PES Members from the Ending Racism Task Force A look at the history of banned books, censorship and how progressive societies have fought against censorship. Members from the ERTF will be reading from banned books in celebration of democracy, anti-racism, and liberty for all. This is a Zoom-only platform. You can join here online at [...]

Hugh Taft-Morales Leader, Philadelphia Ethical Society The American Ethical Union, our national federating organization, is in the midst of a challenging, dynamic, process to envision our movement’s future. Will our unfolding discussions lead to evolution, revolution, or devolution?  At the national level, will relationships grow stronger and wounds heal? Will we build power collectively? Will [...]

Nina Strohminger, Professor, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School We rely on experts to understand the world. But often, those experts’ information is unreliable. Strohminger, a behavioral scientist in the Wharton School’s department of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, will discuss the origins and scope of this dilemma and suggest practical approaches to managing it. Strohminger [...]

Hugh Taft-Morales Leader, Philadelphia Ethical Society Peace, both in ourselves and in the world, sometimes is portrayed as an elusive, spiritual goal. In fact, it is rooted not in the intangible spirit but in the grounded body. To build embodied peace from the inside out, we must more fully embrace our physical natures, from awareness [...]

Lisa Parker Founder, Peace Day Philly Our Society has participated in Peace Day Philly since its inception in 2011. Parker will explain the evolution of this initiative, which supports local involvement in the United Nations International Day of Peace. A social worker by training, Parker has worked with at-risk children and youth, as well as [...]

Hugh Taft-Morales Leader, Philadelphia Ethical Society Hugh Taft-Morales loves reading about American history, from first settlements to today. He is particularly interested in the civil rights movement. This past summer, Hugh took his first civil rights tour. Here, he offers some reflections on that profound experience, explaining why it affected him so deeply and how he [...]

Greg Bonin Ethical Culture Leader What is the work of human relationships? What role does joy play in resistance, survival, and thriving? Greg Bonin will explore “durable joy,” a concept defined by poet Toi Derricotte. Greg specializes in institutional and organizational facilitation, bringing a practice grounded in embodiment, humanistic interdependence, and reflective inquiry as a [...]

Hugh Taft-Morales Leader, Philadelphia Ethical Society From mundane mansplaining to systemic silencing, men regularly ignore the voices of women. That is made tragically clear in Miriam Toews’ book Women Talking and director Sarah Polley’s 2022 film, which the book inspired. The #MeToo movement has produced some progress. But when it comes to who commands an audience, we are [...]

Margaret Downey President, The Freethought Society By creating a Day of the Dead celebration, Margaret Downey and her team—Victoria de la Torre, David Tamayo, and Memo Benumea—seek to honor the cultural traditions of Mexicans and Mexican Americans. This meaningful celebration conveys the message that death is not to be feared. A non-theist leader for over 30 [...]

Sam Pizzigati Associate Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies Felix Adler promoted a more egalitarian America. An advocate for capping the income of the very wealthy, he hoped to tax away “pomp and pride and power.” Yet today we are more unequal than ever. Labor journalist Pizzigati will explore new approaches to reforming our economic and [...]