Platforms
The Joy and Perseverance of John Lewis – Virtual Platform
Hugh Taft-Morales Leader, Philadelphia Ethical Society Ten days before he died, Rep. John Lewis stood at Black Lives Matter Plaza opposite the White House looking as determined as he did at 23 years old speaking at the March on Washington. All his life his gentle persona belied his strength, courage, and resiliency. Even when a [...]
Philadelphia’s Black Women Leaders and the Ethic of Equality – Virtual Platform
Allener M. Baker-Rogers and Fasaha Traylor Authors of They Carried Us Americans believe our Declaration of Independence and Constitution are rooted in the idea of equality. But from 1619 to the current day, the United States never embraced an ethic of equality: it fell to those who were excluded from those documents’ ideals to define what [...]
Environmental Info Wars and Michael Moore – Virtual Platform
Hugh Taft-Morales Leader, Philadelphia Ethical Society Michael Moore has a well-earned reputation for rocking the boat – for challenging the NRA, the healthcare industry, General Motors, and capitalism in general. But he, along with director Jeff Gibbs, outraged many progressives when he criticized the environmental movement in his 2019 documentary, Planet of the Humans. Given [...]
A Visit from Susan B. Anthony (Performance)
Marjorie Goldman Actor Susan B. Anthony takes you back to 1883, when the struggle for women’s suffrage was well underway. Miss Anthony will share some details about her life and upbringing, but will also do her best to convince you to join her in the cause of equal rights for all. A highlight of the presentation is [...]
Being Mortal – Virtual Platform
Hugh Taft-Morales Leader, Philadelphia Ethical Society Few books so effectively combine the mundane and the profound as does Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal. It bemoans the fact that technological society has lost touch with “the art of dying.” No human story is complete without the conclusion of our finite time, and yet as authors of our [...]
America: What Went Wrong? The Crisis Deepens – Virtual Platform
James Steele Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Long before Covid-19 ravaged the economy, millions of middle-class Americans were struggling with stagnant earnings, unaffordable healthcare, and the prospect of an impoverished retirement. This is no accident: in an updated and expanded edition of their New York Times #1 bestseller, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters Donald L. Barlett [...]
Film, Emotions, Us, and Them – Virtual Platform
Hugh Taft-Morales Leader, Philadelphia Ethical Society Film has the ability to bring people together and to drive them apart. Ken Burn’s The Civil War portrayed the conflict in a way that highlighted our shared identity as Americans. Bringing people together is partially what led Burns to become a storyteller. At the same time, film can [...]
Poetic Notes on Citizenship – Virtual Platform
Trapeta B. Mayson City of Philadelphia Poet Laureate How does one establish roots and “citizenship” in a new place? What if the new place challenges one’s identity and sense of belonging? Join poet and Liberian immigrant, Trapeta B. Mayson, as she talks about transitions, displacement, home making, and identity. Trapeta will read her poetry and [...]
CANCELED: 2020 in Historical Context: Election and Beyond – Virtual Platform
Anne Berg Asst. Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania Anne Berg will reflect on some of the parallels and differences between late Weimar Germany and the current election season in 2020 America. Since the outcome of the election may still be inconclusive when she speaks, events and developments yet to unfold will determine the precise [...]
Understanding “Defund the Police” – AEU-Wide Platform
Alex S. Vitale Professor of Sociology, Brooklyn College; and Visiting Professor at London Southbank University Alex Vitale has researched and written about the future of policing for 30 years. In this talk, hosted by Riverdale Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture, Vitale will explain the “defund the police” movement and its relationship to the long struggle [...]