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The Ethical Culture Society of Essex County
516 Prospect Street, Maplewood, New Jersey 07040 Phone 973-763-1905 Email: ecsec.nj@gmail.com
Board of Trustees: Elaine Durbach, President;
Jacqueline Herships, Vice-President; Vice President Alice Robinson-Gilman;
Secretary Birgit Matzerath; Treasurer Terri Suess;
Other Board Members: Tom Cunningham, Zia Durrani, Jackie Herships,
Lisa Novemsky, Jie Sazci, Paul Surovell, Andy Weinberger.,Updated 2-10-25
This Week's
Sunday Morning Program
Other Upcoming Events
Sad News: last week our occasional speaker and good friend Carol Barry-Austin (right below
with her Schools Committee Co-Chair Jocelyn Ryan) passed away. See a tribute to her extraordinary life here.
Also Missed:
Marshall Norstein Raking Leaves
Social Action Committee
Things You Can Do
RIGHT NOW.
Also See our
Social Action ACTION PageRead Notes on SAC activities
Next Meeting
Next Social Action Committee Meeting
Friday, February 21 at 5:00 p.m. by Zoom
Sign up for our Ethical Culture Newsletter
To join our email list write to: ecsec.nj@gmail.com
Welcome to the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County, New Jersey, meeting on land previously appropriated from the Lenni Lenape people. Ethical Culture is a Humanist Religion, part of the American Ethical Union. We meet in person and by Zoom on Sunday mornings from September through June. Come visit us soon!
NEWS About Members, Friends, Speakers
The Community Coalition on Race has hired our friend and sometime speaker Amanda Gutierrez!
Amanda begins her work as a Program Coordinator with the Community Coalition on Race in January. She will work on programs, events, and support committees and volunteers. She comes to us with a BS and MA from Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations, event planning experience in the social justice sector, and a passion for the Coalition's mission of intentional integration.
We Had Fun on New Year's Eve led by Jeanine Rosh
New Year's Eve Potluck with Fun and Games by Jeanine Rosh!
Anisa Mehdi's movie
Anisa Mehdi Has Produced a New Movie She Spoke to Us
about: (See the promos here and here).
Read Birgit's Blog about
Marshall. There's Music.
Comunity Coalition on Race Announces
Retirement of Audrey Rowe
Past Programs
Fall/Winter 2024-25
Recent Programs 2024
2023-24 Programs
2022-2023 Programs
Social Action Committee: Minutes and More
Social Action Committee Resources Page
Current Sunday Morning Program
COMING UP!
Sunday, February 16, 2025
11:00 a.m.
Black Ethical Resistance
Reverend Dr. Forrest Pritchett
Reverend Forrest Pritchett is the Director to the Martin Luther KIng, Jr. Leadership Program
and Senior Advisor to Provost on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Seton Hall University.Rev. Dr. Forrest M. Pritchett, more commonly addressed as Rev. Pritchett, is a long-time civil rights activist, mentor, and adviser. With 53 years of experience in higher ed, including his over 40-year career at Seton Hall, which began in 1978, he currently serves as the director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Program and the senior adviser to the provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Throughout his years at Seton Hall, he has functioned as the assistant dean of the Black Studies Center, a faculty mentor in Freshman Studies, an adjunct professor in the departments of Africana, Interdisciplinary, and Religious Studies, and the program director of the Seton Hall Gospel Choir. He is known well for coordinating the annual MLK, Jr. Day Symposium, which provides perspectives on racism, privilege, and justice while educating students on the principles of MLK as a civil rights leader. He has seen initiatives like the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Association grow immensely, now supporting up to 20 students each year financially. As someone who has inspired generations of Pirates through his many roles, and has contributed greatly to numerous campus organizations, the University continues to embrace Pritchett as a servant leader and a pillar amongst the campus community that has helped to challenge the University to be and do better.
Read more about Reverend Pritchett here.
More about Reverend Pritchett
Getting to sit down with Rev. Pritchett was an honor. I wanted to hear more about how he began his activist work. He took me back about 62 years. It was February 1st, 1960, and a young Pritchett in his junior year of high school returned home from track practice to catch the evening news. Engrossed in a segment where he saw four Black college students sitting down at North Carolina A&T, he thought in fear that the men could get themselves killed. Just a few months later, he was following the presidential campaign between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy and learning for the first time about Catholic bias. "These are the things that helped me make decisions. I could have ignored all of that kind of stuff, but nobody else was talking about race. Everyone wanted to avoid the issue," he said. "When I left Atlantic City High School in 1961, I don't think anyone saw me as a leader." These were just some of the events that would inform how he viewed the world for this rest of his life.
He added, "It's like God knew what plans He had in store for me." Recalling again when he was a junior, he remembered a guy who lived on his block that attended Seton Hall and was on the track team. Every weekend the guy would drive back home to Atlantic City. Upon arriving, he'd ask Pritchett to change into his track gear to go run. "While we're running and practicing, he would explain to me what it means to be a Negro at an all-White school," Pritchett said. "I did not aspire to be a college professor or anything. If someone asked me, I probably would've said I'd like to be a guidance counselor, but that's how I got introduced. It took me years before I made that connection, but he was mentoring me, and I had no idea what my future would be."
Once Pritchett entered Delaware State University as a freshman, it was almost as if his tie to race relations was inevitable. The disparities between himself and his White classmates were ever fixed and pronounced. In the week leading up to his first semester, Pritchett and a few other freshmen spent a Saturday touring downtown Delaware. Stopping around noon to grab a bite to eat, they were greeted by a waitress who told them they'd have to take their food in a bag and go outside. "She wasn't nasty at all. She was nice, so we thought it was a joke," he laughed. "But it wasn't." Pritchett and his classmates returned to campus and had a rally to complain about what had just taken place. Although 100 students agreed to take action, only seven showed up to participate in what would be Pritchett's first sit-in demonstration, which resulted in him being arrested. "All of a sudden, those kinds of things propelled me to be the role model. I did not do it for the popularity. Stepping forward like that was almost like the kiss of death… that was another challenge for me," he explained. "In all honestly, between my first two years, I was actually kicked out of school for various forms of activism. I was never expelled, just suspended for brief periods of time. That's the beginnings of how I transformed. Believe me, when I left high school, I was just an average kind of a person. I ran track more like a champion than I did the civil rights thing." He added that during his senior year at Delaware State he was nominated for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship, an award for seniors who had the potential to be outstanding professors. He noted that it meant a lot to him and that it was a historical moment being a part of the first cadre of those chosen from historically Black colleges.
After attending graduate school, Pritchett worked for a fortune 500 company for two years. It wasn't until 1969 that Pritchett entered into what he called his inaugural year in higher education. He was the director of financial aid and the director of career services at Rider College (before it was a university). He stated, "Most of the students there had never seen anybody of an integrated nature in their lives at all. That was how I felt. The entire history and weight of race relations in this country fell on my shoulders." He mentioned that while teaching, "half of the class was looking straight through me. I had to stop and straighten a few things out about the psychology I was feeling…being invisible." Pritchett found himself speaking up on behalf of others at the college like the dean of the library who felt he couldn't fully express himself as a Jewish man. Pritchett said, "That's not what I was hired for, but that's how I learned the concept of allies although no one used that term then." He stayed at Rider for five years before moving on to William Patterson University where, for the next four years, he designed and taught Sociology courses. He then saw a very unique position at Seton Hall in what was then called the Black Studies Center. "It was a completely autonomous unit. It had a dean over it, about eight full-time people and 15-20 part time people. They wanted someone with a social science background," he explained.
Pritchett joined the Seton Hall family and immediately got to work, partaking in many of the foundational events that would steer the University through the process of integration. "Let me share this," he began. "Starting from '78, in intervals of every two to three years at Seton Hall, we had these major racial kind of confrontations that would occur. At night, the handful of us who worked there would meet to consider what we could all do, and just brainstorm what it would take. In the Black Studies Center, a couple times a semester on a Friday afternoon, we would get some sandwiches or some chicken, some beverages, and have some nice cool jazz music. We would put the word out and tell people to come over, that this is going to be like a nice home for [them] and we created what are now called safe spaces where we were all like family with each other."
Pritchett and I continued the discussion as he recalled students from the 70s-90s who marched all four years at Seton Hall for racial justice. He took me through the inception of campus groups like the Black Administrator Faculty Staff Association (BAFSA) and the Council Against Racial and Ethnic Discrimination (CARED), which were the steppingstones for Concerned 44, a student group established to voice the concerns of students of color and, overall, fight for equality and inclusivity on campus. From organizing protests and demonstrations to taking over President's Hall in 2018, these students challenged the very idea of what it actually meant to be seen, heard, and valued. He explained, "The group selected seven to be their negotiators who then met with five top administrators. At their third meeting, the [administration] asked me to join them to be the moderator. They also allowed people from the public to sit in. That was a proud moment. One of the women said she was just a mother who lived nearby and wanted to make sure the students were not being taken advantage of. That one almost made me cry. [The group] didn't really get a resolution, but they decided that they would continue to negotiate [their demands] without occupying the building." He continued, "I'll add that the seven students weren't all Black. I think that really shocked the administration as well. These students were very sharp. I was very proud of them."
While still circling the topic of race and justice, I transitioned into acknowledging that it was Black History Month. I asked Rev. Pritchett to talk briefly about what this time of the year signifies to him, and the importance of continuing initiatives and emphasizing Black history not just in February but every day. He said, "What I do now is really about what I was like as a teenager. You know, we would look in the mirror and we didn't like what we saw. We were made to think we were inferior. Our minds had been captured by the enemy so to speak. So, to me, it means covering that hole left in our soul as a result of living in a White-oriented America."
Itching to get to a few more questions before Rev. Pritchett would have to leave to teach a class, I asked him to speak briefly about his relationship with his students, and his advice for any young person looking to make an impact on their own campus regarding racial and social justice. "I would say be true to the struggle of your ancestors," he said. "I try to get students to remember that we live in the belly of the beast, and when that beast wakes up, we all might be gobbled up. So, I'm saying whatever you do, do it in excellence here so that nobody can take it apart." Elaborating more on mentorship, he shared a story about guiding some of his grad students through to their doctorate programs. "One of the young men entered in August of his freshman year. His father had died that same month of cancer. I told him if he needed a dad, or quiet time, he could come to my office. I supported him for four years. When he was a senior, he said, 'Pop, I got to get to my grad school interviews,' and I told him to schedule them on Fridays and I'd make sure I'm flexible to drive him. He went on to get his master's in divinity and now he has his doctorate and is teaching at various universities," he paused. "I share these stories because when I mentor, I mentor for life. That's one of my proudest moments… everything that was poured into me, I share openly with others."
Feb. 23 Olivia Lewis-Chang, Council Member, South Orange, speaking Local Environmental Issues
Coming in March
March 2, 2025: Daniela Gioseffi for Women's Hisotry Month
March 23,2025
Joanne Leone: A Life in Art
(Rescheduled from February 9)
JOANNE LEONE is an award-winning painter, collage and assemblage artist and an arts educator. She is a proud native of Newark, NJ, a graduate of Newark Arts High which cultivated her love for the arts. Professionally, she has a BA in Education from Kean University, and MA in Fine Arts from Jersey City State College and numerous art education certificates.
Although Joanne retired after thirty years as a visual art teacher in the Newark Public Schools, she has always been a practicing artist. Her solo work has been exhibited throughout Rutgers University and the New York metro area. She has been selected for group exhibits throughout the Tri-state region in galleries, at universities and in public art projects. She has been published numerous times by the John Cotton Dana Library, Rutgers-Newark.
Personally, she is from an activist family, who grew up during the turbulent 60’s. Her commitment to social justice and the desire to teach in Newark was developed from her personal interaction and exposure to civil rights giants such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and John Lewis. Through her father, she first met Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1965 at the Queen of Angels Church in Newark around the Poor People’s campaign. Shortly thereafter, she attended the March in Selma and stayed afterwards registering people to vote and then participated in the Poor People’s March on Washington in 1968. She has continued to be involved in and support civic and community advocacy organizations such NJ Citizen Action.
“Joanne’s work expresses both the joys of life and play of individual growth: the sacred energy but also the nightmare of the soul, the pleasure and sorrow of being human.” -Jacob Landau, mentor
Events and Upcoming Programs
FOLK FRIDAY
Second Fridays
Friday, February 14, 2025!!
Ethical Culture Society
516 Prospect St
Maplewood, NJ 07040
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
lnovemsky@comcast.net 973 763-8293
bring acoustic string and rhythm instruments
join in playing, singing, or listening with us
bring some refreshments to share
Everyone is invited!
Sing along and jam!
Goals 2 Groups
With Jackie HershipsSecond Saturdays at 2:00 p.m.
For more information, click here.
View this email in your browser
Second Saturdays, 2pm
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Doing It
Get unstuck in a friendly atmosphere.Join our Doing It Workshop with Jacqueline Herships
to Clarify your Vision - Develop your Goals - Take the next steps.
Explore where you are now - what’s next - what you would love to be, do, have.
Walk-ins are welcome - Call or email first if possible, but not necessary.
Bring a yearning, a hunch, a wish, a goal, even an idea.
Sessions are $10 per (and more if you are able :-)
At the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County
516 Prospect Street, corner Parker, Maplewood.Workshops are ongoing – you can join at any time, call to confirm.
All donations go to Ethical Culture Society of Essex County, a 105c nonprofit organization.
Jacqueline has a long history helping her clients to facilitate connections and develop visibility. Her fields of involvement are broad and include technology, the environment, the green arena, community and urban redevelopment, journalism / lifestyle, the arts, and business development.
She has been a contributing writer for the NJ Star-Ledger. She was the co-founder of Professionals in Media, the publicist and board member of the International Furnishings and Design Association; she is an advisor to the South Orange Historical and Preservation Society, a member of the Senior Citizen Advisory Committee to the Township of South Orange and on the board of The Ethical Culture Society of Essex County.
Jacqueline is certified in the Riesenberg Method for articulating vision, solving problems and setting goals.
Ms. Herships works remotely, in person, and with groups.
She can be reached by phone or email at 973-763-7555 or jackieherships@gmail.com
.Book Discussion of 1619
Led by Jim White
More information here.
Snap Shots of Recent Events
Halloween at 516 Prospect Street: Gabe and Elaine celebrating as Marshall would have enjoyed.
11-3-24 Student Panel
Vijya Campagne joined the Society: from 5-19-24 annual meeting
.
Recent Programs
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Pre-Valentine's Day Sentimental Journey Down Lover's Lane
This is a ZOOM ONLY event.
The Zoom link is below.Attendees are asked to have with them a favorite love poem, lyrics to a love song (or willingness to sing a verse) and anecdotes to love gone right or wrong.
Due to the forecast snow, we are postponing the previously scheduled program, Joanne Leone: A Life in Art.
Instead we'll ponder the question: What makes for unforgettable romantic moments?
This is a Zoom Only event.
The Zoom link is below.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday Platform Feb 9 2025
Time: Feb 9, 2025 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89007732125
Meeting ID: 890 0773 2125
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Coming Up Friday, Feb. 14 - Folk Friday
Sunday, Feb. 16 - Rev. Forrest Pritchett, Director, Martin Luther KIng, Jr. Leadership Program and Senior Advisor to Provost on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Seton Hall University.
Sunday, Feb. 23 - South Orange Councilmember Olivia Lewis-Chang, advocate for community, the environment and mental health.
Jacob Baccus: Exploring Asset Reciprocity
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
Jacob Baccus will lead us in exploration of the concept of "asset reciprocity" - the special gifts we have to offer and exchange, and ways in which we -- as individuals and as a group - can enrich our community.
Jacob Baccus is currently the Director of Community Outreach at First Congregational Church in Verona, NJ. He is also the Co-Owner of Acorn General Store in Montclair, NJ, which is a retail store dedicated to bringing joy to the lives of its customers through beautifully curated, sustainably minded necessities and treasures. In his role at First Congregational, Jacob works in his community by being an asset to develop community through intentional focus shifts. He graduated from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York in 2013 where he studied Social Ethics.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday Platform, Feb 2 2025
Time: Feb 2, 2025 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 883 0595 1069
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Vic DeLuca: President Trump - Agonize, Strategize, Organize
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
Twenty-one years since he came to Essex Ethical to discuss the Bush presidency, Maplewood civic leader Vic DeLuca has agreed to return and offer us his perspective on our brand new and deeply disturbing presidential predicament.
Vic DeLuca was first elected to the Maplewood Township Committee in 1997 and is now in his 26th year in office, including 14 years as Maplewood’s Mayor. In 2015, Vic was inducted into the New Jersey League of Municipalities Mayors Hall of Fame and also received the Elected Official Award from the New Jersey Municipal Managers Association. In 2018, he was inducted into the
New Jersey League of Municipalities Elected Officials Hall of Fame and in 2019, he received Sustainable Jersey’s Environmental Leadership Award.
Vic’s social justice journey started as a student at Montclair State University. In 1974, he joined Volunteer In Service To America (VISTA) and was assigned to the Newark-based Ironbound Community Corporation. A year later, he began a 15 year tenure as the director of the organization, which operates social service programs and addresses social, racial and environmental justice concerns. In 1982, Vic was a founding board member of New Jersey Citizen Action, a statewide advocacy organization, and served on its board for 42 years.
Vic joined the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation, a NYC philanthropic nonprofit, in 1991, first as a Program Officer then as President. During his 25 years with the Foundation, Vic developed it into a national leader, supporting grassroots organizations working on racial justice, reproductive rights and environmental sustainability.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday Jan 26 Platform
Time: Jan 26, 2025 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87036537459
Meeting ID: 870 3653 7459
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Sunday, Feb 2 - TBA
Sunday, Feb 9 - Artist Joanne Leone
Sunday, Feb 16 - Reverend Forrest Pritchett
Coming Up Thursday, Jan. 23, 4pm - The Smiffenpoofs: Come Home to My Heart Tour: The Smiffenpoofs, Smith College's and the nation's oldest historically women's a cappella group, are hosting a performance followed by a beat boxing workshop. For all ages. Free admission.
Sunday, Feb 2 - TBA
Sunday, Feb 9 - Artist Joanne Leone
Sunday, Feb 16 - Reverend Forrest Pritchett
Sunday, January 19, 2025
11:00a.m.
Carol Barry-Austin & Jocelyn Ryan
Co-Chairs of the Schools Committee of the
South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race
Discuss...Intentional Integration in the
South Orange/Maplewood School District
.Jocelyn Ryan and Carol Barry-Austin
Carol Barry-Austin is a founding member of the Coalition on Race and has dedicated her time and talents to the growth and success of the organization for over 20 years. She served as Chair from 2006-08 after serving on the Executive Committee since the organization's inception and currently co-chairs the Schools Committee. Under her leadership, the committee has shaped community discussion regarding the Academic Achievement Gap by providing forums, parent advocacy workshops and Achievement Gap Study Groups. Carol is often cited for her consistent efforts on behalf of the youth of the community and her commitment to integration and fair housing. Her advocacy on behalf of students began early on with the PTA's as President of the various schools her 3 children attended. She has represented the community throughout the region on panels to discuss integration and youth advocacy. Professionally, Carol served as a consultant for a New Jersey-based communications company and she spent fifteen years working for New York Telephone Company, designing and implementing communication systems for major New York corporations. Carol also shares her time with the Columbia High School Scholarship Fund, South Orange Civic Organization, and the Tuxedo Park Neighborhood Association. She and her husband have lived in South Orange for over 40 years.
Jocelyn Ryan has been volunteering with the Schools Committee of the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race since 2009, and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Committee and on the Board of Trustees. She has also helped to run the MLK Luminary Project for the Coalition for the last 12 years. She was a founding member of the South Orange Community Police Collaborative and served on the board for one term. She served as liaison to the Special Education PTO and then SEPAC when her children were in elementary and middle school and is still active within the SOMA Special Education community. She also works with local organizations, including SOMA Justice, to get food to families who can't make it to the food pantries themselves. She has lived in South Orange with her husband Richard and three daughters for 22 years.
Zoom Link here:
Carol Barry-Austin & Jocelyn Ryan: The Importance of Intentional Integration in the South Orange-Maplewood School District
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
Carol Barry-Austin & Jocelyn Ryan, Co-Chairs of the Schools Committee of the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race, discuss the importance of intentional integration in the South Orange/Maplewood School District.
Carol Barry-Austin is a founding member of the Coalition on Race and has dedicated her time and talents to the growth and success of the organization for over 20 years. She served as Chair from 2006-08 after serving on the Executive Committee since the organization's inception and currently co-chairs the Schools Committee. Under her leadership, the committee has shaped community discussion regarding the Academic Achievement Gap by providing forums, parent advocacy workshops and Achievement Gap Study Groups. Carol is often cited for her consistent efforts on behalf of the youth of the community and her commitment to integration and fair housing. Her advocacy on behalf of students began early on with the PTA's as President of the various schools her 3 children attended. She has represented the community throughout the region on panels to discuss integration and youth advocacy. Professionally, Carol served as a consultant for a New Jersey-based communications company and she spent fifteen years working for New York Telephone Company, designing and implementing communication systems for major New York corporations. Carol also shares her time with the Columbia High School Scholarship Fund, South Orange Civic Organization, and the Tuxedo Park Neighborhood Association. She and her husband have lived in South Orange for over 40 years.
Jocelyn Ryan has been volunteering with the Schools Committee of the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race since 2009, and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Committee and on the Board of Trustees. She has also helped to run the MLK Luminary Project for the Coalition for the last 12 years. She was a founding member of the South Orange Community Police Collaborative and served on the board for one term. She served as liaison to the Special Education PTO and then SEPAC when her children were in elementary and middle school and is still active within the SOMA Special Education community. She also works with local organizations, including SOMA Justice, to get food to families who can't make it to the food pantries themselves. She has lived in South Orange with her husband Richard and three daughters for 22 years.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday, Jan 19 Platform
Time: Jan 19, 2025 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82312882555
Meeting ID: 823 1288 2555
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Coming Up Thursday, Jan. 23, 4pm - The Smiffenpoofs: Come Home to My Heart Tour: The Smiffenpoofs, Smith College's and the nation's oldest historically women's a cappella group, are hosting a performance followed by a beat boxing workshop. For all ages. Free admission.
Sunday, Jan. 26 - TBA
Tech Help
Since the Pandemic, we've all had to adjust to new technology, like Zoom meetings and virtual platforms, to help us stay connected. We are offering tech help to any members who need assistance in learning how to use these online programs in order to participate in Ethical events and platforms. Please let us know if you would like tech support and we'll connect you with someone who can help. Send an email with a request to ecsec.nj@gmail.com.
Ongoing Collections
Food Bank- Please remember to bring canned or boxed food items for the food pantry box in our front hall. Donations go to the New Jersey Food Bank. (Please be careful not to donate expired items, which could cause adverse effects.)
Please note: we are no longer collecting batteries or children’s books.
Volunteer Opportunities
We need help! Please call the office if you can aid with any of these endeavors:
- Occasionally provide local transportation to people who cannot get to events
- Be part of a caring committee to identify/contact those who are ill or ailing
- Lend your expertise to research/grant applications
516 Prospect St., Maplewood, NJ 07040
973.763.1905 essexethical.org
Coming Up!
Sharing Homes - with Friends, Family or Strangers
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
Housing is a problem for many in our community - both the shortage and the size of the homes. We will explore the options of multi-generational or shared occupancy, starting with personal experiences of people who have or are currently sharing their homes, namely our esteemed member Jackie Herships, and three members of the Malinoski family of South Orange.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday Platform, Jan 12, 2025
Time: Jan 12, 2025 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82217247384
Meeting ID: 822 1724 7384
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Meeting ID: 822 1724 7384
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc3kfG9pIL
Coming Up Friday, Jan. 10, 7pm - Folk Friday
Saturday, Jan. 11, 2pm - Doing It Workshop with Jacqueline Herships
Sunday, Jan. 19 - MLK Sunday with guest speakers Carol Barry-Austin and Jocelyn Ryan, Co-Chairs of the Schools Committee of the Coalition on Race.
Tech Help
Since the Pandemic, we've all had to adjust to new technology, like Zoom meetings and virtual platforms, to help us stay connected. We are offering tech help to any members who need assistance in learning how to use these online programs in order to participate in Ethical events and platforms. Please let us know if you would like tech support and we'll connect you with someone who can help. Send an email with a request to ecsec.nj@gmail.com.
Ongoing Collections
Food Bank- Please remember to bring canned or boxed food items for the food pantry box in our front hall. Donations go to the New Jersey Food Bank. (Please be careful not to donate expired items, which could cause adverse effects.)
Please note: we are no longer collecting batteries or children’s books.
Volunteer Opportunities
We need help! Please call the office if you can aid with any of these endeavors:
- Occasionally provide local transportation to people who cannot get to events
- Be part of a caring committee to identify/contact those who are ill or ailing
- Lend your expertise to research/grant applications
516 Prospect St., Maplewood, NJ 07040
973.763.1905 essexethical.org
Elaine Durbach: Setting the Tone for the New Year - Setting Goals or Going with the Flow
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
ECS president Elaine Durbach will lead a discussion about our various ways of approaching a new year, and what has worked best for us in the past.
Whether it's weight loss or relationships, financial or creative goals or political aspirations, many of us welcome the notion of a fresh start.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday, Jan 5 2025
Time: Jan 5, 2025 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84374015564
Meeting ID: 843 7401 5564
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Meeting ID: 843 7401 5564
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcY159Xf3d
Coming Up
Sunday, Jan. 12 - House Sharing - a growing trend, whether with friends or family.
Sunday, Jan. 19 - MLK Sunday with guest speakers Carol Barry-Austin and Jocelyn Ryan, Co-Chairs of the Schools Committee of the Coalition on Race.
Sunday, December 29, 2024
Zoom Only:
AEU All-Societies Platform:
Gathering Light in our Times
December 29 AEU All-Societies Platform:
Gathering Light in Our TimesSunday, December 29
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Join Ethical Culturists from around the country as we acknowledge the dark and bring out the light. Let’s bring out the best of others and thus ourselves through this heart-centered winter solstice program of many voices.
Hosted by Hugh Taft-Morales, Ethical Culture Leader
Sunday, December 22, 2024
11:00 A.M.
Nkosi Anderson
On Christmas:
Its Roots, Traditions, and Controveries
Nkosi Du Bois Anderson, M. Div., Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Africana Studies in the Department of Religion at Seton Hall University. He draws from Christian social ethics and theology, Black religious and political thought, and social theory to explore the concept of freedom based upon principles of social justice and democratic rights. This includes examining the function of religion within liberation struggles, particularly related but not limited to, the African-American experience. Dr. Anderson's current research includes book projects on the Black Christian socialist tradition and the use of love as a tool for social change. He teaches courses in Africana Studies, Religion, and for the Core Curriculum. Outside of academia, Dr. Anderson has worked in government, public education, and with nonprofit, community, and religious organizations. He remains committed to a number of social justice causes.
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Terri Suess:
Climate Breakdown -
What Can We Do?This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
Essex Ethical board member and former president Terri Suess will present an update on her previous climate-change overview, summarizing the global picture and showing how the metrics have advanced over this past year. Her question and challenge to us: What can we do NOW?
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday Platform, Dec 15 - Life Lessons
Time: Dec 15, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86988262312
Meeting ID: 869 8826 2312
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Meeting ID: 869 8826 2312
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kyt0ibFZI
Coming Up: Sunday, Dec. 22: Nkosi Anderson on Christmas, its Roots, Traditions and Controversies (Hybrid)
Sunday, Dec. 29: AEU All-Society Discussion: Gathering Light in Our Times (Zoom Only)
Tuesday, Dec. 31: Ethical's New Year's Eve Celebration/Fundraiser
Tech Help
Since the Pandemic, we've all had to adjust to new technology, like Zoom meetings and virtual platforms, to help us stay connected. We are offering tech help to any members who need assistance in learning how to use these online programs in order to participate in Ethical events and platforms. Please let us know if you would like tech support and we'll connect you with someone who can help. Send an email with a request to ecsec.nj@gmail.com.
Ongoing Collections
Food Bank- Please remember to bring canned or boxed food items for the food pantry box in our front hall. Donations go to the New Jersey Food Bank. (Please be careful not to donate expired items, which could cause adverse effects.)
Please note: we are no longer collecting batteries or children’s books.
Volunteer Opportunities
We need help! Please call the office if you can aid with any of these endeavors:
- Occasionally provide local transportation to people who cannot get to events
- Be part of a caring committee to identify/contact those who are ill or ailing
- Lend your expertise to research/grant applications
516 Prospect St., Maplewood, NJ 07040
973.763.1905 essexethical.org
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Panel Discussion - Life Lessons: If Only We Knew Then What We Know Now
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
The members of the Ethical Living committee, which plans our platforms, will lead a discussion on how life experiences have informed - and in some cases, reshaped - our views on the past. You will be invited to explore views on love, work, family, politics, etc.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday Platform, Dec 8 - Life Lessons
Time: Dec 8, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86988262312
Meeting ID: 869 8826 2312
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Meeting ID: 869 8826 2312
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kyt0ibFZI
Coming Up: Sunday, Dec. 15: Terri Suess will offer an update on her last overview of the environment and our role in its protection (hybrid)
Sunday, Dec. 22: Nkosi Anderson on Christmas, its Roots, Traditions and Controversies (Hybrid)
Sunday, Dec. 29: AEU All-Society Discussion: Gathering Light in Our Times (Zoom Only)
Tuesday, Dec. 31: Ethical's New Year's Eve Celebration/Fundraiser
Tech Help
Since the Pandemic, we've all had to adjust to new technology, like Zoom meetings and virtual platforms, to help us stay connected. We are offering tech help to any members who need assistance in learning how to use these online programs in order to participate in Ethical events and platforms. Please let us know if you would like tech support and we'll connect you with someone who can help. Send an email with a request to ecsec.nj@gmail.com.
Ongoing Collections
Food Bank- Please remember to bring canned or boxed food items for the food pantry box in our front hall. Donations go to the New Jersey Food Bank. (Please be careful not to donate expired items, which could cause adverse effects.)
Please note: we are no longer collecting batteries or children’s books.
Volunteer Opportunities
We need help! Please call the office if you can aid with any of these endeavors:
- Occasionally provide local transportation to people who cannot get to events
- Be part of a caring committee to identify/contact those who are ill or ailing
- Lend your expertise to research/grant applications
516 Prospect St., Maplewood, NJ 07040
973.763.1905 essexethical.org
Hikaru Hayakawa: Bringing the Climate Message to Youth Around the World
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa is a twenty-three year-old Japanese-Caribbean American social entrepreneur and researcher. Hikaru is the Executive Director of Climate Cardinals, the world's largest youth-led climate advocacy organization, which works to make climate education more accessible to non-English speakers.As the Founding Partnerships Director, Hikaru established the organization's signature climate information translation program through key partnerships with Translators Without Borders and Google. He has coordinated over a million words of climate information translations, and has raised around half-a-million USD for Climate Cardinals. Over the past three years, he has served as Founder and UN Secretary-General Advisor Sophia Kianni’s second-hand in growing the organization. He has spoken about his work for events with the UN Development Programme, Italian Ministry of the Environment, Smithsonian, U.S. Climate Engagement and Capacity-Building Interagency Working Group, and the March On Foundation.
Hikaru graduated from Columbia High School and is currently a student at Williams College, the premier liberal arts higher education institution in the U.S., majoring in History with minors in Global and Environmental Studies. He has prior work experience with the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation, a federally-recognized tribe, the Ecologic Institute, a leading environmental policy think tank, and the UN Environment Programme-Finance Initiative. A native English speaker, Hikaru also speaks Spanish, Macedonian, and Russian, and has lived, studied, and worked in the U.S., Germany, the U.K., North Macedonia, and China.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday Platform, Dec 1 - Hikaru Hayakawa
Time: Dec 1, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86988262312
Meeting ID: 869 8826 2312
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Meeting ID: 869 8826 2312
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kyt0ibFZI
Coming Up: Sunday, Dec 8: "If I knew then what I know now" - The members of the Ethical Living Committee, which plans our Sunday platforms, will open a review of our lives and what we have learned from our experiences.
Tech Help
Since the Pandemic, we've all had to adjust to new technology, like Zoom meetings and virtual platforms, to help us stay connected. We are offering tech help to any members who need assistance in learning how to use these online programs in order to participate in Ethical events and platforms. Please let us know if you would like tech support and we'll connect you with someone who can help. Send an email with a request to ecsec.nj@gmail.com.
Ongoing Collections
Food Bank- Please remember to bring canned or boxed food items for the food pantry box in our front hall. Donations go to the New Jersey Food Bank. (Please be careful not to donate expired items, which could cause adverse effects.)
Please note: we are no longer collecting batteries or children’s books.
Volunteer Opportunities
We need help! Please call the office if you can aid with any of these endeavors:
- Occasionally provide local transportation to people who cannot get to events
- Be part of a caring committee to identify/contact those who are ill or ailing
- Lend your expertise to research/grant applications
516 Prospect St., Maplewood, NJ 07040
973.763.1905 essexethical.org
View this email in your browser
Dr. Carolyn Parker: See the Light, Be the Light, Share the Light
This is a Zoom Only event. You must register to get the Zoom link. The registration link is below.
Light, in reality and as a metaphor, holds a central position in our lives. What light do we see in Ethical Culture? How do we incorporate it into our lives? What does this even mean in the aftermath of a historic election that has divided families and communities across the nation? In a time of (metaphorical) darkness, Ethical Culture can be a beacon, calling us together, lighting our way forward.
Dr. Carolyn A. Parker is an Ethical Culturist, coming late to the community but long holding the beliefs and values that led her to the Ethical Society of Austin and (now) the New York Society for Ethical Culture. She is an activist, with experience in advocacy at local, state, and national levels. Her education gave her a background in the liberal arts and social sciences, supporting her work in teaching, writing, and organizational management with an international perspective. Dr. Parker is currently the ESOA representative to the AEU Board and Secretary of the National Ethical Service. She writes two blogs: Happy(Ethical)Human and Biblioblog for Ethical Culture.
Link to register for Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OovjBYp5QRut5XyVPjOiVw
Coming Up: Sunday, Dec. 1, 11am - Hikaru Hayakawa - Climate Cardinals, and the campaign to make environmental information available around the world.
Tech Help
Since the Pandemic, we've all had to adjust to new technology, like Zoom meetings and virtual platforms, to help us stay connected. We are offering tech help to any members who need assistance in learning how to use these online programs in order to participate in Ethical events and platforms. Please let us know if you would like tech support and we'll connect you with someone who can help. Send an email with a request to ecsec.nj@gmail.com.
Ongoing Collections
Food Bank- Please remember to bring canned or boxed food items for the food pantry box in our front hall. Donations go to the New Jersey Food Bank. (Please be careful not to donate expired items, which could cause adverse effects.)
Please note: we are no longer collecting batteries or children’s books.
Volunteer Opportunities
We need help! Please call the office if you can aid with any of these endeavors:
- Occasionally provide local transportation to people who cannot get to events
- Be part of a caring committee to identify/contact those who are ill or ailing
- Lend your expertise to research/grant applications
516 Prospect St., Maplewood, NJ 07040
973.763.1905 essexethical.org
Amanda Guttierez: A Personal Insight on Eugenic Practices
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
Drawing on her own family's experience with the California Eugenics Program, which forcibly sterilized her great-grandmother after immigrating from Mexico, Amanda's research, "Rethinking the Legacy of Eugenic Practices: How Local Communities Can Find Healing When Adequate Government Intervention Falls Short" explores the historical and lasting impacts of eugenic sterilization practices in the United States, particularly focusing on California and Puerto Rico.
This thesis examines how these practices, which disproportionately targeted marginalized communities, have left behind a legacy of medical mistrust and generational trauma. By applying the "imperial boomerang effect framework," this thesis demonstrates how colonial tactics of oppression were refined abroad and then used domestically.
This work proposes using transitional justice mechanisms such as education, empowerment through safe spaces, and commemoration to help affected communities find healing without relying solely on government intervention.
Amanda Gutierrez holds a Master of Arts in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University, with a concentration in Global Negotiations and Conflict Management and a regional focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. As a first-generation college graduate, Amanda's research and advocacy are driven by her connection to the systemic barriers marginalized communities face. She has extensive experience in communications, program management, and advocacy, working with organizations such as the U.S. House of Representatives, Religions for Peace, and LatinoJustice. Amanda is passionate about using her skills to promote equity and justice, particularly in reproductive rights.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday, Oct 13 platform
Time: Oct 13, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89214897085
Meeting ID: 892 1489 7085
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Meeting ID: 892 1489 7085
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kmXhIoZeT
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Taking Stock of the Post-Election SituationThis is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
After the storms of the election campaign, we will gather to share our impressions, and seek clarity on what lies ahead and how best to handle it. Longtime ECS member Bill Graves will lead the discussion.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday Platform, Nov 10. 2024
Time: Nov 10, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86759003033
Meeting ID: 867 5900 3033
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Meeting ID: 867 5900 3033
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/ktcGDCZnh
Coming Up: Friday, Nov. 8, 7:30pm - Folk Friday
Sunday, Nov. 17, 11am - Amanda Guttierez - Rescheduled from Oct. 13
Sunday, Nov. 24, 11am - TBS
Sunday, Dec. 1, 11am - Hikaru Hayakawa on fostering environmental literacy around the world.
High Schooler's Panel: The World Through Young EyesThis is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
A group of high schoolers, led by Hannah, granddaughter of our beloved member Zia Durrani, will share their perspective on the challenges facing them - socially, academically, and in the wider world.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday platform Nov 3
Time: Nov 3, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83412498668
Meeting ID: 834 1249 8668
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Meeting ID: 834 1249 8668
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keusEnNErK
Coming Up: Friday, Nov. 8, 7:30pm - Folk Friday
Sunday, Nov. 10, 11am - Post-Election Colloquy -Member-led colloquy on the post-Election situation. Looking, as ever and regardless of the outcome, to bring out the best in our world and ourselves.
Sunday, Nov. 17, 11am - Amanda Guttierez - Rescheduled from Oct. 13
Tech Help
Since the Pandemic, we've all had to adjust to new technology, like Zoom meetings and virtual platforms, to help us stay connected. We are offering tech help to any members who need assistance in learning how to use these online programs in order to participate in Ethical events and platforms. Please let us know if you would like tech support and we'll connect you with someone who can help. Send an email with a request to ecsec.nj@gmail.com.
Ongoing Collections
Food Bank- Please remember to bring canned or boxed food items for the food pantry box in our front hall. Donations go to the New Jersey Food Bank. (Please be careful not to donate expired items, which could cause adverse effects.)
Please note: we are no longer collecting batteries or children’s books.
Volunteer Opportunities
We need help! Please call the office if you can aid with any of these endeavors:
- Occasionally provide local transportation to people who cannot get to events
- Be part of a caring committee to identify/contact those who are ill or ailing
- Lend your expertise to research/grant applications
516 Prospect St., Maplewood, NJ 07040
973.763.1905 essexethical.org
Sunday, October 27, 2024
11:00 AM
Jean Vitrano
Mindfulness Teacher
Jean Vitrano, Mindfulness Teacher, interviewed by Meredith Sue Willis
.Jean Vitrano integrates her 25+ years of training in mindfulness practices, meditation, movement, and body therapies to assist individuals in living with greater awareness, ease, and joy. Jean facilitates ongoing meditation and mindfulness groups, classes, and workshops at her Maplewood Studio and online. With an emphasis on discovering one's own insight, Jean invites curiosity, kindness, and compassion in everyone who seeks to live a mindful life. Understanding that we all discover our inner wisdom, in our own time, she creates safe communities for people to explore, listen, and share. Jean will be holding a Beginning Meditation Series this November.
Jean studied with the late Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and has been influenced by the teachings of Tara Brach, Sharon Salzberg, Pema Chodron, and the work of Eugene Gendlin (Focusing). Most recently, she has studied mindful communication and Nonviolent Communication with Oren Jay Sofer. Jean holds a BA from NYU and has had careers as a professional contemporary dancer and 20 years as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Jean is also a graduate of the Feldenkrais Method Training Program. Jean lives in New Jersey with her husband and teenage children.
.
Sunday, October 20, 2024
In light of the passing of our long-time and beloved building caretaker, there will be an informal meeting at the Society at 11 AM on Sunday, October 20, 2024 to be with friends and share thoughts and feelings. After about half an hour of open sharing, we'll have an opportunity to talk about loss for those who wish to.
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday, Oct 20 platform
Time: Oct 20, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89214897085
Meeting ID: 892 1489 7085
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Meeting ID: 892 1489 7085
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kmXhIoZeT
11:00 a.m.
Amanda Guttierez: A Personal Insight on Eugenic Practices
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
Drawing on her own family's experience with the California Eugenics Program, which forcibly sterilized her great-grandmother after immigrating from Mexico, Amanda's research, "Rethinking the Legacy of Eugenic Practices: How Local Communities Can Find Healing When Adequate Government Intervention Falls Short" explores the historical and lasting impacts of eugenic sterilization practices in the United States, particularly focusing on California and Puerto Rico.
This thesis examines how these practices, which disproportionately targeted marginalized communities, have left behind a legacy of medical mistrust and generational trauma. By applying the "imperial boomerang effect framework," this thesis demonstrates how colonial tactics of oppression were refined abroad and then used domestically.
This work proposes using transitional justice mechanisms such as education, empowerment through safe spaces, and commemoration to help affected communities find healing without relying solely on government intervention.
Amanda Gutierrez holds a Master of Arts in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University, with a concentration in Global Negotiations and Conflict Management and a regional focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. As a first-generation college graduate, Amanda's research and advocacy are driven by her connection to the systemic barriers marginalized communities face. She has extensive experience in communications, program management, and advocacy, working with organizations such as the U.S. House of Representatives, Religions for Peace, and LatinoJustice. Amanda is passionate about using her skills to promote equity and justice, particularly in reproductive rights.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday, Oct 13 platform
Time: Oct 13, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 892 1489 7085
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Calvin Chatlos: The Power of Worth, Dignity and a Spiritual Attitude
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
Understanding and operationalizing the experience of worth and dignity is the key to opening a genuine spiritual core that we are beginning to understand through neuroscience.
This platform will describe a transformational power that opens when we meaningfully commit to the worth and dignity of every person (including ourself), which is the spiritual attitude in life. This platform will be an overview of the philosophy, meaning and application of Being Ethical Culture.
Dr. Chatlos is a Professor of Psychiatry at Rutgers-RWJ Medical School, specializing in adult, child & adolescent, and addiction psychiatry. His introduction to Ethical Culture in college led to his exploration of how to practically empower worth and dignity, eventually leading him to explore faith experience and spirituality. Personal and familial challenges with psychosis, panic attacks, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder led his personal journey to understand spiritual experiences with mystical characteristics including states of bliss and discovering personal purpose. Recently, he conducted a groundbreaking study demonstrating the intentional promotion of spiritual experiences/awakening in a short-term psychotherapeutic intervention. Dr. Chatlos is recognized as a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Topic: Sunday Oct 6 platform
Time: Oct 6, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 844 1406 7067
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Coming Up: Friday, Oct. 11, 7:30pm - Folk Friday
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2pm - Doing It Workshop with Jacqueline Herships
Sunday, Oct. 13, 11am - Amanda Gutierrez, a recent Seton Hall graduate, shares her thesis, discussing "Involuntary Sterilization - A Family's Tragic History."
Sunday, Oct 20, 11am - Colloquy led by members of the Ethical Living Committee: "If I Knew Then What I Know Now - Learning from our life experience".
Tech Help
Since the Pandemic, we've all had to adjust to new technology, like Zoom meetings and virtual platforms, to help us stay connected. We are offering tech help to any members who need assistance in learning how to use these online programs in order to participate in Ethical events and platforms. Please let us know if you would like tech support and we'll connect you with someone who can help. Send an email with a request to ecsec.nj@gmail.com.
Ongoing Collections
Food Bank- Please remember to bring canned or boxed food items for the food pantry box in our front hall. Donations go to the New Jersey Food Bank. (Please be careful not to donate expired items, which could cause adverse effects.)
Please note: we are no longer collecting batteries or children’s books.
Volunteer Opportunities
We need help! Please call the office if you can aid with any of these endeavors:
- Occasionally provide local transportation to people who cannot get to events
- Be part of a caring committee to identify/contact those who are ill or ailing
- Lend your expertise to research/grant applications
516 Prospect St., Maplewood, NJ 07040
973.763.1905 essexethical.org
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AEU All-Society Platform: Building an Intergenerational Movement for Climate Justice
This is a Zoom event. Please note: participants must register in advance.Click Here to Register & Access Zoom Link: Register Now
As Climate Week comes to a close, a panel convenes to look at the unique intergenerational nature of the Climate Justice Movement. Humans of all ages are teaming up to meet the ethical imperative of Climate Justice and to grow this movement. This panel will explore the intergenerational modes and methods that youth and elders have employed, in connecting across their generational divides for this global movement.Dialogue will aim to reveal some of the struggles, frustrations, joys and learnings from this cross generational collaboration. While different generations may be coming from different points of reference, different inspirational motivation, and different stylistic tendencies, how are they implementing solidarity, and guiding themselves modalities of curious and compassionate interactivity and care, with a common mission? In climate justice circles, this summer has been “the summer of heat.” How are they each navigating the ethical dilemmas they confront in the world through this movement?
Panelists represent Third Act and Fridays For Future (two organizations that Ethical NYC partners with, to support this Climate Justice Movement), as well as No Brooklyn Pipeline, and Climate Families.
After the platform, there will be zoom break out groups for the audience to gather in small discussion groups, and look at how your communities foster intergenerational connection and collaboration, and also how your communities approach the global ethical imperative of climate justice involvement.
Panelists moderated by AEU President and Science Researcher Khandra Sears include: Helen Mancini (high school ~ Fridays for Future), Adérìnsọ́lá Marian Babawale (college ~ Fridays for Future Alum, No Brooklyn Pipeline), Pat Almonrode (Third Act), Eliza Clark (Climate Families), and Monica Weiss (Third Act).
This forum is open to all humans, so we ask all interested people to amplify it on social media platforms. All Ethical Societies are encouraged to publicize this event to their communities, and even host watch parties if possible.
Panelists:
Helen Mancini is a senior at Stuyvesant High School and a climate and social justice organizer with Fridays For Future NYC where she has planned four global school strikes and many local rallies. She was also a speaker and lead organizer for the 2023 March To End Fossil Fuels which mobilized 75,000 people.
Adérìnsọ́lá Marian Babawale (She/Her/Hers) is a 22-year-old Abolitionist & college student majoring in Global environmental studies liberal arts. She is a poet, sustainable fashionista and artist who also considers herself a steward of the land and a solution based organizer, advocating for Eco & housing justice as well as food sovereignty. Ade’s climate activism has included involvement with FFF and the No Brooklyn Pipeline Movement and she has given speeches and taught climate songs at climate rallies and marches.
Pat Almonrode is an attorney and a longtime climate activist. He has worked with 350NYC and other local and national groups, and is currently co-facilitator of Third Act NYC, as well as Third Act Lawyers. Pat has been particularly interested in the intersection of law and climate advocacy, and in the role of the faith community in the climate movement. He was instrumental in organizing faith participation in the 2014 Climate March that brought more than 350,000 people to the streets of NYC, and more recently has been involved in the elders’ actions that have been part of “The Summer of Heat,” a months-long series of protests targeting Citigroup, the world’s largest financer of new fossil-fuel infrastructure projects. He lives on the Upper West Side with his wife, Susan Gargiulo, and is active in local Democratic politics.
Eliza Clark is from New York City and lives in Manhattan with her husband and three daughters. She was inspired to take an active part in the climate movement by the example of her teenage daughter Helen Mancini who is a lead organizer with Fridays for Future NYC. Her background is in education and academia. She has a PhD from Harvard University in American Studies and her areas of research include the 19th century women’s movement and the intersection of social and political movements with family life. She has taught history and writing at both the college and high school levels; she has also spent many years as a primary parent and caregiver. She joined Climate Families NYC in 2022 and now serves as one of its volunteer Co-Chairs. She regularly participates in climate actions with her 6-year-old who has befriended many other kids in the group. She and Helen wrote about the urgent need for parents to get involved in climate activism in Teen Vogue.
Monica Weiss is a long time Ethical Culture member, retired educator and climate activist. Since retiring from teaching she has trained as a Climate Reality Leader, completed the Project Drawdown Workshop, and is on the 350NYC Steering Committee and the Third Act NYC Coordinating Committee. Committed to empowering youth, Monica has focused much of her activism on creating welcoming spaces for many youth groups to meet and organize at New York Society for Ethical Culture including Fridays For Future, since 2019.Panel Moderator: Khandra Sears
Khandra Sears is the American Ethical Union’s Board President. Khandra’s relationship with Ethical Culture began as she pursued an undergraduate degree in microbiology and began to question what faith and the Bible meant to her. As she moved to Baltimore to earn a PhD in Microbiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), she started to attend Baltimore Ethical Society Platforms and went on to join them as a member. Currently, Khandra works at UMSOM as part of a research team that develops live oral vaccines primarily against non-typhoidal strains of Salmonella enterica but also against other enteric bacteria. Since gastroenteric infections are still a leading cause of illness and death in children in resource-limited regions, she takes pride in the fact that she is working to address this issue and ultimately improve human lives.
September 22, 2024
Social Action Committee
2024 Local Hero Michelle Bobrow.
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.Michelle Bobrow has given years of leadership in areas that range from advocacy for abused and neglected children in Essex County, New Jersey to advocacy against eminent domain abuse, and work for open government and citizen participation in government. There is much much more: long service with the Miriam Sisterhood at Oheb Shalom Congregation; chairing the National Council of Jewish Women, NJ State Public Affairs Committee; serving on local and state association boards and teaching courses on parliamentary procedure and running effective meetings. In her work at the Essex County Election Board, she has overseen the polling sites in Maplewood as the Master Poll worker. We are especially grateful for her long years of involvement in the League of Women Voters as a Vice President of Voter Service for the League of Women Voters of New Jersey and as an officer of the Maplewood League of Women Voters since the 1970’s.
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Erika Erickson Malinoski: Thinking Nationally, Acting Locally -- How to Bring Change from the Grassroots Up
This is a hybrid event: in person at the Ethical Culture Society and also via Zoom. The Zoom link is below.
South Orange activist Erika Erickson Malinoski believes that action is the best antidote to the pre-election tension so many of us are feeling. She will lead us in an exploration of the real meaning of democracy and how tiny, everyday actions add up to a big difference.
A passionate advocate for democracy, Erika co-chairs SOMA Action’s Democracy Action Committee and is also a Trustee. She holds a Masters in Public Policy and Bachelors of Political Science from the University of Michigan. Prior to moving to South Orange in 2019, she taught high school, community college, and middle school math in California as well as serving a stint as a school administrator. She currently writes essays and science fiction in between juggling twin toddlers and a seven-year old. Her most recent publication is onestepleft.org, a "choose your own adventure" guide to electoral activism.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sunday, Sept 15 Platform
Time: Sep 15, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 828 3961 8097
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Opening Platform:
Back to the Future
Looking back with appreciation for what has been achieved this past summer, and forward with hope and determination, we will launch our 2024-25 Ethical year. It promises to be a challenging time, with a greater than ever need for strong community.
Longtime member, Meredith Sue Willis, chair of our Social Action Committee, will lead the discussion, inviting suggestions, ideals, and even wishful thinking to light up the path ahead.
elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: ECS Sunday Platform Sep 8 2024
Time: Sep 8, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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From April 7, 2024:
Moms Demand Action of Essex County
and Nancy Kislin
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We are a 501 (c) (3) Organization-- Contributions
are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law..
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The Ethical Culture Society of Essex County, a 501(c) (3) organization, is a member of the American Ethical Union (AEU), the smallest named religion in the United States. While we are united through our deep belief in living an ethical life in this world, and in our relation to the natural world, some members believe in a universal life force, others believe in a deity, others are non-theistic.
All are welcome at the Ethical Culture Society.
For over 150 years, Ethical Culture has been on the front lines for social reform and social service and has advocated for human cultural expression through music, art, dance, and theater.
Ethical Culture participated in the founding of the NAACP, the ACLU, Visiting Nurses, and much more. It helped lead the struggles for the eight hour day, an end to child labor, to establish public education, and the first American kindergartens. Today we study ethical analysis and action, work for peace and justice, for full and fair Immigration policies, to roll back climate change and to build a sustainable world.
We present artists, poets, musicians, dancers and dramatists to enrich lives.
Our motto is "Work to bring out the best in others, and thereby in ourselves.".
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An Appeal
Dear Ethical Culture Members and Friends,
. Thank you for your commitment to the Ethical Culture Movement that strives to bring ethics into all walks of life by "acting so as to bring out the best in others, and thereby in ourselves" and by working in community to positively impact our personal lives, our communities, as well as ethics in business, politics, education, and health care. By being a Member or Friend of the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County, you make this ongoing journey of analysis, inquiry and action for ethics possible.
. As you know, our building at 516 Prospect Street, Maplewood, on the border of Maplewood and South Orange, has provided space for over 70 years for not only our Ethical Culture Sunday morning platform presentations, and our Family Sunday School Program, it has also hosted many important community programs and events including Chamber Music Workshops, AA Groups, Folk Fridays Music, The Human Faith Movement meetings, ethical summer study groups, personal goal setting and achievement workshops, philosophy groups, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reading groups, as well as a variety of musical recitals, concerts and art exhibits.
The Building also hosts The South Orange Maplewood Coalition on Race offices and events, and has welcomed SOMA Adult School Classes. We have also contributed to the Interfaith Hospitality Network, the Community Food Bank, Community Coat Drives and NJ Peace Action. And over the years we have raised funds for schools in Afghanistan, supported reform movements to end police brutality, and have dedicated ourselves to racial and sexual equality, an end to ageism and to support Labor Movements.
The Ethical Culture Society of Essex County is also the world's first Peace Site, dedicated to finding pathways to Peace. For these and many other reasons having our building as a base for our activities has made the work of the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County possible. Together with our location and our dedicated and active members and friends, we have had positive impacts on our community, our county, state, nation and the world.
As you may have heard, we have large building expenses looming that require our stewardship. We are committed to taking care of one of our most valuable assets, our building. The roof will need replacement, and the exterior walls are desperately in need of maintenance. We also have had an immediate chimney repair required. In addition, our ramp, making the building accessible, has worn out and been removed, prompting research into replacement ramps or possibly a mechanical lift. Combined, these repairs are estimated to cost more than $100,000. This would more than deplete our modest savings, and remove our cushion on hand. It is important that we take action to raise funds now.
The Board has decided to embark on a Capital Campaign to raise funds to meet the costs of these building repairs and improvements. This will be a multi-pronged effort. As Phase One, we called on Board Members, Members last year to kick off the campaign. Phase Two of the campaign is this appeal to our Members and Friends, and Phase Three will be a series of fundraisers and grant requests, reaching out to the wider community for support.
Today, we are appealing to our Members and Friends to give generously to the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County 2023 Capital Campaign. If you have thought of leaving a bequest to the Society in your will, perhaps you would contribute now, as an alternative or in addition to your other plans.
Our first phase of the Capital Campaign has raised almost $20,000 in donations from our Ethical Culture Society of Essex County Board. We hope that with Member and Friends donations we can reach the halfway mark toward our $100,000 goal.
Please consider your own history with the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County and consider making a generous contribution to this capital campaign. Please send your donation now or write your pledge amount to me or Jeanine via email and we will assemble them by the end of February, 2023. We hope that pledges to the capital campaign will be donated via check to the office, by March 2023.
We will then know what we have raised internally, in the aggregate, and we will move forward to the wider community with our appeal. Planned, so far, is a spring on-line art auction, a grant request and a possible ad journal for a late spring event.
Thank you for your contributions to the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County over the years. We are honored to have worked alongside you and to have enjoyed your contributions to our community. As a Member or Friend, please carefully consider this appeal and give generously to bring our building back to good repair. We hope we can continue to offer a home for the next generation of those who will carry the banner of ethical study and action into the future.
Thank you.
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Ethical Culture Society of Essex County, Capital Campaign, Co-Chairs,
Terri Suess
Jeanine RoshPlease make donations payable to
Ethical Culture Society of Essex County
Include on the check "Capital Campaign 2023".
Send donations to
Ethical Culture Society of Essex County
516 Prospect St.
Maplewood, NJ 07040
Sign up for the Ethical Culture
Society of Essex County
Newsletter!
Monthly Book Discussion Group on The 1619 Project
Led by Leader Jim White
Next Session:
Monday December 16, 2024
7:00 p.m. by Zoom
Chapters 17 & 18
Reading Schedule:
ZOOM LINK
Topic: Dec 16 1619 Book Discussion
Time: Dec 16, 2024 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81646494916
Meeting ID: 816 4649 4916
Dates and Chapters to Read:
9-18-23 Chapter 6 Capitalism
0-16-23 Chapter 1 Democracy
11-20 Chapter 2 Race (rescheduled)
2-18-23 Chapter 3 Sugar(from here, tentative dates, two chapters a month. Third Mondays)1-15-24 Chaps 4 & 5 Fear and Dispossession
2-19-24 Chaps 7 & 8 Politics & Citizenship
3-18-24 Chaps 9 & 10 Self-Defense & Punishment
4-15-24 Chaps 11 & 12 Inheritance & Medicine
9-16-24 Chaps 13 & 14 Church & Music
10-21-24 CANCELLED
11-18-24 Chaps 15 & 16 Healthcare & Traffic
12-16-24 Chapterss 17 & 18 Progress & Justice
This book is widely available. Try your local bricks-and-mortar bookstore, or order online from the non-profit bookstore that shares proceeds with various brick-and-mortar stores, Bookshop.org.
Article in the Boston Review on Cedric Johnson
Free .pdf handbook on global slavery
Also, a list of resources from Mia Charlene White, Ph.D., who spoke to us last year.
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Minutes of Past Board Meetings
3-9-22 Board meeting
2-9-22 Board meeting
1-12-22 Board meeting
11-10-21 Board Meeting
10-13-21 Board Meeting
9-8-21 Board Meeting
8-12-20 Board Meeting
8-23-20 Annual Meeting
9-9-20 Board Minutes
9-18-20 Board Meeting
10-14-20 Board Meeting
11-11-20 Board Meeting
12-9-20 Board Meeting
1-13-21 Board Meeting
2-10-21 Board Minutes.
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Past Newsletters
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
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A Selection of Past Years' Programs:
https://www.essexethical.org/schedule03-04.html
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