Ethical Humanist Society of the Triangle

Repairing the Harms of Structural Racism
2020-09-20 13:30 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | 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.

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.

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/.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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!

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.

Holiday
2020-07-05 13:30 - 15:30
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!

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.

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.

How the COVID19 Pandemic Is Affecting Service Workers
2020-06-14 13:30 - 15:30 | 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.

Are Humans Bad For The Earth?
2020-06-07 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Leader Kate Lovelady spoke to the New York Society for Ethical Culture in October 2010 on this topic. We will show her talk via Youtube, and discuss our reactions to it. The Pulitzer Prizewinning book “The Overstory” was published in 2018, and it covers similar territory as Ms. Lovelady’s talk. You can view it here if you can’t participate on Sunday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnQZNjGD_p4&t=2189s

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.

Instances of Gratitude Felt in Spite of the Coronavirus Pandemic
2020-05-31 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Join us for a check-in and discussion this Sunday led by EHST Program Chair John Holmgren. Our topic will be “Instances of Gratitude Felt in Spite of the Coronavirus Pandemic.” We welcome you to think about your experiences over the last three months and share any positive moments that emerged during the upheaval of lock down and social distancing.
This will be presented via Zoom.
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.

Losing I, Finding We - An Exploration of Attachment
2020-05-24 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Christian Hayden, an ethical humanist leader-in-training, will speak to us via Zoom. Ethical Culture does not have explicit tenets or commandments, but it does ask of its members/followers to commit to building ethical relationships, because we as a community feel they are imperative to social justice and realizing a better world. At the same time, many of us struggle to invite intimacy into our personal, romantic, and communal lives — why is that? And what ideas might lead us to better meeting our charge in the future?
The most important thing to know about Christian, is that he is an Ethical Culture leader in training. The second most important thing is that he fell in love with photography recently, so you might hear about that, too. Christian is a full-time facilitator, a very part-time poet, and is striving to be a 24/7 humanist. He also spent a year in Ghana with the Humanist Service Corps and was awarded the Mossler Fellowship in 2016.
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.

Taoist Philosophy
2020-05-17 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
The Tao Te Ching text in the form we know it dates from between 200 to 600 BCE, It is a collection of 81 verses that have elements similar to Buddhism, Christianity, Stoic Philosophy, and others. Taoist philosophy as outlined in the Tao Te Ching contains many of the principles of ethical humanism and offers us practical guidance for daily living. Fred Breidt will discuss a bit of the history of the Tao Te Ching, the many translations of the text to English, its relationship to western cultural values, and related topics. Recommended reading for the talk is: Tao Te Ching, the Definitive Edition, by Lao Tzu, Translation and Commentary by Jonathan Star.
This will be presented via Zoom.
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.

Journey to Myanmar: Pagodas and Bamboo Houses.
2020-05-10 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Earlier this year, EHST member Jan Broughton traveled to Myanmar with a group of fellow Habitat for Humanity volunteers to participate in that organization’s international Global Village program. Through the monetary contributions and volunteer labor of these groups housing is built for peoples in many countries. Travel, meals, and accommodations are arranged by the local and host country Habitat affiliates. The volunteers learn about local customs and building methods for an unforgettable experience in cultural immersion.
In her talk Jan will briefly cover the history of Burma/Myanmar and share the cultural practices she observed while being the tourist in cities and the countryside. Included in the photographic essay will be a description of how to build a bamboo house in less than and week.
This will be presented via Zoom.
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.

The Compass Center for Women and Families
2020-05-03 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Valerie Saur, Director of Education for the Compass Center, will speak to us about the mission and work of the Compass Center for Women and Families. Here is their mission statement: “Compass Center for Women and Families helps all people navigate their journey to self-sufficiency, safety, and health. We empower individuals and promote equal access to opportunity regardless of gender or economic status. Our services include career and financial education, domestic violence crisis and prevention programs, assistance with legal resources, and youth health programs.”

You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. We are NOT meeting at Extraordinary Ventures. 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.

Special Meeting
2020-04-26 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
This meeting is a restricted meeting for members and those familiar with our society. We hope you will find another meeting of interest and participate via our Zoom based programs.

What You Need to Know About Antisemitism
2020-04-19 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Max Lazar, PhD Candidate in History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will speak to us (via Zoom*) on Antisemitism, and what we should all know about it. We should all be concerned about the rise of Antisemitism in Europe and the U.S. White Supremacist propaganda efforts in the U.S. in 2019 more than doubled from 2018, according to a recent report by the Anti-Defamation League. This was the largest number of propaganda incidents the ADL has ever recorded. Such propaganda includes not only Antisemitism, but also anti-Muslim, anti-Black, and non-white immigrant racism, as well as anti-LGBTQ hate memes.
*You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. We are NOT meeting at Extraordinary Ventures. 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.

Affordable Housing
2020-04-12 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
Mai Nguyen, UNC Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning, will speak to us via Zoom* about affordable housing: What is “affordable” housing, and what is being done locally to make it available? Our speaker will provide us with the details on this important issue.
Here is an article to prepare you for this talk: https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/its-time-for-progressive-politicians-to-catch-up-to-the-rising-affordable-housing-movement/
*You do not need a Zoom account to “attend” this virtual meeting. We are NOT meeting at Extraordinary Ventures. We will post the link to the Zoom session soon.

Discussion and Sharing Sunday
2020-04-05 13:30 - 15:30 | Virtual Program using Zoom
EHST will hold its first virtual program through Zoom (zoom.us). We are having this first meeting only for our members and friends. Our subsequent program on April 12th will be a Zoom virtual program that is open to the public.

EHST CANCELS MARCH PROGRAMS
2020-03-15 13:30 - 2020-03-29 15:30 | Extraordinary Ventures, 200 S. Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Following the guidelines issued by Gov. Cooper, EHST Sunday platforms are canceled through the end of March. Therefore, no meetings will be held on the 15th, the 22nd, or the 29th of March.
Per the governor’s guidelines, meetings should be restricted to fewer than 100 people. Those in high risk categories should stay away from assemblies. This applies to people age 65 and older, those with heart or lung disease, diabetes, etc. Also, people with a weakened immune system. This covers most of our Society.

We will make an announcement about April programs later in the month.

The Slow Decline of Human Values and Ethics
2020-03-08 13:30 - 15:30 | Extraordinary Ventures, 200 S. Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Professor Mary Hope of the radio program, Seeking Justice, will speak to us about her program and our shared focus on seeking justice for all. Prof. Hope’s professional work at William Jessup University in Greensboro is focused on Peace and Conflict Studies. Her radio program examines issues of conflict from multiple perspectives, seeking to transcend “right” and “wrong,” to more deeply understand causes and seek options for positive resolutions.

Reckoning Initiative: Race and Memory at UNC
2020-03-01 13:30 - 15:30 | Extraordinary Ventures, 200 S. Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
In the fall of 2019, UNC – Chapel Hill embarked on a shared learning initiative entitled Reckoning: Race, Memory and Reimagining the Public University. Spurred in part by the ongoing controversy surrounding the forcible removal of the Confederate monument Silent Sam, this initiative comprised a broad set of courses and campus events. The objective was to support student learning and discussions about heritage, race, post-conflict legacies, politics of remembrance, and contemporary projects of reconciliation.
EHST is pleased to host Professor William Sturkey of the UNC Department of History and Professor Charles Irons of the Department of History and Geography at Elon University to discuss the reckoning initiative at UNC and similar efforts at other institutions of higher learning.
Prof. Sturkey teaches one of the courses in this program at UNC. He received his PhD in African American history at Ohio State University. Prof. Irons is Chair of the Department of History and Geography at Elon University.

GENTLE REMINDER: This will be the first Sunday of the month. Please bring canned goods and other non-perishable dry goods for the IFC Food Pantry. Please remember to bring your donations in PAPER grocery bags.

Second Chances and the Community Success Initiative
2020-02-23 13:30 - 15:30 | Extraordinary Ventures, 200 S. Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
Dennis Gaddy, Founder and Executive Director of the Community Success Initiative, will tell us how his organization helps those who have previously been incarcerated make the transition to life on the outside. Since 2004, the CSI has helped those who have made mistakes in their lives to get a second chance in life.

The Great Monkey Trial: John Scopes and Clarence Darrow versus William Jennings Bryan and the State of Tennessee
2020-02-16 13:30 - 15:30 | Extraordinary Ventures, 200 S. Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, United States
EHST member, Mike Conrad, will speak about this famous trial to help us remember and celebrate the work of Charles Darwin and how his work challenged our way of thinking. The fight to teach evolution is still not over! Check these links for more information:
https://futurism.com/battle-teach-evolution-public-schools-far-from-over
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_and_evolution_in_public_education_in_the_United_States
