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Sunday Platforms
Weekly Platform meetings are held at 11 a.m. September through May. Our
Platforms are free and open to the public. A coffee hour follows for
discussion and conversation. We have Ethics for Children classes starting each
Sunday morning at 10:45AM; child care provided for children to seven
years. Free parking is available with a permit you can get inside the
Society's office. Classical piano interludes are performed by Katarzyna ("Kasia") Marzec-Salwinski.
February 21, 2010
Challenging Children's -- and Adults'
-- Misperceptions about the African
Continent
Speaker: Anastasia Shown,
Assistant Director of the University
of Pennsylvania's African Studies
Center
Why do we need to know more
about Africa? How can we demystify
stereotypes and promote a better
understanding through how we teach,
parent, vote and shop? Anastasia will
highlight some of her projects in
Cameroon, Ghana and Ethiopia.
February 28, 2010
Feminism in the Twenty-first Century
Speaker: Kate Lovelady, Leader of
the Ethical Society of St. Louis
The issues of women--including work,
motherhood and our relationship to
men--have been a part of Ethical Society
discussions since the founding of our
movement. Some of these questions
have been resolved for now, whereas
others remain controversial or uncertain,
such as what innate differences if any
exist between men and women. Where
is the feminist movement today, and
what are the ethical issues related to
sex and gender roles that affect all our
lives?
March 7, 2010
Why President Obama is Wrong about Afghanistan
Speaker: Richard L. Kiniry, Leader, Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia
The President has justified expanding the
war in Afghanistan as a "just war." Just
War Theory has through the years been
used by those who would justify their
aggression and conversely used by those
opposed to aggression. Rather than
questioning the justice of any particular
war, I want to offer other ethical values
that challenge American foreign policy.
March 14, 2010
Organizing Around the Triple Threat: How Unions Can Help Us Build a Better Future
Speaker: Jerry Silberman, Senior Staff Representative, Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals
Activists on the triple threat of global banking, resource depletion and social injustice rarely talk to each other. Each sees the crisis they address as the pivotal one to resolve for the future success of humanity, without considering the real limitations on their options for solutions which result from the crises the other movements face. Our future requires that all three legs of this tripod be sound and that we strategize from the apex, rather than separately from the foot. As a union organizer for over 30 years, Jerry Silberman asks, "What lessons can union organizing bring to coordinated organizing around the triple threat?"
March 21, 2010
Learning to be Inclusive: An Ally's Education in LGBTQness
Speaker: Hugh Taft-Morales, Leader-Intern
Hugh Taft-Morales shares insights about the challenges facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals and their friends and families. Appreciating the difficulty in shifting from uncertainty to tolerance to inclusion, Hugh encourages himself and the Ethical Culture community to reaffirm our historical role in advancing the rights of all people. An important social justice cause today is the promotion of marriage equality. Learning to celebrate together unions of love and joy makes the work lighter.
March 28, 2010
Spring Festival
The uneven arrival of Spring offers us a psychological boost but the problems of Winter remain. With music, flowers and readings we will focus on bringing the good news of Spring into our approach to active living.
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