Time for moral courage and peaceful alternatives | Letter
Maine Letter Highlights Quaker Roots and Calls for Civic Courage
Portland, Maine – In a thoughtful letter to the editor published on September 12, local resident Anita Verna Crofts reflected on her family’s deep ties to a historic Quaker meeting house in Casco and used that heritage to comment on contemporary political and social issues in the state.
Crofts was invited to host a session at the Quaker Ridge Meeting House, a venue that is part of the second‑annual Roosevelt Trail History Tour. The meeting house, where her ancestors first gathered for worship more than two hundred years ago, is one of Maine’s oldest Quaker sites. The letter notes that Quaker testimony—principles that emphasize simplicity, equality, and a commitment to peaceful alternatives to conflict—has shaped both Crofts’ family and the broader community’s sense of purpose.
The letter’s tone shifts to the present as Crofts references two recent headlines. The first recounts the story of Samantha Smith, a young girl who, in 1982, gained international attention for her advocacy of peace and whose legacy now lives on in a South Portland on‑ramp bearing her name. The second headline concerns the rise in ICE detentions in Maine, with the state reporting more arrests this year than in the combined totals for 2024 and 2025.
“It is a time that calls for moral courage and fierce determination,” Crofts wrote, urging both the public and elected officials to confront these challenges head‑on as the November election approaches. She argued that Mainers must bring the same values that guided her ancestors’ faith—simplicity, equality, and a peaceful approach—to the political arena.
Crofts concluded her letter by reminding readers that the legacy of the Quaker Ridge Meeting House and the enduring memory of Samantha Smith serve as powerful reminders of the importance of civic engagement and ethical leadership in times of uncertainty. The letter was published in the Portland Press Herald under the tag “letter to the editor.”
