Platform
Meetings – 2003
December 28
Members & Friends of North Carolina Society for Ethical
Culture
A Winter Solstice Celebration
December 14
Paul Nagy, Editor of Wordtrade
Jalaladdin Rumi: Poet of Universal Love
Read Rumi's Poetry
Platform Overview:December 17th marks the 730th anniversary
of the death of Jalaladdin Muhammad Din ar-Rumi (1207-73),
the Persian mystic and poet. As many may well be aware, mainly
through the liberal translations of Coleman Barks, an alumni
of UNC, Rumi’s poetry has been for over
a decade the most popular poetry in America, by far out selling
any contemporary poet. Paul Nagy will tell you RumiÕs
story. Where he came from, how he lived and what inspired him
to become not just a great poet of his time but also a universal
poet and mystic for all time. The story has drama, passion,
humor, and stunning language. Interspersed with the story will
be tales Rumi told with passages of his poetry. Paul will also
tell of his pilgrimage 23 years ago to Konya in Turkey where
Rumi is buried and is still today the home of the Sufi dervish
order founded by his descendants.
November 23
Jan Broughton & Richard Kraw
A Stone Soup Thanksgiving Celebration
November 9
Jan Broughton, President, NC Society for Ethical Culture
Fall Membership Meeting
October 26
Tito Craig, President, American Friends of The College Cevenol,
Inc.
Le College Cevenol: A School for Peace in the Jaws of War
Platform Overview:In 1938, two Huguenot pastors decided that
a village in rural France should offer precisely what war threatened
to destroy: a school with a mission to promote international
understanding. Risking their lives, the teachers and nearby
townspeople offered safe haven to French children and hundreds
of refugees - Jews, Spaniards, and others. By the end of WWII
twelve small villages in the Cevennes mountains rescued 5,000
refugees in what is the largest communal sheltering of refugees
in Europe. Mr. Craig attended this school, Le College Cevenol,
when he was a teenager and he is now the president of the American
foundation that funds refugee scholarships. The school continues
to be a unique beacon of hope. I think the school's history
raises questions for us in the USA about risking, helping,
suffering and loving. We will discuss the school and its meaning
on Oct. 26th.
October 12
Mark Kleinschmidt, Attorney, Center for Death Penalty Litigation
When Bias Equals Death Row: The Case of Eddie Hartman
Look here for more information on this case.
September 28
Pat Callair, M.S.W., Director of The Leadership and Empowerment
Institute, Inc.
How To Be A Successful Racist
Platform Overview: In times of great distress and confusion,
I have heard many ask. What is expected of us, if we are to
avoid the scourge of racism? Additionally, given racism’s
extraordinary ability to survive and thrive, particularly,
in a society founded on the principles of equality and justice;
I believe it is essential that we understand what keeps racism
alive and well. I offer what I am calling the Twenty Commandments
of Successful Racism; as someone who has seen and experienced
the astounding proliferation of racism in America. My intent
is not to blame or criticize; but rather to invite you to compare
and contrast your own behavior as you struggle with the existential
question. Who Am I?
September 14
Chantelle Fisher-Borne, MPH, Social Justice Activist
Acts of Love, Bravery and Justice: A Queer Perspective on Same-Sex
Marriage
August 24
Polly Weiss
Unmasking Whiteness: White Racial Identity
Platform Overview: If Whites are to take responsibility for
ending White racism in our culture, and in the world, we need
to begin by examining our own relationship to being White.
Developing a strong White identity in a society which is socially
ambivalent or silent about "White culture," runs
the risk of seeming racist or reifying the White race, as opposed
to seeking to better understand our place in society's racial
discourse. Given the shame and guilt most Whites experience
during conversations about racism or slavery, how can we expect
Whites to embrace their Whiteness, and build upon it a matrix
of cultural values that incorporate social justice and racial
harmony?
August 10, 11:00 a.m.
Chuck Stone, Walter Spearman Professor of Journalism, UNC Chapel
Hill
The State of Ethics in America, 2003: Would Socrates be a Statesman
Today or a Marginalized Dissident?
July 27
Martin Jacobs, Interfaith Alliance of Wake County
A Toolkit for Ethical Living
Platform Overview: Common sense tells us that the major goals
of every individual and every country should include resolving
conflicts without violence and achieving Peace, Harmony, Love,
and Joy for all. Why isn’t this today’s
reality? Martin Jacobs, V.P. of The Interfaith Alliance of
Wake County, will address this and more as he introduces and
explains The Ethical Framework, the organization’s
recent publication. It is a unique compilation of simple and
easy to understand, widely known ethical and moral principles.
Designed to be supportive and complementary to both secular
and religious cultures, it is aimed towards developing a way
of life that brings out the best in everyone. This Framework
can become the common bond around which all people come together,
transcending political, religious, racial, economic, and other
differences.
July 13
Sol Gordon, Psychologist, Humanist Consultant
Why Young People at Risk Aren't Listening to Us
June 22
John Morlino, Founder of The ETHIC (The Essence of True Humanity
Is Compassion)
Peace Through Unconditional Compassion
June 8
James Coley, Philosopher & Activist
What is Liberalism?
May 25
Ron Bell
Spiraling Dynamically: Ethics in the Future of Evolution
May 11
Anoushka Brod, Transactors Improv Co.
Teaching Emotional Intelligence via Improvisational Acting
April 27
Kate Lovelady, Poet Laureate of Carrboro
Cherry Blossoms in the Fog: The Affirming Flames of Poetry
April 13
Mark Ginsberg Executive Director, NC Sustainable Energy Association
Breathing Easier: Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency
-- Opportunities & Personal Choices
March 23
Claudia Horwitz
The Spiritual Activist
For more info see www.stonecircles.org
March 9
Stav Adivi, Israeli Defense Force
My Refusal to Serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip
For some background info: http://www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp
February 23
Douglas MacLean, Professor of Philosophy, UNC-Chapel Hill
Responses to Terrorism: Punishment, Retaliation and Revenge
February 9
Lenore Yarger, Silk Hope Catholic Worker
The Many Faces of Iraq
(Ms. Yarger recently traveled to Iraq to find out more about
the country and its people.)
January 26
Randy Best, President, Leader-in-Training, North Carolina Society
for Ethical Culture
Annual Meeting of Members
January 12
Kate Lovelady, Leader-in-Training, North Carolina Society for
Ethical Culture
Standing on the Table: Leadership in Everyday Life
