Virginia Schurman is a long-time member of Gunpowder (Sparks, Md.) Meeting of Baltimore Yearly Meeting and has led many retreats and workshops and has taught classes on spiritual subjects among Friends. She currently is researching and writing a biography of Martha Ellicott Tyson, exploring the intertwining of African American and Quaker history and culture. She is a member of the Farmstead Committee and of the Board of the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum in Oella, Md.