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From nationwide events to an anniversary that is very close to home, May is a significant month for many. In the latest Message from the President, Carolyn Parker discusses some of the upcoming celebrations, including a very important day in the Ethical Culture movement, Founder’s Day. She will also talk about the series of conversations that will take place this month regarding the future of AEU.

AEU Assembly 2023 Restorative Justice Events and Trainings & Multi-Society Party Grants

Brought to you by Assembly Co-Chairs Anya Overmann and Rachel Pfeffer

Dates to note: 

• May 31, 2023: RJ Webinar (register here)
• June 1, 2023: Deadline for Grants (apply here)
• June 9th & 10th: RJ Training: Register for both days: space limited (register here)
• June 27th: Community of Practice for anyone who attended the training, and/or is already trained in RJ (register here)

Also, please mark your calendar to attend our AEU 2023 Assembly Business Meeting on July 29th. Stay tuned for more information about this wonderful event for all Societies to participate in.

AEU Board Listening Sessions

The AEU Board of Directors has faced a number of challenging years and we are at a crossroads. Our movement needs to come together to decide its future. What is next? 

Our Interim Executive Director has created a presentation including 3 scenarios to consider and ignite your imagination. Perhaps you have already heard the presentation and have questions about each scenario. Perhaps you've heard conflicting statements about the scenario and want to hear them for yourself. Now, we are asking you to participate in learning more and engaging in a movement-wide conversation. The goal of the conversation is to use Appreciative Inquiry to dream our highest dreams for the movement's future. 

The board of directors invites you to an All-Societies Gathering featuring Rachel Pfeffer on "Imagining the future of the AEU". Use the registration links below to indicate which date you plan to attend so we can plan accordingly.

1. May 18th 7pm - 9pm ET: All-Societies Conversation: Future of AEU

2. May 20th 3pm - 5pm ET: All-Societies Conversation: Future of AEU

3. June 3rd 11am - 1pm ET: All-Societies Conversation: Future of AEU

Tell Us What You Think About Our Website By Filling Out Our Survey!

The AEU is in the process of revamping our website and we need your help. Click on the button below to fill out our survey and give us your thoughts on our current website and what you would like to see in our new one. The feedback we receive will help us improve the user experience for the aeu.org website. Please note that the deadline for filling this out is May 14th. We look forward to hearing from you!

Updates on the Board Development Committee Directors and Officers Candidates

The Board Development Committee (BDC) has received applications for Directors and Officers to be voted upon at the 2023 Assembly. Some Officer positions will have more than one candidate slated. This will enable us to have an open discussion about the future of the AEU and how the candidates will shape that future. While the candidates for both positions will be announced on June 1st, there is still time to enter the race as a write-in entry. For more information on what that entails, click on the link below. If you have any questions, you can contact Chris Kaman, the BDC Chair, at ckaman@aeu.org.

Event Name: EHSR May Meeting

Host: Ethical Humanist Society of Rochester

Date: Wednesday, May 3rd   

Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM ET

Ethical Humanist Society of Rochester’s May meeting focuses on the interesting and complex concept of forgiveness. Join them to discuss the factors that go into the decision of forgiving or not forgiving. Mark your calendars and RSVP for what will be a fascinating meeting.

Event Name: Special Virtual Documentary Night: Can We Do It Ourselves?

Host: Ethical Humanists of Atlanta

Date: Sunday, May 7th

Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET

For all of the documentary film lovers out there, this is the event for you. Join the Ethical Humanists of Atlanta to discuss the film Can We Do It Ourselves? This movie questions the capitalistic-centric methods used by businesses running rampant in the modern world and explores business models that lean towards uplifting people, democracy, and caring for the earth. Click on the link below to learn more and RSVP. See you there!

Event Name: Norman Siegel: The First Amendment and Free Speech

Host: Ethical New York Society for Ethical Culture

Date: Monday, May 15th

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Join us for a night of talking about the First Amendment with celebrated civil rights attorney and advocate Norman Siegel courtesy of the New York Society for Ethical Culture. This wide-ranging discussion will touch on free speech controversies on college campuses, hate speech, inciting violence, and more. Mr. Siegel will also be available after his talk for any questions you may have. Interested? Click on the link below to RSVP today!

Event Name: Considering Ethical Humanism & Other Isms

Host: Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture

Date: Sunday, May 21st

Time: 11:00 AM ET

Please join the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture and Leader-in-Training Louise Jett for “From Felix Adler to Modern Ethical Humanism”. This Platform will explore modern Humanism and talk about new ideas and approaches to living our values. We will discuss bioethics and loving perspectives that will help us focus on the future of all living creatures on spaceship Earth. Sounds like something you would be interested in? Click on the link below and RSVP today!

Event Name: Ethical Humanism Workshop II

Host: Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture

Date: Thursday, May 25th

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Please join the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture and Leader-in-Training Louise Jett for the final workshop of their “From Felix Adler to Modern Ethical Humanism” series. This will be a guided discussion on the past and future of Ethical Humanism. All of the Platforms in this series will be referenced and you can watch them here. Even if you missed the previous Platform Addresses in the series, it won’t matter- everyone is welcome. Interested in attending? Mark your calendar and RSVP today!

Our Climate Future with Our Children’s Trust All-Societies Platform

On April 30th, we held our latest All-Societies Platform, this time featuring special guest Our Children's Trust. We heard from the lawyer and some of the children who are plaintiffs in what will be the first-ever constitutional and children's climate trial in U.S. history. We also learned about the steps we can take towards achieving climate justice. Wish you could've seen it in-person? Don't worry! We wanted to prevent you from feeling any FOMO so we recorded the entire thing for you to watch when you can. Enjoy!