American Friends Service Committee. Michigan Area Office.

Michigan office of national organization concerned with peace, poverty, and other matters of social justice.

From the description of American Friends Service Committee, Michigan Area Office records, 1956-2002 (bulk 1970-2000) (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 85778384

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) was established in 1917 during World War I as an outreach program of the Quakers, offering humanitarian aid to the war's victims. From the beginning, there has been a strong vein of dissent in Quaker outreach activities, protesting against abuse while caring for those who suffer.

In 1960, the Michigan Area Office (MAO) of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) came into being in response to a concern from Friends in Michigan to expand AFSC programs beyond the volunteer youth service activities which had been going on in the 1950s. From the outset, the MAO sought to serve as many Michigan communities as possible through its peace education and youth service programs and projects. In 1972, the Michigan Area Executive Committee (MAEC), in conjunction with staff, developed a plan to establish a Western Michigan Program Office, and in 1975 the MAEC founded the Detroit Program Office.

As of the 1970-1971 fiscal year, the MAO was made up of an executive committee, community relations committee, and peace education committee. The executive committee was responsible for making major policy decisions and providing overall leadership and review for programs in Michigan. The community relations committee and the peace education committee provided leadership and oversight for the programs within their respective domains.

While the basic structure remained the same, the Michigan Area Office did undergo a few organizational changes since that time. In 1977, a restructuring subcommittee of the MAO clarified the position of the MAEC and changed the Michigan Area Program Secretary's title to Michigan Area Executive Secretary. (It appears the Michigan Area Executive Committee was previously known as the Michigan Area Program Committee.) This subcommittee also stated that the program committees--peace education and community relations--were responsible for defining policy areas, developing programming methods, identifying resources needed, and presenting these to the MAEC. Besides the two program committees, the MAEC was supported by personnel and nominating committees.

Apparently the Michigan Area Executive Committee went through another name change or restructuring, since a later organizational chart shows the MAO as headed by a committee called the Michigan Area Coordinating Committee (MACC). This chart, which appears to be from the mid-1980s, indicates that the MACC was supported by the same four subordinate committees mentioned previously in relation to the MAEC.

Although the Michigan Area Office was originally subordinate to the Dayton Regional Office (DRO), the DRO and the Midwest Regional Office merged in 1985 to create the Great Lakes Regional Office. An organizational chart shows that Dayton became the seat of an area office, which, with the MAO and the Chicago Area Office, was subordinate to the new Great Lakes Regional Office. The national office, which oversees nine regional offices, is based in Philadelphia.

According to a 1986 statement, the mission of the American Friends Service Committee is "to help express the historic Peace Testimony of Friends and Friends' commitments to equality, simplicity, peace and justice. These are founded in Friends' belief that every person possesses that of God within herself or himself, and is a person of worth and dignity." The Michigan Area Office of the AFSC employed a small staff and relied on many volunteers to carry out its programs. The MAO Peace Education Committee (MAPEC) was especially active in Middle Eastern issues, and was led in this work by staff members Joe Volk and Richard Cleaver. Barbara Cartwright and Marc Mauer led the MAO Community Relations Committee (MACRC), which focused its work on increasing equity in the criminal justice system (especially regarding bail). In the 1990s, the organization began working on issues relating to discrimination against gays, lesbians, and bisexuals.

From the guide to the American Friends Service Committee. Michigan Area Office records, 1956-2002, 1970-2000, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)