I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had missed the Annual General Meeting, which meant that, among other things, I missed Paula’s report on the recent AEU Assembly. She sent an outline of her remarks, and I’ve highlighted here a few things that caught my eye.
The theme of Assembly was Environmental Justice and Ethical Culture, and both Paula and John mentioned indigenous speakers who addressed the issue of the disproportionate effects on their communities of environmental issues such as nuclear development and uranium mining.
Paula and John also each mentioned that Roy Speckhardt — executive director of the American Humanist Association — spoke. John reminded board members of our ties to other Humanist groups; Paula mentioned Speckhardt’s emphasis on the fundamental nature of both reason and empathy in humanistic movements, and said that he indicated that statements by Humanists should include species other than our own.
Finally, Paula was moved by a workshop led by Amy Halpern-Laff from the Institute for Humane Education as well as Curt Collier’s Platform. You’ll have to quiz Paula for details of the workshop (on the ethics of factory farming), but you can check out the Platform here.
If your appetite was whetted by that tiny taste of what went on at Assembly I encourage you to check in with Paula, Ben, John, or Linda for more. My sense is that different speakers resonated with each of them, but they all walked away with renewed energy and lots to ponder.
— Becky Horton