How the COVID19 Pandemic Is Affecting Service Workers
2020-06-14 13:30 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | Virtual Program using Zoom
Prof. Anna Gassman-Pines of Duke University will speak about how service workers are impacted by the COVID19 Pandemic. Prof. Elizabeth Ananat of Barnard College and Prof Gassman-Pines recently published an article in the New York Times about the problems and needs of service workers: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/19/opinion/coronavirus-paycheck-guarantee-act.html. Their study began before the COVID19 outbreak, and has continued since. They described the data as “grim” before and after the outbreak. They also support the Paycheck Guarantee Act proposed by House Rep. Pramila Jaypal which should help these workers.

You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

A Philosophical Approach to Coping with a Pandemic
2020-06-21 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Randy Best, Leader of the Northern Virginia Ethical Society, will speak to us via Zoom. Here is his synopsis…
“What tools do I need to help me deal with a global pandemic? Are some of the ideas and approaches found in Philosophy useful in helping me cope with this existential crisis? I have found that consciously adopting a philosophical approach promotes peace of mind and allows me to move forward to contribute to solutions. I will share my findings with you.”
You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Reclaim Our Vote
2020-06-28 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
The upcoming presidential election may be the most important in modern American history. Voter turnout will be an essential factor in the outcome, especially given voter suppression efforts and the idiosyncrasy of the electoral college.
The American Ethical Union, our national organization, is partnering with Reclaim Our Vote, a non-partisan organization, to increase voter turnout in North Carolina, Texas, Arizona, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. Since 2017, Reclaim Our Vote has been reaching out to voters in states with a long history of voter suppression and have had measurable results.
In addition to the AEU, Reclaim Our Vote partners include NAACP, StateVoices, Black Voters Matter, Virginia Poor People’s Campaign, DemLabs, Mi Familia Vota, Progressive Coders Network, VoteRiders, the Transformative Justice Coalition, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, UU the Vote, Rapid Resist and others.
Join us on Sunday to find out how you can be involved in an EHST postcard campaign to get out the vote. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Holiday
2020-07-05 13:30 - 15:30 | NC
EHST will be taking a holiday, so there will be no Zoom meeting, and no meeting at Extraordinary Ventures. We hope you have a safe, and happy 4th of July weekend!

Tenant Rights in NC and the Coranavirus Pandemic
2020-07-12 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Attorney Kate Woomer-Deeters of the NC Justice Center, speaking on tenant rights during the pandemic. She specializes in Immigrant and Refugee Rights at the NC Justice Center. You can view her resource page for Tenants here: https://www.ncjustice.org/publications/updates-for-tenants-during-the-coronavirus/

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Hemant Mehta - Is Atheism The Last Political Taboo?
2020-07-19 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Hemant Mehta will speak to EHST via Zoom about atheism today. Is it the last political taboo? Mr. Mehta has become nationally known for his advocacy for “friendly atheism.” You can view his blog via this link: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkcu6vrj4iE9BpHVIXTo_4PRO8WqmDfXUp. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Attendance is limited, so please register soon!

What's Happening at the AEU Assembly?
2020-07-26 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Our national organization, the American Ethical Union, is having its annual Assembly on August 1st. Various items of business will be decided from electing new board members to passing a budget to bylaw changes and resolutions on social issues of importance. We will present what you need to know, and to give our delegates what they need to make decisions when voting takes place.
Anyone can register to attend sessions during the Assembly. In addition to business sessions there will be educational sessions you may enjoy. Check the sessions here: https://aeu.org/event/aeu2020/
And register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6si1CI2cA8OXaOacLJzPyVOvKYmIGfK6IOmXRRI_7Z6BD3g/viewform

AEU Assembly Platform
2020-08-02 15:00 - 16:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
EHST is delaying its meeting until 3 pm today so that our members can attend the virtual (Zoom) platform which will have music and the initiation of a new Leader (humanist minister) Je Hooper. You do not need to register to attend this program. Here’s more information about Mr. Hooper, and a link to join the program.
Jé Exodus Hooper is an Ethical Culture clergy-Leader within the American Ethical Union and current PhD candidate. Based in the Mid-Atlantic region, his work as creative-clergy and a performance-scholar is focused in decolonizing Humanism, homiletics, and Black Intellectual Thought. His love for performative rhetoric involves decolonized aesthetic of Black homiletic folk-talk– one of imagination as responsive reasoning. His word-working emphasizes human freedom and interconnectedness through embodiment, intuition, creativity, and improvisation. His folx-talk emerges into a love language that aids congregational practice of culture care for empowering community-life.
Here is the link to attend the program: https://bit.ly/AEUAssembly2020

A Dialog with Solomon Gibson, III on Race
2020-08-09 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Solomon Gibson, III, will help us explore our own questions about race, and relations between blacks and whites. Mr. Gibson has spoken to us several times in the last year including a talk on race relations. Today he offers to answer our questions about being black in America, and how we can develop authentic, honest dialog and friendship with people of color.

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Prof. Francesca Tripodi - What You Need to Know About Conservative Media
2020-08-16 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
UNC Professor Francesca Tripodi of the School of Information and Library Science will speak about conservative media and how they influence our national dialog. Dr. Francesca Tripodi is a sociologist and media scholar whose research examines the relationship between social media, political partisanship, and democratic participation, revealing how Google and Wikipedia are manipulated for political gains.
This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Ted Talk - William Darity on Reparations
2020-08-23 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
We will play the Ted Talk with William A. “Sandy” Darity, Jr on a blueprint for reparations in the U.S. He explains why it is necessary, and how it could make progress toward “true equality.” Prof. Darity is the Samuel DuBois Cook Professor of Public Policy, African and African American Studies and Economics and director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University. We will discuss his talk afterward during our program. You can view this Ted Talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/william_sandy_darity_a_blueprint_for_reparations_in_the_us.

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Political Correctness and Cancel Culture
2020-08-30 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Atish Sen, President of EHST, will be joined by fellow EHST members John Holmgren and Fred Breidt for a panel discussion on Political Correctness and Cancel Culture. During this time of highly divided partisan politics, how much room is there for dissent and disagreement across our self-selected tribes? What are we losing when we silence other views?

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Celebrate Labor Day
2020-09-06 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
EHST will not conduct a Zoom program today. We do recommend that you celebrate Labor Day Eve in some form or fashion. Wikipedia has a good article about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day. If you want to sing about Labor Day, check out this list of songs from The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/top-ten-labor-day-songs/.

Organizing: Creating Relationships for Transformational Change
2020-09-13 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
EHST will re-broadcast a presentation made to the Baltimore Ethical Society. Terrell Williams’ story is one we should hear and celebrate. Here is the writeup from the BES website:
We will begin the process of community change by listening to create opportunities for transformational real outcomes. We will use our most radical tool to understand why people want change and what are the fundamental characteristics that are necessary to organize to begin the transformational process (Help).Terrell Williams was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri in a place called Cochran Gardens which is a very violent community one mile from the Arch in downtown St. Louis. He attended college at the University of Kansas and later received a bachelor’s degree in Government Public Policy from the University of Baltimore, a master’s in Special and Elementary Education and post certification in Administration and Supervision. He was a retail executive for twenty years and an educator in the Baltimore City School system as Pride coordinator, which is a structured program inside the school system that helped our most violent students with emotional disabilities. Terrell was also an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University with Teach for America. He is currently an associate organizer with BUILD (Baltimoreans United In Leadership Development), and Co-director of TurnAround Tuesday – a jobs movement that seeks living wage employment for under-employed and returning citizens while developing civic leaders.
This recorded program will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Repairing the Harms of Structural Racism
2020-09-20 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
AEU Executive Director, Bart Worden, will speak to us about structural racism, and how we can and should work to repair or better demolish structural racism. After hundreds of years of damage are we at a tipping point that will lead to real and lasting change? Will ethical humanists join efforts to repair the damage of structural racism and help usher in a more equitable and compassionate society?

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Against the Tide - documentary
2020-09-27 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
The documentary “Against the Tide” is about two ex-offenders and how their community based support teams made a difference as they faced the challenges of integrating back into society. There are more than 40,000 men and women locked up in North Carolina prisons, and 98% will eventually re-enter society. This film illustrates how well things can work out when there is true community support to these men and women. After showing the video we will discuss the film.

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Racial Bias in Higher Education
2020-10-04 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Dr. Shirley Hymon-Parker, Associate Dean for Research at the College of Agriculture and Environmental Services at NC A&T State University, will speak on the issues facing people of color in higher education. Her current research focuses on cyber-human systems, cognitive ergonomics, fairness and inclusion in data science, and mixed data modeling to develop systems that empower caregivers, older people and persons with disabilities, provide support for security and privacy, and protect the nation’s cyber infrastructure. She has over 160 peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary publications and $16.4 million in external research funding. She has advised to completion 20 doctoral students, 34 MS thesis students, 15 MS project students, 47 undergraduate researchers, and 4 high school researchers. Dr. Smith-Jackson has been employed in industry, government, and academia in North Carolina, New York, Virginia, and Germany. She chose academia because her passion is the development and success of future engineers and scientists.

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

America: What Went Wrong?
2020-10-11 11:00 - 12:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
EHST will be joining with the Philadelphia Ethical Society at 11 a.m. to hear James Steele talk about his book “America: What Went Wrong? The Crisis Deepens.” Here’s more about the book: “Long before Covid-19 ravaged the economy, millions of middle-class Americans were struggling with another crisis—stagnant earnings, unaffordable health care and the prospect of an impoverished retirement. This is no accident: Barlett and Steele vividly reveal how Congresses and presidents of both parties repeatedly make decisions that favor the few at the expense of most Americans. But the authors show that this need not be. To make the American dream a reality for all Americans, our government must reassert itself on behalf of all the people—with regulatory oversight that balances public safety with business interests, more equitable tax policies, and programs that assure all Americans of basic health care and a decent retirement.”

The program will be presented via Zoom from Philadelphia. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

School Resource Officers in Our Schools - Help or Harm?
2020-10-18 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
UNC Prof. Barbara Fedders will speak to us about School Resource Officers (SROs) in our schools and whether they benefit all students. She will also highlight the work of the Youth Justice Clinic which UNC sponsors. SROs were originally brought into schools to help prevent mass shootings in schools. Now they are under scrutiny in their alleged role in the “school to prison pipeline.” Some school systems are either eliminating SROs or cutting back their numbers. Prof. Fedders will talk with us about this issue.

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Fall 2020 Members Meeting
2020-10-25 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Each fall, EHST has a meeting of members, friends, and visitors to discuss what has transpired (good, bad, and ugly) for the society this year, and what looms ahead next year for us. the coronavirus has been challenging, and we need to discuss the future of our in person meetings for 2021. Additionally our programs, budget, board activity, and needs are reviewed during the meeting. Questions are encouraged, which we will attempt to answer, to allow members and prospective members to understand our “state of the union.” We also will kick off our pledge campaign for 2021. Come get the facts about our humanist congregation!

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Plastic Pandemic
2020-11-01 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Plastic is everywhere, and plastic lasts forever. Do we have a problem here? EHST member, Chris Kaman, will talk about the history of plastic, who really benefits from plastic, and why we are both dependent on plastic, and threatened by its use. One documentary on Netflix titled “A Plastic Ocean” illustrates one of the problems with plastic.

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Understanding "Defunding the Police" with Alex S. Vitale
2020-11-15 11:00 - 12:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
EHST will join with the Riverdale Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture (RYSEC) to hear their program on defunding the police. Here’s the writeup from RYSEC:
“You’ve likely heard the calls for defunding the police, during this summer’s demonstrations against police killings. You may agree and wonder how we could get there, or you may think that defunding goes too far, or you may just wonder what it means. Whatever your reaction, here’s a chance to find out more.”

“Alex S. Vitale will be our guest speaker on this morning. Professor Vitale, who teaches in the Department of Sociology at Brooklyn College and has researched and written about the future of policing for 30 years, will explain the ‘defund the police’ movement and its relationship to the long struggle for racial and economic justice.”
This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Stone Soup in the Time of Covid
2020-11-22 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Many versions of the Stone Soup tale are set in a time of hardship and want. Soldiers coming back from war begging for food. Villagers wary of sharing their scare goods.

As we look for ways to celebrate Thanksgiving and giving thanks we are aware of the hardships and want that the current pandemic has created and exposed.

Let us examine today’s conditions as well as systemic problems and look to ways to alleviate some of the needs we see all around us. And let us ponder ways to celebrate the holiday while keeping separate from family and friends.

Jan Broughton will lead us in our program.

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Two Perspectives on Climate Change
2020-11-29 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
EHST will be viewing two short Ted videos offering viewpoints on our current climate crisis. One discusses the inevitability of disappearing land, and the social and environmental justice challenges coming with the resulting human migration. The other video highlights climate impact on our food supply chain and several technologies that can mitigate, and even improve, how we feed our planet going forward.

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

How Can Humanity Rise to Meet Our Emerging Future
2020-12-06 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Humanity is at a crossroads: we are on the precipice of destroying our habitat, the very earth that gives us sustenance and supports life. How do we go forward to create a better world? This presentation by Betsey Downing, Ph.D, focuses on mental and emotional skills to develop the maturity and resilience needed to rise to meet our challenges.
Betsey Downing, Ph.D., was a meditation and yoga teacher for nearly 45 years, before retiring to become a volunteer climate educator. She has given lectures on our climate crisis, lobbied Congress for a fee and dividend on fossil fuels, and has led a bi-weekly climate discussion group for the past 5 years. In January she plans to start a free book discussion group, based on Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong, by Norman Fischer, a longtime Zen teacher.

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Jenna Wadsworth on North Carolina's Agricultural Future
2020-12-13 01:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Jenna Wadsworth, the 2020 Democratic candidate for NC Commissioner of Agriculture, will speak to us about the future of North Carolina’s investments in agriculture. Her campaign focused on a wide range of issues from farmland preservation to dealing with climate change to the promotion of hemp, and the legalization of cannabis. She is a young, progressive, eloquent advocate with a vision you need to hear.

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Tom Neilson - Forks in the Road
2020-12-20 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Tom Neilson is a singer and songwriter, mixing satire and social commentary. He will talk to us about his life and also entertain us with some songs. His website states “His travels around the U.S. are reflected in his songs, intertwined with farm roots and a fervent commitment to social justice, as he writes about historical and current events. He has been at the for-front in helping communities organize against water privatization, mountain top removal, nuclear energy, incinerators, GMOs, fracking, & toxic waste. Known locally as the Bard Insurgent, Tom is a veteran of stage and street theater with his writing, acting, and directing. His songs draw the listener into his musical response to globalization.”
This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

What's at Stake for the Nation in Georgia's Election of 2 U.S. Senators, this January 5th?
2020-12-27 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Suzanne MacDonough, a life coach, will outline the national impacts of our U.S. Senate continuing with a Republican majority, or ‘flipped blue’ to a Democratic Party majority (with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote).
Whether you root for the incumbent Senators (Loeffler and Perdue) or their challengers (Warnock and Ossoff), the layers and details of this election are fascinating.

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

New Year Roundtable Discussion
2021-01-03 01:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
EHST will facilitate a round table discussion focusing on issues that matter most to members and friends of EHST for the new year. Come share your thoughts about what is important to you in 2021, and equally important, hear what others are thinking. Are you optimistic, pessimistic, apathetic?

This talk will be presented via a Zoom session. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.

Native American Issues for 2021
2021-01-10 11:00 - 12:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Federated Tribes) is an indigenous activist, writer, educator, and researcher. As a public intellectual, she’s written about Native American history and on environmentalism. Her 2016 book All the Real Indians Died Off and 20 Other Myths About Native Americans was co-written with Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. Her recent book (2019) is about the history of Indigenous activism on the environment, As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice from Colonization to Standing Rock. She will share with us her vision for 2021.

Note that this program will take place at 11:00 a.m. rather than our customary 1:30 p.m.
This talk will be presented via a Zoom session via the Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture. You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. If you would like to be a participant in the meeting, please email us at info@ncethicalsociety.org and provide your first and last name in your request.
