Vision

A Mother’s Grief
Sunday, May 9, 10:30am Lyn Cox
The tradition of Mother’s Day was initiated by Julia Ward Howe as a protest against state violence. In those days, the violence was rooted in war, yet in our days as tanks and teargas enter the streets against our own citizens, there is a direct line of tradition that makes Mother’s Day a powerful day to resist state-sponsored violence. Our grief leads us to raise our voices against murder by police; the community impact of the criminal legal system; and the ways parenting, childhood, and family life are disrupted by over-investment in carcereal approaches to safety. While our collective grief is a motivator for change, we remember that the individual grief of families who have lost loved ones is also real, and we make room in our hearts and our actions for community care in the wake of trauma.

Police violence has taken too many people from their families. The grief of those families and the communities who embrace them fuels our commitment to change, and we must also remember that this grief belongs to real people who need community care.

May 9, 2021 "A Mother's Grief"

January 8, 2017. Throughout our lives, we meet people who seem to embody, even radiate, Ethical Culture without ever having been exposed to it. Our WES delegation has partnered with such people in the tiny village of El Rodeo, El Salvador. How have we managed to form such tight bonds with villagers whose backgrounds are so different from our own? Our Global Connections team member members Peggy Goetz and teen Russell Corbin share their experiences and describe the spirit of Ethical Culture that is alive and thriving in our sister community in El Salvador.

"Vision For The Future," Global Connections Team

January 1, 2017. At this platform address, we begin the new year together. What are you ready to say goodbye to from 2016 (maybe...all of 2016!)? What intentions will you set for the year to come?

"Envisioning A New Future," Amanda Poppei.

January 15, 2017. “A Tale of Two Stories,” The Rev. Leon Dunkley. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. . . .”  Charles Dickens wrote these words in 1859—the same year that Charles Darwin put forward his theory of evolution, and the same year that John Brown famously or infamously raided Harper’s Ferry.  The shape of American history depends on how we tell the story.  Fifty years ago, in 1967, Martin Luther King told a story of war in an address that he delivered in New York City.  Beyond Vietnam, the address that he delivered on April 4th of 1967 is regarded as King’s highest achievement as well as his most costly mistake.  Have we gained in these five decades the perspective that we need to determine which one of these is true?

"A Tale Of Two Stories,"  Rev. Dr. Leon Dunkley.

January 22, 2017. As we move into a new presidential administration, whatever thought we had of being bystanders must be set aside. We are now the ones who must hold a vision for America, and who must act to make that vision come true. How are we called to be in the months ahead? What is WES’ particular role in this time? Don’t miss this platform that will invite each of us into visioning together.

"WE Hold The Vision Now,"  Amanda Poppei

January 29, 2017. “Heroes Every Day,” Amanda Poppei, Senior Leader. Who are the people who have been our heroes in this past year? Who has restored YOUR faith in human goodness? And how can we be heroes ourselves? Join us for this heart-full platform.

"Heroes Every Day,"  Amanda Poppei

The Washington Ethical Society is a vibrant humanistic congregation that affirms the worth of all people.

"A Tale Of Two Stories," Rev. Dr. Leon Dunkley.

Washington Ethical Society

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