Spring Friend in Residence Brings Together Music and Activism

For nearly a decade, Haverford’s Friend in Residence program has brought inspiring academics, artists, and activists to campus to enrich the College community by emphasizing the role of its Quaker roots.

"Quakerism is at its core an experiential faith,” said Director of Quaker Affairs Walter Sullivan. “Rather than having a list of rules or a recipe to live by, Friends discover how to be faithful to the Quaker way by living it. The Friend in Residence Program is designed to bring to campus experienced Quakers so that members of the community have the opportunity to engage directly with individuals who have engaged in this spiritual work.”

Following a fall residency by Casa de los Amigos Director M. Antonio López Galicia, the spring 2019 Friend in Residence will be West Philadelphia-based “conscious acoustic” duo City Love. Consisting of Sterling Duns and Caselli Jordan, City Love has structured their events for the semester under a single theme: “Community over Chaos.”

Unlike previous residencies, which hosted guests on campus for two or three consecutive weeks, City Love have scheduled events throughout the entire semester. “They will be coming to campus at various times over the course of the whole semester to offer a series of themed office hours they are calling ‘Ice Cream Social Justice,’ where students are invited to explore various topics related to conflict and dialogue,” said Sullivan. “They will be leading workshops on related topics."

Sullivan first met Duns, a fellow Quaker, six years ago, and they have since become close through their involvement on the Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT), a group that aims to promote sustainability through nonviolent direct action.

As self-described “social justice music educators and activists” who have been “loving the whole city of Philadelphia for many years,” Duns and Jordan look forward to engaging the Haverford community in these conversations. From “We’re all Made of Stars” to “People Song,” City Love’s discography highlights their commitment to unity and peace-making through music. The duo’s visit will conclude with a capstone experience called “Wake the Mic -- Creative Convergence.” This event will combine elements of an art gallery and a performance showcase to highlight the creative accomplishments that Haverford students made alongside City Love.

"I hope that students will see once again that Quakers come in very different packages, live very different lives, and work more with questions than answers, more with approaches and practices than conclusions and prescriptions,” said Sullivan. “I hope that students will feel empowered to bring their creativity and intuition to their efforts for social change. I hope they will take the opportunity to get to meet and engage with both Sterling and Caselli and see how their lives and choices might offer helpful models and insights for creative engagement in the work of social justice.”

An updated schedule of City Love’s residency events can be found on the Quaker Affairs site, and more information about the duo can be found on their website.