PHILADELPHIA, PA

Thanks to some silly marketers in the late 19th century, the general public has associated Quakers almost exclusively with oats. What has been obscured with this ‘oatization’ of the Quakers is their long-standing advocacy of peace and social justice. They actually have a lot in common with the Mennonites.

“We want people to know we’re more than just oats,” said one Friend, as they call themselves, from Philadelphia. “In fact, very few of us have anything at all to do with oat-growing, oat-making, or even oat-eating. For most of us, oats occupy very little of our daily activity. Also, we don’t say ‘thee’ anymore.”

In an effort to reshape the public discourse regarding Quakers and oats, several large billboards have been erected in major cities across North America depict

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