EXPERTS & AFICIONADOS
FROM AROUND THE CORNER AND ACROSS THE GLOBE
2022 KEY SPEAKERS AND EVENTS
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DECEMBER 18, 2022 | HUMAN LIGHT CELEBRATION | REASON, COMPASSION, AND HOPE
We enjoyed a Human Light Celebration. HumanLight is a secular holiday that celebrates Reason, Compassion, and Hope — and brings people together to recognize the passing of one year as we look forward to a new one. Find out more about Human Light here. |
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DECEMBER 4, 2022 | DIGITAL NOMAD | ANYA OVERMANN
Anya Overman is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. She was raised attending the Ethical Society of St. Louis, where she formed a deep secular belief in the inherent dignity and worth of all human beings. In August 2020, she sold her car and all her things, left her apartment, and began living as a digital nomad. She now lives out of just a backpack and a duffel bag and has been to over twenty countries on five continents. As a nomadic humanist, she is passionate about traveling as ethically as she can. To share her journey she started The Nomadic Humanist podcast. |
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NOVEMBER 13, 2022 | DANIEL LORD S.J., THE RESTLESS FLAME: THINKING BIG IN A PAROCHIAL WORLD!
We presented the documentary on Daniel Lord, S.J. (1888-1955), one of the most influential and interesting religious figures of the twentieth century. Find the documentary here. |
Sharon Stanley, Nassau County Public Education Lead
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NOVEMBER 6, 2022 | MOMS DEMAND ACTION | SHARON STANLEY
Sharon Stanley is the Nassau County Public Education Lead for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We pass stronger gun laws and work to close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. We also work in our own communities and with business leaders to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership. We know that gun violence is preventable, and we’re committed to doing what it takes to keep families safe. WATCH PRENTATION |
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OCTOBER 30, 2022 | AEU PRSENTATION | RUSS FEINGOLD
The guest speaker for this All-Society Platform is former US Senator and Current President of the American Constitution Society (ACS), Russ Feingold. Senator Feingold will speak about the ACS, a national network of over 250 lawyer and law student chapters who are working together to offer platforms for discussion, opportunities for networking and mentoring, and working at the federal, state, and local levels for a progressive vision of the law. COMPLETE DETAILS AVAILABLE HERE |
OCTOBER 9, 2022 | SHERWOOD FOREST CAMP | ALEXIS NEWSOME & EMILY MESS
Sherwood Forest serves children from low-income households and underserved communities from the St. Louis area, who live at or below the federal poverty line. A child who begins the Sherwood Forest program at the end of first grade has the opportunity to “grow up” with Sherwood Forest all the way through the completion of post-secondary education or training. Sherwood Forest strives to establish and sustain long-term relationships with campers, their families, and the agencies and schools that serve them.
Sherwood Forest serves children from low-income households and underserved communities from the St. Louis area, who live at or below the federal poverty line. A child who begins the Sherwood Forest program at the end of first grade has the opportunity to “grow up” with Sherwood Forest all the way through the completion of post-secondary education or training. Sherwood Forest strives to establish and sustain long-term relationships with campers, their families, and the agencies and schools that serve them.
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Alexis Newsome is a second generation Sherwood Forest Alumni and Leadership graduate (2001). As the current Camp Director, she has been part of the Sherwood Forest family since the age of two. Alexis has worked as a seasonal staff member, volunteer and most recently a board member. Alexis earned her BA from the University of Central Missouri in Public Relations and Tourism and continued on to gain her MA at Webster University. There she studied International Relations, EMP in Human Rights and Humanities.
Emily Mess joined the Sherwood team in early 2018, and is grateful to continue her journey as both a student and teacher. She graduated with a BA in English Literature from Saint Louis University, and is a licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA/L). She has worked in various realms of human service for over 20 years, and is particularly passionate about working alongside teens/young adults as well as driving social justice-driven, Trauma-Informed-Care.
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2 | 2022 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE | END RACISM. BUILD PEACE.
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. But achieving true peace entails much more than laying down arms. It requires the building of societies where all members feel that they can flourish. It involves creating a world in which people are treated equally, regardless of their race. |
Dr. Layla Goushey
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SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 | IMMIGRATION TO THE ST. LOUIS REGION: HISTORIES AND CULTURES | DR. LAYLA GOUSHEY
The St. Louis region has long been a destination for people to settle and prosper, but it is also a place where people were brought against their will. In this presentation, Dr. Layla Goushey provides the historical context of immigration to Missouri and discusses key issues and questions about recent immigrants to the region. Dr. Layla Goushey is a Professor of English at St. Louis Community College in St. Louis, Missouri. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in Adult Education: Teaching and Learning Processes. She is currently working on an M.A. in History at Missouri State University. She frequently writes about cultural topics and has published essays, articles, and poetry in publications such as the June 2019 St. Louis Anthology, the March 2020 anthology Beyond Memory: An Anthology of Contemporary Arab American Creative Nonfiction, The Middle East Eye, and Patheos. |
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SEPTEMBER 11, 2022 | RECOVERY PROGRAMS & HOW YOU CAN HELP A SUFFERING ADDICT | JASON BENSON & AUSTIN BROWN
Jason Benson and Austin Brown from Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS) discussed the history and the current landscape of addiction recovery programs and the evolution of recovery groups/programs. They shared stories from people in SOS; what it has done for them, what it means to them, and why the social aspect of addiction recovery is so important. |
Jason Benson drank for 20 years. He has been sober for 13 years this past July. He was homeless for the last year or so of those 20 years. When he sobered up he created a 501c3 NFP organization to help homeless people, then later created a rural Missouri homeless shelter (the SALT Center). The organization still runs today (under different management and name). He helped create a sober home, which was run by a church when he left to pursue his masters in psychology. Jason is now over 2 years into his doctorate in clinical psychology with an emphasis in substance use disorders, for a career in utilizing evolutionary psychology, CBT, and other evidence-based practices. He is also a certified alcohol and drug counselor by the state of Missouri.
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Austin Brown fought for a long time with addiction, homelessness and the dread of feeling unwanted and unworthy. In the winter of 2017 he sought help. He found himself in an expansive part of the medical field he'd never seen before. He remembers the bewildering experience of entering unknown territory, with all the shame and guilt, and the weight of the stigma of addiction pushing down on him simultaneously. Austin has 4 1/2 years of sobriety behind him. He lives in the city of St. Louis and works as Peer Support helping people that struggle with addiction and homelessness.
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Fannie Bialek, Assistant Professor of Religion and Politics, Danforth Center on Religion and Politics
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AUGUST 28, 2022 | HESCHEL’S SABBATH POLITICS AND CIVIL RIGHTS | PROFESSOR FANNIE BIALEK
Where can we hear prophetic voices to redefine struggles for racial justice in America today? This lecture argues that for Abraham Joshua Heschel, one prophetic force was not a voice but a day on the calendar: the Sabbath day, which arrives to recast or set in relief the rest of our days together. His “Sabbath Politics,” read in this way, illuminates the importance of the struggle against structural injustice and for reparations for the descendants of slaves. Fannie Bialek is an Assistant Professor of Religion and Politics at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. Her work focuses on contemporary religious and philosophical approaches to interpersonal relationships marked by love, justice, and care, or their absence. She is currently working on her first book, Love in Time, which argues for a consideration of love as a relationship of uncertainty instructive for vulnerabilities in interpersonal relationships and political life. Her second book will be on Abraham Joshua Heschel and radical democratic politics. After graduating from Princeton University summa cum laude, Bialek earned a Ph.D. in Religion and Critical Thought from Brown University, where she then taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor before moving to Washington University in the fall of 2016. Alongside her teaching and research, Bialek has worked in sexual health education and intimate violence response and prevention for over a decade. |
Hugh Taft-Morales,
Ethical Culture Leader |
AUGUST 14, 2022 | ETHICAL CULTURE LEADER, HUGH TAFT-MORALES | BELIEVE THAT I AM WHAT I SAY I AM
We listened to “Believe That I Am What I Say I Am,” originally presented to the Baltimore Ethical Society. The video, in case you missed it, focuses primarily on racial and gender identities, and is very relevant and interesting. Click here to view Hugh's presentation. Hugh Taft-Morales is the Leader of Baltimore Ethical Society and Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia. He serves as President of the National Leaders Council of the American Ethical Union. Hugh graduated from Yale University in 1979 and earned a Masters in Philosophy from University of Kent at Canterbury. |
Angela DaSilva from the Black Tourism Network
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JULY 24, 2022 | ANGELA DaSILVA | THE HISTORY OF MARY AND JOHN MEACHUM
Angela DaSilva delivered a fascinating talk about the important American heroes, Mary Meachum and her husband, Reverend John Berry Meachum. Both were American abolitionists who dedicated their lives to educating and freeing enslaved people. As part of Reverend Meachum’s church, he established a school for free and enslaved black students called the “The Candle Tallow School.” After the state of Missouri banned all education for black people in 1847, the Meachum’s moved their classes to a steamboat in the middle of the Mississippi River, which was beyond the reach of Missouri law. |
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JULY 10, 2022 | AMBER HEATH | ROE V WADE: THE OVERTURN
Amber Heath from Planned Parenthood will discuss what Roe V Wade is and how it is expected it to affect all people who have the ability to give birth, especially those in Missouri and other states that have banned abortion entirely. she will talk about the trigger laws that were put in place, the likelihood of death because of these laws, the barriers people will face when trying to get access to abortion, and the other laws that are being considered because of Roe being overturned. Amber Heath is the Training Coordinator at Planned Parenthood for the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. She has been with the company for two years and has loved every second of it! Her goal is to continue to grow her career at Planned Parenthood and give the best possible reproductive health services to our community. |
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JUNE 26, 2022 | DARWIN DAY: A CELEBRATION OF SCIENCE
On Darwin Day we highlight and celebrate Darwin's contributions to science and promote science in general. The mission of International Darwin Day is to inspire people throughout the globe to reflect and act on the principles of intellectual bravery, perpetual curiosity, scientific thinking, and hunger for truth as embodied in Charles Darwin. This presentation was led by our SEEK students. |
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"Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory, or an acceptance of the way things are. It's a celebration of progress. It's an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possible—and there's still so much work to do." - Barack Obama
Click here to learn about Juneteenth |
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Christine Guinther
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JUNE 5, 2022 | CHRISTINE GUINTHER | WHY & HOW SHOULD WE SUPPORT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS & THOSE WHO WORK THERE
We hear a lot of complaints about the public school system but Christine explored why and how should we support our public schools and those who work there.
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Christine (Chris) Guinther serves as co-leader of Indivisible We Will Persist (St. Charles County), on the St. Louis Americans United for Separation of Church & State Board as Vice-President, the Empower Missouri Board of Directors as Secretary and the steering committee for the St. Louis Missouri Jobs with Justice Workers’ Rights Board. She is a retired Francis Howell teacher (1976-2007) and a past-president of the Missouri National Education Association (2007-2013). Since retirement in 2013, she has helped to organize a Faith/Labor Alliance for the Tri-County (St. Charles, Warren, Lincoln) area and she volunteers at Operation Food Search in St. Louis County.
Steven Louis Brawley
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JUNE 5, 2022 | STEVEN LOUIS BRAWLEY | LGBTQIA+ CIVIL RIGHTS IN ST. LOUIS
For generations, the St. Louis LGBTQIA+ community has endured extreme discrimination. During his presentation, historian Steven Louis Brawley will provide an overview of the myriad of civil rights issues the St. Louis LGBTQIA+ community has encountered. He’ll review a timeline spanning from early 1800s sodomy and masquerading laws to real-time legislation targeting trans youth in sports. Brawley is the Founder of the St. Louis LGBT History Project. He collaborates with leading area education and historical organizations to preserve and promote St. Louis’ LGBTQIA+ history. Learn more at stlouislgbthistory.com |
Jason Heisserer, EdD
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MAY 22, 2022 | JASON HEISSERER, EdD | DIVERSITY WORKSHOP
Jason lead us through a self-reflection on how our life experiences shape who we are as individuals and are often, knowingly, and unknowingly, embedded with racism.This training is designed to give definitions and explore examples of terms like implicit bias and microaggressions with the intent of sparking further conversation about a range of differences, how we can be a more open and inclusive community, and how we can continue the conversation, even when it might be difficult, about subjects such as race, gender, sexuality, and others. Jason Heisserer's commitment to justice and equity began in high school, was a focus of his 25-year career in education, and remains the core of his consulting work today. He holds a doctorate and education, will begin an MSW at Washington University in the fall of 2022, and spends a great deal of time baking, making collage art, enjoying life with his partner in the Central West End in St. Louis, and playing with his dog, Juniper. |
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MAY 1, 2022 | GREENWOOD CEMETERY | HONORING BLACK LIVES IN AMERICA
Ethical Society members met at Greenwood Cemetery to work alongside members of the Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Association to plant five trees provided by Missouri Forest ReLeaf and clear invasive vines. Greenwood Cemetery was organized in 1874 to serve the needs of the growing black population of post-civil war St. Louis and St. Louis County. It was the first commercial non-sectarian cemetery for African Americans in the St Louis metropolitan area. More than 50,000 Africans Americans are buried within Greenwood’s 31.85 acres, including Harriet Scott. Greenwood Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 26, 2004. |
This is part of a growing movement to honor Black Lives in America and to reclaim black cemeteries across the country. Greenwood was recently featured on MSNBC.
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APRIL 10, 2022 | BOB BERZACK | THE NATIVE PLANT LINK
Native plants are a vital link in the ecosystems that surround us. They are the food sources for creatures large and small that bring delight to our eyes and balance in the natural world. But this system is in trouble and we must all do what we can to help. Bob Berzack's fascination with native plants began as a teenager, roaming the woods and hiking along the streams of Michigan. With his friends and cousins he picked and ate berries, learned the songs of the birds, chased butterflies, and became enchanted with all the creatures of the natural world. Summer days were filled with fishing, and every night was full of fireflies. He began to learn about the connections between the lives of natural creatures and the plants that support them. He hopes that you find it as interesting and vital as he does. |
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APRIL 3, 2022 | ANONYMOUS SPEAKER | SOLDIERS, TERRORISTS, OR VICTIMS: WHAT HAPPENS TO CHILDREN ASSOCIATED WITH ARMED GROUPS?
International law prohibits the recruitment and use of children in hostilities. However, every year thousands of boys and girls are recruited into the ranks of armed groups. Presently, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Syria and Yemen have the largest number of child combatants. We explored the realities and living conditions of these children and the moral and ethical dilemma their predicament raises. |
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MARCH 27, 2022 | CHARLOTTE STEPHENSON | GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRAND CHILDREN
When parents can no longer care for their children, often grandparents step in to provide support, love and stability to their vulnerable grandchildren. The problem of escalating opioid addiction in the United States has led to millions of children living with grandparents or other kin. Such families are often formed out of crisis where grandparents are unprepared to quickly step into the shoes of a parent. Financial and legal issues are only a portion of the challenges these families face. |
In July 2011, Charlotte discovered that her daughter was addicted to illicit opioids and she feared for the safety of her infant grandson who was living with his addicted parents. Charlotte and her husband quickly stepped up to care for their grandson in their home and admitted their daughter to an addiction treatment facility. Years of significant stress and financial strain ensued as they navigated a custody proceeding brought by the baby’s actively addicted father who died of a heroin overdose in 2015. Her daughter is now in recovery and graduating from nursing school.
In 2019, Charlotte was appointed to the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (SGRG) Advisory Council in Washington, D.C.. In November 2021 a report culminating the council’s efforts was submitted to the U.S. Congress. In her advocacy role, she presented with Senator Robert Casey to his Casey Conference on Aging, trained staff within a large PA foster care network, and most recently joined Generation United’s Grand Voices Network. Grand Voices, with 70 members in 45 states, has testified at Capitol Hill briefings and spoken at White House Convenings to raise voices that can shape programs and result in better outcomes for children and their families.
In 2019, Charlotte was appointed to the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (SGRG) Advisory Council in Washington, D.C.. In November 2021 a report culminating the council’s efforts was submitted to the U.S. Congress. In her advocacy role, she presented with Senator Robert Casey to his Casey Conference on Aging, trained staff within a large PA foster care network, and most recently joined Generation United’s Grand Voices Network. Grand Voices, with 70 members in 45 states, has testified at Capitol Hill briefings and spoken at White House Convenings to raise voices that can shape programs and result in better outcomes for children and their families.
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MARCH 6, 2022 | DONNA WALMSLEY | THE DEATH PENALTY AND THE EVOLVING STANDARDS OF DECENCY
The death penalty has been used as punishment and as a means of social control throughout human history. The United States is an outlier among the countries in the world in our ongoing use of capital punishment. Donna Walmsley examined the recent use of the death penalty in Missouri and capital sentencing in St. Charles County as well as current efforts to repeal this unethical national and state public policy. |
Donna Walmsley has been a member of the statewide Board of Directors of the Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (MADP) since 2008. She was the Chapter Leader of the Springfield, MO group until moving to St. Peters in August, 2021. She and her husband, Tom, recently participated in the execution watch in St. Louis on October 5, 2021 to protest the scheduled execution of Ernest Johnson which took place later that day in Bonne Terre, MO
MADP is a statewide organization working to repeal the death penalty in Missouri by educating citizens and legislators regarding the costs and consequences of capital punishment.
MADP is a statewide organization working to repeal the death penalty in Missouri by educating citizens and legislators regarding the costs and consequences of capital punishment.
Shima Rostami, Ed.D.
Executive Director Gateway Human Trafficking |
FEBRUARY 27, 2022 | SHIMA ROSTAMI, ED.D. | HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Shima Rostami is a human rights activist who is involved in the prevention of human trafficking in the Greater St. Louis metroplex, the state of Missouri, the U.S., as well as international communities. She has a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and her doctoral study focused on ‘developing moral education to combat human trafficking’ by creating a Positive Youth Development environment with an emphasis on Character Education. She also studied Child Protection from violence, exploitation, and neglect at the Harvard Center for Health and Human Rights. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director of Gateway Human Trafficking, a nonprofit agency that is located in St. Louis, MO. She is also a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Human Trafficking and Hate Crime Task Forces. |
Julia Julstrom-Agoyo
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FEBRUARY 13, 2022 | JULIA JULSTROM-AGOYO | IMAGINING AN AMERICAN FUTURE WITHOUT PRISONS
It is well-known that the United States has the highest number of incarcerated individuals worldwide, with almost 2.1 million people in prison. Many people increasingly agree that that number is too high and that there should be prison reform. However, many widely embraced “alternatives to incarceration” such as electronic monitoring and extended probation are merely an extension of punishment and control by the state--or another type of prison. Why are humans inclined to punish each other instead of rehabilitating and addressing the root causes of "criminal behavior"? Why are so many people uncomfortable with the word "abolition"? What would truly alternative justice practices look like? Julia will propose a future without prisons, bringing in observations from her work in the criminal justice/immigration space. |
Julia Julstrom-Agoyo holds a BA in International Studies (Human Rights) from the University of Iowa and is currently a Masters of International Affairs Candidate at Columbia University, focusing on human rights policy and international conflict resolution. Previously, Julia completed a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Pahang, Malaysia, worked as a Family Reunification Specialist for unaccompanied immigrant minors in her hometown of Chicago, and assisted in the representation of detained non-citizens facing deportation in New York as a paralegal. Julia grew up in Ethical Culture and serves as the Future of Ethical Societies (FES) Liaison to the AEU and the AHA Youth Representative to the United Nations. She has received the Philip G. Hubbard Human Rights Award and the Burns H. Weston International Human Rights Essay Prize.
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FEBRUARY 6, 2022 | BILL FASICK | BLACK HISTORY MONTH REFLECTION: A HISTORY OF RACIAL SUPPRESSION
Last Memorial Day marked the 100th anniversary of a tragic, violent event in American history, the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. ESMR member Bill Fasick will share details of this event and the historical context leading up to it, as well as his trip last summer to the location, Tulsa Oklahoma's historic Black Wall Street. Bill shared the following resources:
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Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois
American sociologist, socialist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist |
JANUARY 30, 2022 | AEU ALL SOCIETY PLATFORM | Dr. W.E.B. DUBOIS: WILL THE TRUTH SET YOU FREE?
Dr. W.E.B. Dubois, spoke at the New York Society for Ethical Culture on February 7, 1949. His very timely address pertained especially to the need to face facts about enslavement and racism and to acknowledge the contributions of people of African descent - and it pointed out numerous places where that facing of fact has not occurred. Dr. Dubois' words pertain especially to the resolution passed at the AEU Assembly in 2017, "Toward Repairing the Harm of Racism" which states: "Therefore, we affirm efforts to study the lasting effects of the heritage of enslavement and racial discrimination especially on living African Americans, but also on other people of color, and on American society as a whole. We also affirm efforts to study ways that such lasting negative effects can be repaired, and to be involved in actions to repair such effects." |
Curt Collier,
Ethical Culture Leader |
JANUARY 16, 2022 | CURT COLLIER | BEING AT HOME IN THE WORLD: ETHICAL BIOCENTRISM
While we are all more than our labels, an Ethical Culture Society is a haven for a collection of individuals who often subscribe to a variety of value systems and beliefs including (among many others) Humanists, Atheists/Agnostics, Nontheists, Free Thinkers, Skeptics, Naturalists, and the emerging "None of the Above." These differences are sometimes slight, more a matter of personal definition for those who take words seriously, but sometimes they represent variations in style, emphasis or practice. Ethical Biocentrism not only shifts the emphasis away from a human-centered view of the world, it is a way of engaging in a set of practices that fosters life and emergence. It sees the human as a niche builder who can both hinder or advance the flow of energy and creativity throughout the biome. What is Ethical Biocentrism, what is its praxis, and why is it so much in alignment with the original ideals of Ethical Culture. |