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 Reflecting on the
Future After Five
Years of Service
by Hugh Taft-Morales, BES Leader
As I come to the end of five years of service to the Baltimore Ethical Society, I want to say that it’s been tremendously rewarding. I have received meaningful expressions of gratitude, support, and encouragement. It’s exciting to see the growth in membership, energy and vision. And I look forward the future. I hope you are also looking forward.
Of course, since Ethical Culturists embrace a “common-sense naturalism,†we don’t think we can predict the future. That’s the joy and challenge of looking forward. The fact that the future is a blank canvass is a joy – we can imagine a wide array of potential paths and projects. The fact that the future is a blank canvass is also why it’s a challenge. Imagining potential paths and projects can produce anxiety.
What are the BES paths and projects that excite or scare you?
For me, I am excited about the new people that have joined our community and stepped up to nourish it with their skills and care. I am scared that it will be hard for me to offer them what their optimism and idealism deserve. Will they still want to be a part of BES after a year or two? Will our little community match the hopes they carry in their hearts?
I am excited about the new groups we are getting to know, such as the Sunday Assembly and the Frederick Douglass Humanist Society. Sharing a space and exchanging ideas contribute to the sustainability of all involved. At the same time, I am challenged to deepen relationships with our own members – how am I possibly going to nurture all these other relationships, let alone know all the new names!
I am excited about our new space, with its high ceilings, ornate columns and southern exposure that add a sense of grandeur befitting Ethical Culture’s history and mission. But of course I am afraid that we can’t afford it on our own, and that by the time you are reading this we will retreat back into our old platform room. How will we process this eventuality? It wouldn’t be a crisis, but I would be a little disappointed.
I am excited about “the fierce urgency of now†exuding from the “black lives matter†movement and animating our discussions at BES. Having taught U.S. history for 25 years, I am tired of the racism that continually tarnishes our best ideals. I am eager for the change this movement can make. I am also frightened by the anger and violence that’s wrapped up in it all, and by the potential that we can’t handle the truth. But, I am ready to try. Are you?
When you envision the future of BES, I hope you find it more exciting than scary. I urge you to share your ideas with me and other members and the board. What becomes of BES will be determined by you who participate as active members. Please come celebrate at our April 12th Community Luncheon and our April 26th Membership Meeting. After all, the future is now.
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 Preserving Our History
by Emil Volcheck, BES President
On February 20, following days of exceptionally cold weather, water pipes burst in an apartment unit above BES. We were told the tenant had turned off their heat, presumably because they could not afford the utility bill. Water poured into the office, library, classroom, and lobby. On the way down, it drenched the society archives stored in the space above the office. Late that night and early the next morning, Ray, Janey, and I lowered down wet boxes and hauled them into the meeting hall. In the coming days, many members took turns to work on saving the archives. We spread out pages on paper towels to let them dry and photographed about 1200 pages. By February 28, we had preserved all the archives up to 1970. By March 15, we had dried out the rest. You can browse the unsorted photographs here. (Included are photos of some of the volunteers at work as well as archive slides that we scanned previously.)
I’d like to express my appreciation to Argentine Craig, Karen Elliott, Paul Furth, Thomas Higdon, Wayne Laufert, Kirk Mullen, Ray Noemer, Jean Paffenback, Charlie Shafer, Alan Shapiro, Janey Solwold, Monique Stins, Hugh Taft-Morales, Nathan Whitmore, and Kathleen Wilsbach for all their labor and support.
The materials included hundreds of photos, thousands of pages of documents, some reel-to-reel audio tape, and mementos like Kay Vining’s membership badge. The material we found is still meaningful for today. Argentine found lesson plans for the children that include pre-K curriculum, which is useful for the restart of the preschool program in March. Let me describe some of what I learned from the archives.
In May 1951, the Baltimore Ethical Group completed its first season of operations and held its first annual meeting and banquet on May 4, 1951 in Levering Hall at the Johns Hopkins University. Later that month at the 44th Assembly of the American Ethical Union, members unanimously voted to grant us Associate Society status. We became the Baltimore Ethical Society, adopted a constitution, and elected Kenneth C. Milford as the first president. In June 1951, BES invited the DC and Philadelphia societies to a “Tri-Society Turnout†picnic at Elk Neck State Park in Cecil County.
In the invitation to the May 1951 banquet, Pell Kangas wrote “We are convinced that there exists in this city a real need for an organization that insists on the basic importance of ethics and human values.†In his first message to the members as president, Ken Milford proposed a three-point program for the society that resonates today:
- An expansion of the facilities and staff of the Childrens’ Sunday Assembly so that it can offer a more complete graded program in helping children work toward developing their own ethical ideals.
- Continued development of our adult program so that membership in an Ethical Society can become more meaningful to each of us.
- Bring the concepts of the Ethical Movement to the attention of the community so that others who can no longer whole-heartedly accept the older religions as consistent with intellectual integrity can have an opportunity to decide whether or not Ethical Culture is a religion in which they can enjoy satisfactions of a shared quest for a good life for all people.
The Evening Sun on December 3, 1966 ran a full-page feature story on BES in the Religion section titled “Accomplishment of Human Action Is Focal Point of Ethical Society.†The article shows a photo of the old BES building at 3800 Gwynn Oak Avenue with the caption “Members of the Baltimore Ethical Society meet here each Sunday to discuss with guest speakers the task of everyday ethical action in the community.†An advertisement for the Sunday School from that time reads “YOUR CHILD WANTS to go to Sunday School because his friends do. YOU DON’T WANT him indoctrinated with dogma, but he keeps asking questions. WE WANT TO HELP your child develop an independent, ethical approach to life. Maybe we should get together.â€
The membership list from 1954 contains the names of the founders and early leaders of the society, including: Abramson, Banfield, Chodak, Frank, Granek, Halebsky, Isaacs, Kangas, Milford, Miller, Paris, Patterson, Pollock, Rodman, and Vining. The budget for fiscal year 1953-1954 lists expenses of $1600 for the Children’s Sunday Assembly and $425 for the Adults Sunday Assembly.
To understand what all is in our archives, we will want to digitize and organize the documents and photographs. We haven’t achieved that today, but by preserving them we’ve made it possible for future volunteers to do that.
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Sunday Platform Programs
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the Baltmore Ethical Society
APRIL 5
“The Tao of Ethical Cultureâ€
(video presentation)
Hugh Taft-Morales
Leader, Baltimore Ethical Society
Both Ethical Culture and the broader tradition of Humanism in general use reason to liberate us from superstition so we can build a better world. Sometimes, however, we can get sucked into overly intellectualized debates about how many atoms fit on the head of a pin. This is why, the Taoist sage Laozi reminds us to think less and simply “be.†What would the founder of Ethical Culture, Felix Adler, think of such wisdom? In trying to answer this question, Hugh Taft-Morales relies on Benjamin Hoff’s The Tao of Pooh in an attempt to keep things simple. The presentation will be delivered by video, and discussion in small groups will follow. (Note: this talk was rescheduled from the original date of February 22 due to snow.)
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.
APRIL 12
“Motivate or Change: Defining the Role
of the Next Generation in Social Activismâ€
Farajii R. Muhammad
Youth Empowerment Coordinator
Mr. Muhammad will speak about the role and work of the Young Leaders for Peace Coalition, where young leaders and student activists are addressing issues of social justice including police brutality and other forms of systematic oppression. (Note: this talk was rescheduled from the original date of March 1 due to snow.)
Farajii R. Muhammad serves as the Youth Empowerment Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee in Baltimore. He is a young nonprofit professional and media personality from Baltimore, Maryland. In 1999, Farajii co-founded (NLLC) New Leadership Learning Center, Inc. with former partner Tamara Muhammad at the ages of 19 and 17 years-old respectively. As president and spokesman for the youth-governed organization, he often worked to develop young leaders, connect youth to resources, and bridge the gap between youth and local government. Farajii has over 15 years of experience working with young people and has centered his many missions and initiatives around one simple concept, re-defining leadership. Farajii can be reached via social media on Facebook and Twitter (@Farajii).
APRIL 19
“Sentencing Children to Die In Prisonâ€
Nikola Nable-Juris
Policy Counsel
Nikola Nable-Juris will speak about the use of life-without-parole sentences for youth under 18, both nationally and in Maryland. These sentences condemn a child to a lifetime in prison despite scientific evidence that adolescents are less culpable for their actions and more likely to be rehabilitated. The United States is the only country that sentences children under 18 to life in prison without parole and a growing number of states are revising their criminal laws to give children an opportunity to show they can grow and change. Nikola will share about reform efforts occurring around the country and the work in Maryland to end this practice, including ways to be involved in advocacy efforts.
Nikola Nable-Juris serves as policy counsel for the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. After working with pregnant and parenting teenagers in Alaska and survivors of domestic violence in Virginia, she was inspired to advocate for systemic change. While at the University of Maryland School of Law, she interned with Juvenile Division of the Office of the Public Defender and the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland. Her work at CFSY includes a blend of policy advocacy, community organizing, and support for local advocates around the country.
APRIL 26
“J. Robert Oppenheimer and Nuclear Agonyâ€
Hugh Taft-Morales
Leader, Baltimore Ethical Society
Today, over 16,300 nuclear weapons make Russian, North Korean and terrorist aggression all the more alarming. Despite the end of the cold war, nuclear weapons are still ready for launch around the world. Even a limited nuclear war would cause unimaginable suffering, something known only too well to the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Raised in Ethical Culture, taught by its founder Felix Adler, Oppenheimer felt impelled to serve his country and do good. His heroic efforts him landed on the covers of Time and Life magazines. Soon, tormented by the horror of his own creation and persecution by his own government, Oppenheimer’s life took a tragic turn. Hugh Taft-Morales explores this story in the context of current efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
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Pledge Celebration Luncheon
Sunday, April 12, 12:00 p.m.
Come celebrate our community and the culmination of our 2015–2016 Pledge Drive. We will enjoy some hot catered food, and your cold dish potluck contributions, accompanied by music and fun! BES relies on the generosity of each other. Let’s enjoy celebrating our success together. Please RSVP for the pledge luncheon on this form or by notifying Mav Vaughan or Kathleen Wilsbach ASAP but no later than April 8th.
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Please submit your pledge card if you have not already done so! Your pledge tells the Board what we can commit to next year’s budget that will be voted on at the Annual Membership Meeting.
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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, Angad Singh, Jayme Smith, Hugh Taft-Morales, or Emil Volcheck with your ideas and suggestions.
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BIOETHICS DISCUSSION
Sunday, April 12, 4:00 p.m.,
Baltimore Free School, 30 W. North Ave.
Human and Animal Subjects in Medicine and Science
Join Hugh Taft-Morales for an exploration of important ethical issues surrounding the use of subjects in medical and scientific research. Given the horrors of suffering caused by Nazi doctors and Tuskegee syphilis programs, it’s rational to maintain a skeptical eye. Informed consent, the ground for most research ethics, is often not fully implemented in the case of human beings and never in the case of animals. How do we balance “the common good†that might be served by research with the violation of individual privacy and autonomy?
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Electing a New
Leadership Team
Each year, the membership elects the team that will lead the society in the coming year. Ballots for this year’s election will be sent to you by April 12 and must be returned on or before April 26, the date of our Annual Membership Meeting. The Nominating Committee has nominated the following candidates.
Officers:
President: Paul Furth
Vice-President: Janey Solwold
Secretary: Amy Trauth-Nare
Treasurer: Karen Elliott
Members-at-large:
Stephen Meskin, Alan Shapiro, Mary Beth Sodus
Members-at-large who will continue on the Board in the second year of their two-year terms are Fred Compton, Argentine Craig, and Mav Vaughan. Members of the Nominating Committee were Brian Dorsey, Karen Elliott, Paul Furth, Wayne Laufert, Kirk Mullen, and Janey Solwold (Chair). We thank them for their service!
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ROY ZIMMERMAN: THE FAUCET'S ON FIRE!
Sunday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. (doors open 7:00 p.m.)
What can one person do about climate change, torture, racism, gun violence, fracking, Congressional ineptitude, ignorance, war and greed? Write funny songs, says Roy Zimmerman. In trying to change the world, sometimes it helps to take a break and have a good laugh. “The Faucet’s on Fire!†is ninety minutes of Zimmerman’s hilarious, rhyme-intensive original songs. His songs have been heard on HBO and Showtime and he’s shared stages with Bill Maher, John Oliver, Ellen DeGeneres, Kate Clinton and George Carlin. Sliding scale admission: $5–$25 (BNotes or USD). And, at no extra charge, the special warm-up act is… Hugh Taft-Morales! Check out some of Roy’s acts on YouTube.
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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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