scheduled gathering, a woman stood up to speak about the racial disparities in Philadelphia's K-12 schools. She specifically made mention of the prestigious Germantown Friends School and another local school, Kelly Elementary School. Compared to the Friends school, Kelly Elementary is in a very poor state.
The woman at the Quaker Meeting was noticeably upset while talking, and continued her speech for over ten minutes. In the midst of this woman speaking, another person stood up silently. Then, sensing her time was coming to a close, the very same woman addressed the room thus: “Does anyone hear me?” Another person replied, “We hear you, we hear you”. This person and the one who stood up while the woman was talking were performing an act called eldering, which is when a longstanding member of the community expresses their disapproval of somebody’s behavior.
The woman at the Quaker Meeting was noticeably upset while talking, and continued her speech for over ten minutes. In the midst of this woman speaking, another person stood up silently. Then, sensing her time was coming to a close, the very same woman addressed the room thus: “Does anyone hear me?” Another person replied, “We hear you, we hear you”. This person and the one who stood up while the woman was talking were performing an act called eldering, which is when a longstanding member of the community expresses their disapproval of somebody’s behavior.
Eldering Communicates Disapproval.
Because the main practice of the religion is conducted during the alteration between silence and talk, emphasis is placed on the language used to convey a personal message. Within the linguistic landscape of the meeting, there is a limited view of what is considered an appropriate way to convey that message. Knowledge and understanding of appropriate linguistic behavior constitutes communicative competence within the Quaker speech community. As evidenced by the eldering, the members of this community objected to this woman’s way of speaking, particularly her emotion and length of speaking. As a result, the actual content of her message may not have been heard by the community.
Before going to Meeting that day we were planning on centering our video on Quakers’ experience navigating their language use both inside and outside the Quaker community. But after witnessing the woman passionately speaking to issues of race and inequalities in wealth and education in Philadelphia, and the subsequent reaction by the community, we shifted our focus.
Before going to Meeting that day we were planning on centering our video on Quakers’ experience navigating their language use both inside and outside the Quaker community. But after witnessing the woman passionately speaking to issues of race and inequalities in wealth and education in Philadelphia, and the subsequent reaction by the community, we shifted our focus.
About the Authors.
Elise Riley, a resident of Philadelphia, PA, is a senior at Haverford College majoring in Linguistics. She is a part of the Religious Society of Friends (aka Quakers), and a lifelong member of the Germantown Monthly Meeting located in Germantown, a neighborhood in the northwest corner of Philadelphia.
Miki Gilmore, a resident of Washington, DC, is a junior at Bryn Mawr College also majoring in Linguistics. She is not a member of the Religious Society of Friends, and learned about Quakers after meeting Elise.
Our special thanks to the Germantown Friends Meeting. If you’d like to learn more about the intersection of race, poverty, and Germantown Friends School, see the PBS documentary Prep School Negro (2012).
Miki Gilmore, a resident of Washington, DC, is a junior at Bryn Mawr College also majoring in Linguistics. She is not a member of the Religious Society of Friends, and learned about Quakers after meeting Elise.
Our special thanks to the Germantown Friends Meeting. If you’d like to learn more about the intersection of race, poverty, and Germantown Friends School, see the PBS documentary Prep School Negro (2012).
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