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The Ethical Culture Society of Essex County
Platform Programs 2013-2014Platform Programs each Sunday at 11:00 AM
516 Prospect Street, Maplewood, New Jersey 07040
Corner of Parker and Prospect
Phone 973-763-1905
Current Week
Sept 13, 2015 Nkosi Anderson, "Ethical Dimensions of Christianity"
Nkosi Anderson, a PhD student in Christian Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in
New York, is our opening speaker for the 2015-2016 season, and the first speaker in our new series, "What Ethical Culture Can Learn from Other Religions, Philosophies, and Traditions." He will be discussing what Christianity means to him, and how its principles inspire his commitment to social justice and service to the community.
Nkosi Anderson's family has deep multigenerational roots in South Orange and Maplewood. He is the son of Drs. Herman and Adunni Anderson and brother to Anwar Anderson.
A product of First Baptist Church of South Orange, Nkosi graduated from Columbia High School in 1997. He has worked in public education, government and academia, and with religious, nonprofit and community groups.
Nkosi remains committed to a number of movements for social justice and is active in a variety of organizations including South Mountain Peace Action, YouthNet, The Poverty Initiative/Kairos Center, Mother's Kitchen and The Roots Project, Inc.Nkosi holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in African-American Studies, both from Columbia University. He also received his MDiv from Union Theological Seminary, NY.
Sept. 20 Margaret Mikkelsen, "Giving wings to artists with disabilities"
Arts administrator Margaret Mikkelsen, the director of Arts Unbound, will discuss how careers in the arts can help break the link between disability and poverty. She will describe ways in which the organization supports the vocational aspirations of artists with disabilities through classes and individual counseling, enabling talented creators to overcome the barriers they might have faced dealing with the art market.
Margaret Mikkelsen brings over 17 years of non-profit experience to her work with Arts Unbound. She has a special interest in organizational effectiveness, financial sustainability, evaluation and program design. Margaret's previous work addressed social justice and human service issues including reproductive justice, sexual violence and maternity care. She holds a master's degree in public policy and administration from the University of York, a master's degree in political science from The John Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree from Amherst College. Margaret lives with her family in Montclair.
Sept. 27 Amy Blake, "How We Live Our Lives"
The Essex Ethical Culture Society Board voted unanimously on July 8 to hire Amy Blake, award-winning teacher at Hartshorn School, to be the Ethical Education Director.
Come meet her on Sunday, Sept. 27, 11 a.m., for our first Ethical Education program. Amy Blake, Ethical Education Director of ESCES. She will present the opening program for our Ethical Education Initiative. Through song and sharing of her experiences teaching philosophy to young children, we will work together to share hopes for the initiative.
This is a program with an opportunity to grow. Your voices are wanted, valued and needed The program is designed for all ages and we especially invite those families who are eager to provide a dignity-based learning experience for their children.
Amy Blake has used her love of music and songwriting at the Hartshorn School in Millburn, NJ as a method to deliver the curriculum for many years. She will be bringing a musician friend to better help you understand some of the work she does. Amy has just completed The Amistad Workshop run by the state of New Jersey and will be writing curriculum infusing the history of African Americans into our state social studies teaching.
Reggie Harris,(http://www.kimandreggie.com/) artist, educator, and story teller himself, described Amy as "literate, articulate and open to new ideas in ways that show an indefatigable thirst for knowledge, respect for skills and opinions of others and for the diversity that is present in this world. She is a tireless advocate for ethics and experiential learning."
Her young students also recommend her. Reese wrote, " Ms. Blake is creative and kind. ...we always have learning parties." And Raymond wrote, "She is funny...but at the same time making sure we're doing the correct thing."
Come meet Amy and participate in this first program of the Ethical Education Initiative!
Oct. 4 Nadia Lvov, “Russia: Between Asia and Europe”
Professor Nadia Lvov will “set the stage” for the cultural struggle unfolding in Russia today.
Russian culture has developed under Byzantine influence, much of which was introduced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, and with the conversion of Slavs to Christianity. As a result of Peter the Great's reforms at the beginning of the 18th century, Russia made a sharp turn towards western European culture. The mixture of Byzantine and Catholic traditions produced unique works of art, literature and music. It also influenced politics. Heated debates between slavophiles and pro-westerners brought instability to Russian political life in the beginning of the 20th century, and still divide Russian society. The western European way was chosen by Mikhail Gorbachev when he came to power in 1985; the Byzantine way of a strong Orthodox Church and absolute power was chosen by Vladimir Putin. Future development of Russia will depend on which tradition will win in society.
Nadia Lvov, who came into contact with our Ethical Society through her friendship with Gus Lindquist, was born in Moscow, Russia, the former USSR. In 1996 she immigrated to the US and in 1997 was admitted to NYU Graduate School, Department of Physics. After she obtained her MS in physics she joined the faculty at Essex County College in Newark, NJ, where she is currently teaching physics and astronomy. Nadia Lvov is married and has three daughters. She lives in Congers NY.
Oct. 11 Dr. Morris Silver, “China Explained”
Through his decades of fascination with China, Dr. Morris Silver has educated himself about its various facets. He has offered to provide us with a concise introduction to its complex and compelling history, its rich and equally complex culture, and its ever-evolving, often mystifying (to the West) politics.
“Longtime member of the Ethical Culture Society, I am a dentist as my profession but an ethical culturist as a full time job. I am married to Ruth and I have three adult children from a previous marriage. I travel a lot, I am a reader and love life.”
Oct. 18 Barbara Velazquez, “Ethics of Theosophy”
As part of our new series introducing Ethical Culturalists to the philosophical and spiritual gifts of other religious paths, Barbara Velazquez will speak about Theosophy.
Dr. Velazquez will discuss the history of the Theosophist Society and its purpose. She will present an overview of its teachings, philosophy and practice including: the three objects, Truth, Spiritual Practice, Universal Laws, 7 Principles and Spiritual Evolution.
Barbara Velazquez is an active Theosophist. The Theosophist Society is composed of students belonging to any religion or to none. Its members are united by their approval of the Society’s Three Objects, by their wish to remove religious antagonisms and to draw together people of good will whatsoever their religious opinions, and by their desire to study religious truths and to share the results of their studies with others. Their bond of union is not the profession of a common belief, but a common search and aspiration for Truth. In accordance with the Theosophical spirit, most Theosophists regard Truth as a prize to be striven for, not as a dogma to be imposed by authority. They hold that belief should be the result of individual understanding and intuition rather than mere acceptance of traditional ideas, and that it should rest on knowledge and experience, not on assertion. Truth should therefore be sought by study, reflection, meditation, service, purity of life, and devotion to high ideals. For more information, see http://www.theosophical.org.
Dr. Barbara Velazquez earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Seton Hall University in 1999 and is in private practice in Maplewood NJ. She is a founder of several non-profit organizations and programs including the Spiritual Unity Network, the Taskforce for Humanity Coalition and the NJ Kindness Campaign. She is a trustee on the SOMA Community Coalition on Race and serves on the Executive Committee. She was also chair of the committee that organized the Cultural Heritage Festivals held in Maplewood in 2014 and 2015. She has been a student of Metaphysics for nearly 40 years and has been a member of the Theosophical Society for 18. She currently serves as Vice President of the Surya Theosophical Study Group which meets in Maplewood.
Oct. 25 Alice Robinson-Gilman interviews Elaine Durbach, “A Personal Take on the New South Africa”
Alice will interview fellow ECS member Elaine Durbach about her home country, South Africa. Elaine, who still has family living there, has visited the country periodically since moving to the United States in 1981, and has witnessed — as she puts it — a “stop-action” version of its progress from apartheid rogue state to a shaky but evolving democracy, dogged by ills like frequent power outages, and blessed with extraordinary cultural vitality.
Journalist Elaine Durbach was born in Zimbabwe, grew up in Zambia and Lesotho, and was educated in South Africa. She immigrated to the USA in 1981. Currently, she is working on a novel about life in both countries, and is developing a new communications service, based on her 40 years of interviewing people from all walks of life. She lives in Maplewood with her husband Marshall Norstein, the building manager of ECS, and their son Gabriel.
Alice is a longtime member of ECS. She was instrumental in starting a series of interactive membership programs on issues of concern to families as their children grew. She has also co-presented programs with Sue Willis on books concerning the environment and worldwide issues.
Nov. 1 Martha Gallahue, "Spiritual Literacy: what it means and where it is trending in US"
Martha will discuss how the embrace of spirituality has moved to include not only personal
practice but also collective activism. She will include discussion of the growing interspirituality movement and stress the importance of ethical culture’s stance of non-theism to our participation in it. She will use her experiences from the UN to give examples and tell stories. She has enjoyed a long collegial relationship with Dr. Kurt Johnson, one of the world’s leading coordinators of interspirituality, also vice president of National Ethical Service. Martha has been in leadership positions in a variety of roles with National Ethical Service, the affiliate organization of The American Ethical Union, and which is in association with the United Nations Department of Public Information.
Martha presently is an ECOSOC representative at the United Nations with United Religions Initiative, a worldwide non-governmental organization with over 600,000 members. In our local Society, she is promoting the growth of the ethical education initiative whose aim is to develop regular programming especially for children leading to global citizenship.
Nov. 8 William Stoever, “A Kid from Iowa Encounters the Religions of the World”
Bill Stoever will discuss how a world view shaped by a childhood in Iowa has been
expanded over the years by encounters with Islam and other religions, through his travels around the U.S., and in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
William (Bill) A. Stoever grew up in Iowa, and now lives in Maplewood. In between, he has broadened his vision by living in and visiting rural and urban sites around the world. The retired Seton Hall University business professor wrote Hitchhike the World about his travels through American, Europe and Africa, and is now working on his second book, World Traveler, on hitchhiking through the Middle East and Asia.
“What I did would not be for everyone,” he said. “The travels were frequently uncomfortable and lonely… you have to be able to withstand the downsides.”
He said writing “Hitchhike the World” brings him back to yesteryear. “I was a young man when I did those travels, and I find myself transported back to those years as I write,” he said. “I think I’m writing from a young man’s perspective.”
He suspects young travelers of today will find his memoir inspiring, and perhaps even the “armchair travelers” who wish they could’ve done what Stoever did.
While he admits he wouldn’t be eager to put himself through the discomforts and uncertainties of his wilder days, he reflects on them fondly. He embarked on these journeys because he wanted to, and he encourages others to follow their hearts, too.
“Do what’s right for you,” he said. “I chose to go on the teaching program in Africa, and to hitch around Asia, even though I knew my parents wouldn’t be happy about it. Save some money. Live within your budget so you can afford to travel – if you want to.”
Nov. 15 Lucy Schmitz, “The UN and the Global Movement for a Culture of Peace”
Columbia University student and UN youth representative Lucy Schmitz will discuss the
National Ethical Service and the global movement for the culture of peace at the UN, and how her concept of ethics has broadened as she has seen its implementability through those organizations.
Maplewood resident Lucy Schmitz first spoke at Ethical when she was a student at Columbia High School and was leading its gay-straight alliance, Spectrum. Now, after studying in France for two years, she is enrolled at Columbia University, where she is studying international affairs and human rights. Also, for the past two years, Lucy has been the Youth Representative for The National Ethical Service, a UN-affiliated NGO which represents the interests of Ethical Culture Societies and promotes peace and global community in the United Nations.
Nov. 22 Hasan Shanawani, “Islam and Ethics”
Islam is a religion followed by nearly a quarter of the world’s population. What are the textual sources for most mainstream Muslims around the world? How are good and evil designated? What are the controversies, both historic and current, among Muslim scholars and laypeople? Does Islam have a living spokesman for God or His messengers?
Hasan Shanawani, MPH MD, is a lecturer at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, a writer on Islam and Bioethics, and a member of the ethics council for the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA). He most recently spoke at the University of Florida on Islam and Bioethics, and has written several papers on Islam and ethics.
Nov. 29 - Post-Thanksgiving Colloquy (led by Elaine Durbach) on "The Good, the Bad, and the Not So Ugly After All"
In the season celebrating gratitude, we are going to take a look at those life events that, for all our diligent attempts to avoid them, often turn out to be the most beneficial. While we seek to be good and do good, can bad behavior sometimes prove productive? And so-called "bad luck" actually provide just what we need?
Dec. 6 Families for Education program presented jointly by Amy Blake, Director of Families for Ethical Education Initiative (FEE) and Martha Gallahue, Leader.
In our local Society, Martha is promoting the growth of the ethical education initiative whose aim is to develop regular programming especially for children, leading to global citizenship. The program is designed for all ages and we especially invite those families who are eager to provide a dignity-based learning experience for their children.
Amy Blake has been described as “open to new ideas in ways that show an indefatigable thirst for knowledge, respect for skills and opinions of others and for the diversity that is present in this world. She is a tireless advocate for ethics and experiential learning.”
We invite the whole community with and without children to celebrate in festival mode together.
Dec. 13 Eugene Lieber, “War’s Insanity: Viet Nam & Iraq”
An overview of two American wars and their lessons for today presented by Eugene Lieber, Professor Emeritus, Essex County College.
Prof. Lieber lectures extensively around the state, covering historical topics from Ancient Rome to struggles in our contemporary world.
Eugene Lieber was an Associate Professor of History at Essex County College where he has taught American History and World Civilization for 39 years. For over two decades he has also lectured to various groups on a wide variety of topics, covering the world and the United States, ancient, modern, and the present. Now retired, he continues a community lecture schedule.
When summing up his view of history, Prof. Lieber wrote: “I must place human beings at the center of the story of history, what they have been capable of, for better or worse, in their relationship to nature and each other.”
Dec. 20 An Open Panel of Jewish ECS Members: “What Judaism Teaches About Morality”
As part of our ongoing series on what other religions offer in terms of ethical teaching, Jewish members of the society are invited to offer their personal views on what they feel Judaism offers in terms of ethics — through its texts, rituals and traditions. We might also be joined by one or two guests, to get additional perspectives.
Dec. 27 Prof. Richard White: Starting with Compassion
Jan 3 Year End/New Year Colloquy
Adapting our usual tradition, we will be opening the New Year with a circle discussion (postponed from Dec. 27) on the memorable moments and lessons of 2015, and what we hope for from 2016. We’ll share our resolutions for ourselves and for the country, and our hopes and commitments for ECS.
Jan 10 Beth K. Lamont, “Humanist Values and Healing for the Woes of the World”
In the fifth session of our series on what Ethicalists can learn from other groups, Humanist Chaplain Beth K. Lamont will discuss her values and beliefs, and those of the movement to which she belongs. As she has written, “…As an individual, I have the power to raise my own voice in protest. I value Life; I love my own Family, and the larger family of Humankind. I revere the Human Species, and believe in the right to peaceful pursuit of individual and societal happiness. I pledge to support the ideals of a Culture of Peace, and will encourage others to do likewise.”
Beth K. Lamont is a leader with the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York, a chapter of the American Humanist Association, which meets currently at the NY Society for Ethical Culture. She is also president of the Half-Moon Foundation, which was founded by her late husband, Corliss Lamont, president emeritus of the American Humanist Association, and author of The Philosophy of Humanism, among other works.
[See the Web site: www.corliss-lamont.org or www.humanvalues.net for Beth’s Blog and “Lefties Are In Their Right Minds!”]
Jan 17 Steve Sklar, “Sklar To Run for Oval Office on the PAJAMA Party Ticket”
On an implied but nonetheless clear invitation from Ted Cruz’s college roommate, and ascertaining that the current lineup of Presidential hopefuls leaves an opening as wide as a blimp for a new candidate, Ethical Culture’s very own erstwhile speaker Steve Sklar has decided to seek the Presidency. The Maplewood resident is running unopposed on the Project American Just Amateur Magnificence Again (PAJAMA) Party ticket. He has recently announced his candidacy on such notable media outlets as Youtube — well, only on Youtube — where already he has garnered literally tens of views and thousands, or maybe half a dozen, endorsements, many of them coming from non-relatives and two from almost certain strangers.
Sklar will consider, with all the respect that is due them, the no doubt well-meaning but deficient policies of rival contenders for the White House, will ruminate as only he can about what is lacking from their current campaigns, and will review the best of the actual statements they have made, to the end that we can all say together, “Really?”
When not on the campaign trail, Steve divides his time between practicing immigration law, studying group improv and longboarding on local asphalt. If you drive past him while he is engaged in the latter, he asks that you kindly refrain from running him over.
RESCHEDULED TO MARCH 27
Jan 24 Michael Lally, “How Creativity Can Save Lives”
From Mike: “I’ve been saying since I was young that ‘poetry saved my life’ and it continues to. Both reading the poetry of others, or hearing them read it, but even more crucially, writing my own. Though, in fact, all kinds of creative activity on my part, and as demonstrated by the work of others, have also saved and continue to save my life. I created a post card poetry reading announcement many decades ago that stated ‘Poetry conquers fear’ and that too holds true for me and always has. It’s fear that is at the root of my problems with life and wanting to give up, many times throughout my seventy-three years. But by creatively expressing my response to whatever challenges I am, or my world or the world is, facing at any given moment, even if it’s full of rage or ranting, I can begin to put the challenge into a perspective that includes some knowledge of not just the history of mine and the world’s tragic moments but the history of all kinds of creative responses to those tragedies and I begin to see a way out of my despair and deep disappointment. There was an Argentine working-man philosopher named Antonio Prochia who wrote aphorisms, and one of them, loosely translated, was: ‘The person who has made nothing and the person who has made a thousand things both feel the same desire: to make something.’
Michael Lally has had over two dozen books published since 1970, National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowships, awards, various day jobs including book critic, TV and movie actor, screenwriter and script doctor etc. Since 2006, also writing the blog, Lally’s Alley, lallysalley.blogspot.com
Jan 31 Informal Program on Families for Ethical Education
Amy Blake and Martha Gallahue will hold an informal Program reviewing last year's accomplishments with our Families for Ethical Education and focus upon what we are planning moving forward into 2016. We welcome, members, families, children and visitors to this event. There will be time to hear from you too. Happy New Year!
Feb 7 George Brandon, "Ethical Dimensions of West African Orisha Devotion"
African religions continue to be little known, widely misunderstood and much maligned in the West despite having millions of adherents and extensive histories in both Africa and the African diaspora of the
United States, the Caribbean and South America. In this talk George Brandon looks at one particular religious tradition, Orisha devotion, a tradition that originated in West Africa and now also has millions of adherents throughout the Caribbean, South America, the United States and Europe. After a description of the basic beliefs and principles of Orisha devotion, Dr. Brandon will focus on its ethical dimensions and the dilemmas facing Orisha devotees living in religiously plural societies where Africans and African religious have been marginalized and subjected to persecution.
George Brandon is professor emeritus of the City University of New York's Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at the City College of New York where he taught medical anthropology and behavioral medicine for twenty-four years. He has had past appointments at the University of Maryland (UMBC), Grinnell College, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Rutgers University and remains on the faculty of the Omega Institute for Wholistic Studies. Throughout his career as an anthropologist his research has concentrated upon African and African Diasporic religions as worldviews and as healing systems. He has published articles on African religion in Cuba and the United States, Black American spiritual healers, the folk medicine of the Jamaican Maroons and has lectured internationally. As a consultant he has worked closely with interfaith organizations such as the Interfaith Center of New York where he taught for several years in the IFNY's religious competency program for social workers, as well as the Tannenbaum Foundation where he assisted in the preparation of their Manual of Religious Diversity for Health Care Workers.
Feb 14 Jerry Ryan, "Think Local"
The presidential races may be getting all of the attention these days, but local politics, local elections, and local government have much more of an effect on everyday life in town. Jerry Ryan will share his reflections on his just-concluded service as a member of the Maplewood Township Committee. He'll talk about what you should know, what you'd be surprised about, and the things that you know that just aren't so. There will be a broad opportunity for questions and conversation.
Jerry Ryan is a thirty-one year resident of Maplewood. He has had a long career in the technology industry at companies like AT&T, Lucent, Avaya and Motorola. e also raised three children in Maplewood and served for 19 years as a member of the Maplewood Township Committee, including three years as Maplewood's Mayor. He is currently teaching at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Feb 21 Betty Levin, "The Wisdom of Aging"
I don't know how I've come to reach almost 90 years of age, while tapping into ome measure of wisdom. It's not necessarily in my genes — I've had only one relative who achieved longevity, my brother Lester, who lived to 91 but was a disciplined athlete. Until almost the end, he worked out daily at the gym. I merely attend Healthy Bones once a week and Chair Yoga, co-led by our Karen Bokert, twice weekly.
My role models have taught me much. Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, author of "From Age-ing to Sage-ing," explains it this way: "EVERYONE can be wise. It's very simple — we all make
mistakes. When you finally learn from your mistakes, then you become wise." And I've personally flubbed mightily in the Mistake Department. In my presentation, I will speak of other role models — how we keep growing and learning till the end of our days. Achieving knowledge is a life-long experience, not necessarily confined to institutions of learning. The longer you live, the more opportunity to discover morsels to season, digest and absorb. Thus becoming an elder offers the possibility of triumph.
I'm not entirely sure why I'm writing my memoir. It first started when Stephanie, my granddaughter, at age six, asked me, "Grandma, what was it like growing up in those days?" It went far beyond that query to become a process of self-therapy and healing. I'm achieving a new understanding of the phenomenon called "The Life Journey." I recommend that everyone write her/his memoir.
At the program, I shall distribute a recommended bibliography that includes books about peace and other ideas I have found of value.
Feb 28 Nick Ingoglia, "Inside the world of Science — Creativity, Corruption, and the Pursuit of Truth"
Nick Ingoglia, PhD, a retired professor of Neurobiology will discuss how a passion for the truth can inspire a career — and how sometimes truth is sidelined by ambition and self-deception, if not outright corruption.Dr. Ingoglia, PhD, was a professor of Pharmacology/Physiology and Neuroscience, and associate dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UMDNJ. In 2006, he was selected as the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Minority PhD Program Faculty Mentor of the Year for his role in encouraging and supporting minority students in their quest for doctoral degrees. Dr. Ingoglia was nominated by his students on the Newark campus and received the award at a national meeting of The Compact For Faculty Diversity in Miami, Florida.
Dr. Ingoglia, a resident of North Caldwell, joined the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, UMDNJ's predecessor organization, in 1971. He received his PhD from New York University and completed his post-doctoral study at Cornell Medical School.
March 6 - Dr. Edward Tick, Healing for War Veterans.
Edward Tick, Ph.D., whose current book is Warrior's Return: Restoring the Soul After War, is Founding Director of the non-profit Soldier's Heart, Inc. Honored for his groundbreaking work in the spiritual, holistic and community-based healing of veterans and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Dr. Tick has been a psychotherapist for 39 years, specializing in working with veterans since the 1970s.
Dr. Tick is an internationally recognized educator and expert on veterans, PTSD, and the psychology of military-related issues and has conducted trainings, retreats and workshops across the country and overseas. He has lectured and trained staff and worked with wounded warriors at West Point, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Forts Hood, Knox, Bragg, and other Dept. of Defense facilities. The Department of Defense now uses his pioneering work and he was the U.S. Army's 2012 trainer for its annual Chaplain Sustainment Training in PTSD.
He is a tireless advocate for war-healing and peace-making, lecturing around the world and leading semi-annual educational, healing and reconciliation journeys to Viet Nam and Greece. Dr. Tick is a gifted healer, teacher and guide specializing in using psycho-spiritual, cross-cultural, and international reconciliation practices to bring healing and hope to veterans, communities and nations recovering from the traumas of war and violence.
March 13 - Inette Miller and 'Iokepa Hanalei'Imaikalani: "The Return Voyage - Rediscovering
Ancestral Strengths"
Inette Miller and 'Iokepa Hanalei 'Imaikalani, the couple from Hawaii who spoke at Ethical in January 2014, are making a "return voyage" to Ethical.
They say: "The indigenous people of Hawai'i are awakening to powerfully reclaim their sovereign nation. These kanaka maoli – aboriginal people – are, at this moment, summoning the strength of their ancestors; owning the cultural practices that were outlawed for a century; and reclaiming their birthright connection to the land, the ocean, and to every living piece of creation.
"For too long, we have allowed others to define us, to discount us, and to commercialize our culture. For too long, we have allowed others to divide us," 'Iokepa Hanalei 'Imaikalani begins. 'Iokepa and Inette, nthusiastically describe this awakening - oppressed natives reclaiming a world that was stolen sequentially by: missionaries, sugar cane barons, and finally, capitalism and its off-spring, tourism – the ubiquitous rape of idigenous peoples across this earth.
In 1997, at the age of 46, 'Iokepa Hanalei 'Imaikalani gave up his successful life as a contractor in Washington State, left his family, friends and hobbies and went to live in his native Hawaii, to study, and to work for the revival of Hawaiian culture, inspired by the words of his deceased grandmothers: "My Grandmothers said: 'In every culture on Earth, God gave keys to survival. Hawaiians will return to theirs. It is about reminding every soul what they were given at the beginning of time.'" He returned home to Hawaii with one small duffel, $100 in his pocket, "and the light of my Grandmothers' love inside me."
Iokepa met his wife, Inette Miller, later that year. Inette had been a high- powered international journalist and author and was a single mother of teenage sons living in Portland, when on vacation in Hawaii she met Iokepa — and changed her entire life.
Inette Miller is an American author and award-winning journalist, who covered the wars in Vietnam and Cambodia for Time. She moved to Hawaii after meeting Iokepa while on vacation there, joined him in his struggle, and married him. She is the author of Burning Bridges, which was produced as an ABC Movie of the Week, and taught writing workshops across the US. She also wrote Grandmothers Whisper and Return Voyage about their experiences together.
See website, http://returnvoyage.com/wordpress/?page_id=1812 .
March 20 - Stephanie Rudolph: "Stop Feeling Guilty! How Gentrifiers are
Fighting Gentrification"
Gentrification has been sweeping major urban centers, particularly New York City. To combat displacement, New York City maintains rent stabilization laws. Often groups of "gentrifiers" paying $8,000 a month for a dorm-like apartment live in the same building as low-income multi-generational families paying only 1,000. Rent-regulation is what makes New York City socioeconomically, racially, linguistically, and culturally diverse. But when corporate landlords buy up property and attempt to displace long-term tenants, how can we use our privilege to fight back? In areas without rent-regulation, how can we fight displacement and maintain diverse communities?
Stephanie Rudolph is a staff attorney at the Community Development Project of the Urban Justice Center, a non-profit dedicated to representing under-resourced communities in New York City. Stephanie works with organized tenant associations to preserve affordable housing by launching group actions against negligent and harassing landlords. Stephanie is the granddaughter of our own E. Betty Levin. Her upbringing at the Long Island Ethical Humanist Society continues to inform her work today. Stephanie graduated from Haverford College and Stanford Law School. When not suing slumlords, Stephanie enjoys long distance running, reading, baking, tennis, and creative writing.
March 27 Michael Lally, “How Creativity Can Save Lives” [Rescheduled from Jan. 24]
From Mike: “I’ve been saying since I was young that ‘poetry saved my life’ and it continues to. Both reading the poetry of others, or hearing them read it, but even more crucially, writing my own. Though, in fact, all kinds of creative activity on my part, and as demonstrated by the work of others, have also saved and continue to save my life. I created a post card poetry reading announcement many decades ago that stated ‘Poetry conquers fear’ and that too holds true for me and always has. It’s fear that is at the root of my problems with life and wanting to give up, many times throughout my seventy-three years. But by creatively expressing my response to whatever challenges I am, or my world or the world is, facing at any given moment, even if it’s full of rage or ranting, I can begin to put the challenge into a perspective that includes some knowledge of not just the history of mine and the world’s tragic moments but the history of all kinds of creative responses to those tragedies and I begin to see a way out of my despair and deep disappointment. There was an Argentine working-man philosopher named Antonio Prochia who wrote aphorisms, and one of them, loosely translated, was: ‘The person who has made nothing and the person who has made a thousand things both feel the same desire: to make something.’
Michael Lally has had over two dozen books published since 1970, National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowships, awards, various day jobs including book critic, TV and movie actor, screenwriter and script doctor etc. Since 2006, also writing the blog, Lally’s Alley, lallysalley.blogspot.com
April 3 Alice Baldwin-Jones, "Food and Diversity"
Ms. Baldwin-Jones will be speaking on Food and Diversity about how what we eat and how we prepare it expresses our different cultures and ethnic diversity.
Alice Baldwin-Jones, PhD, is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Social Science Department at LaGuardia Community College, Long Island, NY. Her research has focused on social justice issues around access and equity to food, education (including nutrition education), land rights, health disparity and social stratification of the African Diaspora in Belize, Cuba, Jamaica, and the United States; on the indigenous population in Chiapas, Mexico. Included in the list of courses she teaches is "Food, Culture and Health", "The Anthropology of Food" and most recently, "Food and Society" in the Health and Nutrition Sciences Department at Montclair University. She is also a member of South Orange Baha'i Community.
April 10 Sally Fullman, "You've heard of weary bones but how about happy bones?"
Some years ago Sally Fullman made the discovery that she had osteoporosis, a condition defined by low bone density. "Osteoporosis is known as the silent disease," Ms. Fullman explains. "You don't know you
have it until you fall and have a fracture. Once it is diagnosed you've already lost 25-30% of your bone mass." Sally will talk about some of the fascinating things that have come from her involvement with bone health: serving as a charter member of a patient board for Eli Lily, the pharmaceutical company that developed the only medication to build new bones; reviewing research proposals for special military needs; becoming an advocate for better bones with local and state officials; developing community projects to help increase awareness; serving on the NJ Interagency Council on Osteoporosis which helps coordinate programs throughout the state; expanding Healthy Bones which is a free program to help seniors with weak bones offered at community sites throughout the state of New Jersey.
Healthy Bones classes are designed to improve strength, posture, balance, and range of motion, they also make a point of creating warm and welcoming places where people can make friends as well as learn about diet and physical health. "We try hard to keep our discussions on an educational, informative level," she said. "You're with a group of people who have a common problem but arent sitting home saying, "Oh, I can't do this and that'," she said. "People get to know one another spontaneously. A warm social bond is formed." Essentially the program is volunteer-based and runs on love and commitment. "Many places offer exercises, but very few focus specifically on bones, and no other 'bones' program has the education component," she said. In 2011, the National Osteoporosis Foundation recognized Sally's work with The Steps for Strong Bones Award, which [Includes text from an essay by Jacqueline Herships for her blog, "The Little Old Lady Stays Put (or doesn't)."]
April 17 Kent D. Fairfield, "What's the Role of Business in Global Sustainability? Villain or Savior?"
Dr. Fairfield will begin with a description of what we mean by "sustainability," continuing with a brief
overview of the state of sustainability today. He will discuss what businesses are doing today regarding sustainability and unsustainability, and what more could be done.
Kent Fairfield is Associate Professor of Management at the Silberman College of Business, Fairleigh Dickinson University. A long-time resident of Maplewood and married with two grown children, Kent spent his early career at the Chase Manhattan Bank. Most of that time involved lending money and marketing services. Working in training and development led him to be prepared when he left Chase and set up Kent Fairfield Associates, consulting on organizational effectiveness. He later added to his Harvard MBA by earning his Ph.D. in social and organizational psychology at Columbia. After four years at NYU's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, he joined Fairleigh Dickinson 13 years ago. He soon became a Principal in the Institute for Sustainable Enterprise, which does research, public outreach, and education on sustainability issues. In addition, Kent has served a key role in experiential and applied learning for Silberman students. This entails arranging mentor experiences and requiring management students to do "learning management by doing management" through community service projects. He has been named New Jersey Teacher of the Year and FDU's Distinguished Professor for Education.
April 24 Cecilia Zalkind, "Children and Poverty"
Cecilia Zalkind, Executive Director of Advocates for Children of New Jersey, will be talking about child poverty in New Jersey. National surveys usually rank New Jersey among the top states in the country for child well-being, particularly for its education and health care systems. But growing child poverty in the state threatens those positive outcomes. New Jersey's statewide child poverty rate has grown to 17 percent - more than 333,000 children statewide Ð and pockets of poverty are much deeper in our urban centers and rural communities. Black and Hispanic children are over-represented in these numbers. Recently the NJ Assembly decided to confront this issue and held hearings on overall poverty in the state, providing an
opportunity for action. She will discuss the impact of poverty on children and potential short and long-term solutions.
Cecilia Zalkind has an extensive background in public policy advocacy for children. Her 25 years in leadership roles at ACNJ have helped produce key policy advances in child welfare, early care and education and health care in New Jersey. She has led important coalitions such as the Early Care and Education Coalition and the New Jersey Build initiative that have advanced high-quality early care and education in the state. Ceil has argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court on preschool standards in Abbott v. Burke, the landmark educational equity case, and on the issue of permanency for foster children in several child welfare cases. She serves on various national leadership committees including the national Children's Leadership Council. Ceil Zalkind joined ACNJ in 1984 as public policy director and became executive director in 2001. While at ACNJ, she served as an adjunct professor of family and adoption law at Seton Hall Law School. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from New York University and a J.D. from Rutgers Law School.
May 1 Martha Gallahue, "How Does a Parent Grow an Ethical Kid Today?"
Martha Gallahue will share the unfolding curriculum of the Ethical Education Program under development at ESCEC. She will discuss spiritual development of kids at different ages. She will share how religious and ethnic
tolerance can grow in a child. Amy Blake and Martha have chosen to focus upon developing confidence in children as global citizens — kids who are comfortable in the place of diversity. Both Martha and Amy are fans of Alfie Kohn, author of Unconditional Parenting, and how his approach can be used in the ethical education curriculum. She will show how some books promote systemic racism in subtle ways. This program will be discussion based and all are invited to contribute their thoughts and experiences. We welcome volunteer sign up for the coming year and are especially eager to receive ideas that promote an intergenerational community.
Martha is grandmother to three, all of whom are bilingual. She has witnessed their own spiritual and moral growth offered by parents who are not formally practicing traditional religions but are learning how Japanese, Spanish and Irish Catholic traditions are kept alive.
May 8 Sarbmeet Kanwal, "Sikhism: A Faith for Our Times"
The May installment of our series on what Ethicalists can learn from other faith traditions Sikhism is a relatively young religion (about 300 years old) founded in the midst of religious and political unrest that is not unlike some of the problems being faced by the world today. This talk will cover the history, beliefs, practices and teachings of the Sikh
religion. It will dwell on the relevance of Sikhism to some of our modern dilemmas. It will also mention some of the challenges faced by Sikhs in the U.S. today.
Sarbmeet Kanwal resides in Monmouth County in the town of Holmdel, NJ. He is an active board member of the Monmouth Center for World Religions and Ethical Thought where he leads a youth focused interfaith leadership program called Garden State MOSAIC (Mobilizing Our Students for Action to build Interfaith Community).Sarbmeet retired a few years ago from a position as Director of Marketing at Bell Laboratories at Alcatel-Lucent (a global telecommunications company) and has since been teaching physics and astronomy at Brookdale Community College.Sarbmeet received his MSc in physics from The Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India, and a PhD in theoretical particle physics from Caltech, Pasadena, CA.
May 15 Annual General Meeting of the Ethical Culture Society Membership will be held promptly at 10 a.m. at the Society and all members are invited to attend. There will be no Platform address that day. We hope you will join us for coffee and bagels served at the start. There will be reports from the Leader and the lay leadership as well as elections and several procedural matters to vote on. Updates and progress on the Family Education program will be presented. All attendees can take home books from the collection of Boe Meyerson which will be spread out before the meeting.
May 22 Solidarity Singers & The Local Hero Award
The Social Action Committee Will Present the 2016 Local Hero Award will be presented May 22, 2016 to Widney Brown. For More Information, click here.
Followed by....
The Solidarity Singers!
The Solidarity Singers of the New Jersey Industrial Union Council will perform as the platform in honor of May Day and Labor History month, celebrating the Workers' Holiday with songs of labor and the continuing struggle for justice. There will be familiar songs and/or songs with easy to learn choruses to sing along.A number of our members, including Lisa Novemsky, Rosalie Sussman, Barbara Cotler and Diane Beeny may again be singing with them on May 22.
In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (which later became the American Federation of Labor), proclaimed that "eight hours shall constitute a legal day's labor from and after May 1, 1886." On May 1, 1886, more than 300,000 workers in 13,000 businesses across the United States walked off their jobs in the first May Day celebration in history.
The Solidarity Singers of the New Jersey State Industrial Union Council are "a street chorus, not a concert choir. Our preferred venue is a picket line. We try to lift the spirits of people engaged in struggle and help them to carry on. Only a few of us know how to read music, but we all know which side we're on." Over the years, the Solidarity Singers have appeared hundreds of times on picket lines, at rallies for labor and other progressive causes, and in occasional concert settings. Its director, Bennet D. Zurofsky, can be reached at (973) 642-0885 or bzurofsky@zurofskylaw.com.
May 29, Colloquy on Remembrance
June 5 Steven Trombecky, "Forgiveness — Beyond Right &Wrong"
Steven will discuss his 38 year journey to forgive his father. His journey led him from Judaism, Transcendental Meditation, Buddhism and Christianity. He has spoken to various churches and high schools about what he has learned about himself and the effect of forgiveness on others.Steven has worked as a carpenter for over 35 years. He's been married for 25 years to his wife Carmen and has a 16 year old son Joseph. Being a businessman, husband and father has had many challenges. Forgiveness and love he has found to be the greatest gifts.
June 12 Richard Mullen, "Tai Chi Benefits and Practice"
Rich Mullen, who teaches a free Tai Chi class usually sited at Ethical but sometimes in local parks, will discuss the history and philosophy of this gentle but powerful martial art. Richard began teaching a Tai Chi
class at Ethical on Sunday mornings in 2014, will discuss its origins, philosophy, and method — explore the history of Tai Chi, uncover the different styles, and identify the benefits of Tai Chi for health, well-being and self defense.
Richard lives in Maplewood with his wife and children. When not out having fun with his family or working, he is practicing and teaching Tai Chi Chuan. Currently a student and apprentice instructor for Grand Master William CC Chen in NYC, Richard came to Tai Chi for both it's health benefits and its self defense techniques. He competes regularly in demonstrations of form as well as the two man martial competition, Push Hands.Information and contact: southmountaintaichi.com, www.facebook.com/southmountaintaichi
June 19 to be announced
