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The Dance of Change
by Hugh Taft-Morales, BES Leader
I read BES President Emil Volcheck’s column in last month’s BESpeak with great interest. Entitled “Demographic Change,†he discussed some of the challenges that growth brings to any small community like BES. As we eagerly open our doors to share Ethical Culture with as many people as possible, we also desire stability and familiarity. Personal relationships of trust and friendship facilitate bringing out the best in new energy and ideas. I hope to help these two dance partners – familiarity and change – coordinate their movements in a joyous “dance of change†where all feel welcome. Read more...
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The Baltimore
Ethical Center
by Emil Volcheck, BES President
Back in January, BES member Janey Solwold made a passing reference to our society as the “Baltimore Ethical Center†in a pledge committee email. Her phrase resonated with me. BES is becoming a center of ethical activity in our city that goes beyond just our society. Engaging more with compatible organizations and hosting more activities and events will help our society to grow and might provide a fundraising opportunity, if presented properly. We can learn from the examples of the Humanist Community at Harvard, the Conway Hall Ethical Society, and the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Read more...
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Platform Programs
Sundays at 10:30 a.m.
MAY 4
“The Ethical Journey from Punitive to Unitive Justiceâ€
Sylvia Clute
Alliance for Unitive Justice
Common phrases, like “the punishment must fit the crime,†“I want to get even,†or “an eye for an eye†are actually describing proportional revenge, the moral principle that underpins the punitive western model of justice. Answering harm with more harm is deemed moral, so long as the harm you do is proportional to the harm done to you. Two moral standards are required for proportional revenge to work, one that says the harm done by us, the “good†people, is moral, while condemning the harm done by those whom we have deemed “evil†or “immoral†– even when both are doing essentially the same thing. It is our system of punitive justice that has brought about mass incarceration in the U.S. – one out of every 100 adults in the US in presently incarcerated, and for minorities the rate is much higher. But we have another choice: unitive justice.
Unitive justice is based on the moral principle of loving- kindness and it applies equally to everyone. Whatever the circumstances, harm to another is not condoned as moral. The power of unitive justice lies in this internal moral consistency, a power demonstrated in the movements led by Gandhi, King and Mandela. Safety is achieved, not by physical force, but by creating a system owned by the community in which harm is not condoned. Worldwide, the punitive model of justice is being supplanted by new ways of implementing justice. This discussion will consider the ethical differences between punitive and unitive justice, and the ways in which unitive justice is presently being implemented as an answer to the broken punitive system, the mass incarceration that now pervades the U.S. criminal system, and the school-to-prison pipeline that has resulted from the policy of “zero toleranceâ€. We can do better!
Sylvia Clute, Program Coordinator for the Alliance for Unitive Justice, is a former trial attorney. For over twenty-five years she has been researching and developing “unitive justice†as a parallel model of justice and a structure for community organization. While unitive justice has ancient roots (loving-kindness, the Golden Rule, non-violence), Sylvia teaches how it may be adapted to today’s culture and needs. Recently, she spent two years creating and implementing a restorative justice program based on unitive justice principles at a Richmond, Va. high school, and is now implementing the program in a middle school. She writes and lectures on unitive justice and has authored two books, Beyond Vengeance, Beyond Duality: A Call for a Compassionate Revolution and the novel, Destiny Unveiled. She holds graduate degrees from Harvard Kennedy School of Government (MPA), Boston University School of Law (JD) and the Univ. of California at Berkeley (MPA). A former Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal, she was co-founder and Chair of the Board of Women’s Bank and has been active in community service throughout her career.
MAY 11
“The Ethical Culture Storyâ€
Hugh Taft-Morales
Leader, Baltimore Ethical Society
Founded by Felix Adler in 1876, Ethical Culture has philosophical roots that reach back into humanity’s earliest attempts to make meaning and construct community. Ancient western religions established the common polarities of good and evil, divine and mundane. Dominating religious paradigms, from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, embraced dualism and offered differing ways for mortals to attain eternal life.
As inheritors of the scientific revolution, Ethical Culture sought better ways to live in modernity, in the here and now. Fresh off his attendance at Ethical Culture’s annual national gathering, Leader Hugh Taft-Morales will talk about our brand of Humanism and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Hugh Taft-Morales joined the Baltimore Ethical Society as its professional leader in 2010, the same year he was certified by the American Ethical Union as an Ethical Culture Leader. He also serves as Leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia. His presence in Ethical Culture has been termed “invigorating.†Taft-Morales lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife Maureen, a Latin American Analyst with the Congressional Research Service, with whom he has three beloved children, Sean, Maya, and Justin.
MAY 18
“Fairness and Equity for Adjuncts at MICAâ€
Katherine Kavanaugh
Adjunct Faculty/Artist, MICA
Joshua Wade-Smith
Adjunct Faculty/Artist, MICA
Adjunct faculty at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) have been organizing for better working conditions, compensation, and security of employment. Their organizing drive will culminate with an election at the end of April. Adjunct faculty activists Katherine Kavanaugh and Joshua Wade-Smith will talk about why and how the part-time faculty at MICA chose to organize. Panelists will share their views on the role of adjunct faculty in the academic community and related ethical issues.
Katherine Kavanaugh has taught at MICA since 1999 both as an adjunct and a full-time faculty member. She has taught a variety of classes in the Foundation department and currently teaches in the Masters of Art in Art Education program.
Joshua Wade-Smith is an performance artists and sculptor based in Baltimore since 2007 to complete his graduate studies; he completed an MFA from the Mt. Royal School at MICA in 2010. Smith has since taught part-time in the Foundations Department at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Last summer, Smith completed a month long social-practice residency in the Netherlands, performing as a door-to-door handyman. Smith’s recent exhibitions of artwork make reference to forms of the artist’s labor and endurance sports, highlighting their reliance on manual repetition, flexibility, and spectacle.
MAY 25
“Memorial Day Remembranceâ€
Hosted by Hugh Taft-Morales
Leader, Baltimore Ethical Society
Our Memorial Day Remembrance Sunday is a chance for BES members and guests to remember those who have died. Sharing memories can inspire us, warm our hearts, and ease the pain of loss. Whether we are thinking of loved ones, historical heroes no longer with us, or those who died in military service to our nation, we are left to honor these precious parts of our lives by bringing out their best. It is up to each of us to make the most of our memories, and today we do so as a community.
During the program members and guests are invited to place a flower, provided by BES, into a vase in memory of someone (a relative, friend, mentor, or hero). They may share a few words about this person or simply place a flower in the vase silently.
This program will be shorter than usual, ending at about 11:30 am without a Q&A period so that members can join our Memorial Weekend picnic.
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Call for Submissions for Summer Sundays
During the summer months, BES Sunday morning meetings feature talks that are less formal than platform addresses. These talks run 10-30 minutes in length and are commonly offered by BES members or friends. The speaker usually invites discussion following their talk. The Program Committee encourages BES members and friends to suggest topics for talks they’d like to give and invites you to contact Joe Adams, Ronit Klemens, Angad Singh, Jayme Smith, Hugh Taft-Morales, or Emil Volcheck with your ideas and suggestions.
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Cosmic Quality
by Wayne Laufert, BES Member
Can a commercial television program treat science properly and uphold the legacy of Carl Sagan? Apparently, it can, at least judging by the initial entry in the Cosmos relaunch, which aired March 9 on Fox and the next day on the National Geographic Channel. Read more...
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Explorations in
Bioethics and Medicine
“Caring Mother Earth:
a Mother’s Day Conversationâ€
Sunday, May 11, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
For the last of our series of spring “Explorations in Bioethics and Medicine†we will be focusing on environmental stewardship and feeding a hungry planet. The pace of technological innovation seems to outpace growth of ethical responsibility in creating sustainable public policy. The planet is being poisoned and warmed, seas are rising, and hunger – while potentially eradicable – continues to haunt billions of people. What are the greatest ethical challenges and opportunities confronting us today?
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2nd Annual African American Children’s Book Festival
Saturday, May 10, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
at the Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St.
Enjoy readings by authors, talks with illustrators, cultural performances, an interactive storytelling workshop by a griot performer, and craft activities to include bookbinding demonstrations by local book artists. Special guests include illustrator and Maryland native Bryan Collier as he presents his latest book, Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream For Me. The book earned Collier the 2014 Coretta Scott King Book Award for Illustration. There will be a special guest reading by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. This program is presented in partnership with Baltimore City Schools and the Enoch Pratt Free Library. Free museum admission. For all ages! RSVP and more information. If you are interested in attending, please see Argentine Craig or Emil Volcheck.
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Memorial Weekend Picnic
Sunday, May 25, 12:00 p.m.
at the home of Dianne and Stuart Hirsch
Join us for food, fun, and fellowship following the Remembrance Sunday program at BES, which will end earlier than usual at approximately 11:30 a.m. Members Dianne and Stuart Hirsch have graciously agreed to open their home (and yard) to us once again and so we will gather for our annual Memorial Sunday picnic from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The picnic is potluck so please bring a dish to contribute. Directions will be handed out and/or provided on request.
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Young Adult Book Club
Join our new Young Adult (YA) book club as we begin reading Cory Doctorow’s novel For The Win. Download the PDF for free. This book is engaging for both youth and adults and deals with thought-provoking themes of labor struggles in a global Internet economy. Kathleen Wilsbach will introduce the book, and Andy Brokaw will facilitate discussion. The April meeting was postponed due to illness. The new meeting time will be announced. Please see Argentine Craig or Emil Volcheck for any questions or to join.
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Caring Committee
Seeking Volunteers
Do you have time to make a phone call or send a Get Well card? Then think about joining the Caring Committee. The Caring Committee helps members who experience illness or other health problems. If you’re sick or in the hospital, the committee will send a card or flowers, and make sure other members know you might need help. We have some senior members who can no longer travel to BES on a regular basis. The Caring Committee calls them, shares news, and tries to help them stay in touch with us. If someone needs a lift to BES, the committee will try to arrange that. If you’d like to help with the caring work of this committee, please speak to Kirk, Judy, or Emil.
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SOMEONE GETTING MARRIED?
The Baltimore Ethical Society has a Leader and a team of officiants who are trained and licensed to conduct weddings, memorials, and other life passage ceremonies. For more information about our ceremonies or to make arrangements, please contact our Officiant Team Coordinator, Kathryn Sloboda.
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