Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Engaging White Supremacy: Is dialogue possible?, December 2, 2017

The Five Races of Mankind (1911)
9:15 am. Alan Friedlob, David Curley and Lauralee Carbone have collaborated to present this forum focusing on the psychological and social realities of white supremacy in America today. They will show excerpts from BLINK, an award winning film made in 2000 that is especially relevant after Charlottesville.  It focuses on the personal journey of Greg Withrow, once a charismatic rising star in the white supremacist movement who dramatically turned his back on the ideologies of hate. 

After showing the film excerpts, our conversation will turn to what we have seen, heard, and felt in the context of the Unitarian Universalist principles and our daily lives. Is dialogue possible and what would such engagement look like? What do we hope for from dialogue, and why?    

Friday, November 10, 2017

Poetry, Music and Social Change, November 19, 2017


9:15 am. In his song Ebb and Flow, JP Falcon Grady sings: “Another day comes shining for you and me. To see Mt. Baker smiling over the Salish Sea. Come look at the islands, we’ve got an orca’s view. So much to see here. So much to do.” Come to the Sunday forum on Nov. 19th  at 9:15 a.m. to hear poet Betty Scott and JP Falcon Grady as they offer a rocking hour of music and poetry. We’ll talk, we’ll sing, we’ll play with words, and experience how collaborations can expand our conversations in an ever-changing social and physical environment.


JP Falcon Grady is a self taught acoustic guitarist, singer, songwriter and a proud member of the Blackfeet Nation. He performs originals and covers all over the Pacific Northwest, Montana, Hawaii and British Columbia as both a solo artist and with the J.P. Falcon Band. His original songs and ballads tell stories that beg to be told and include celebrating biodiversity and Mother Earth.


Betty Scott is a poet and essayist who enjoys collaborating with JP Falcon Grady. She is writing a third collection of poems and a book of essays. Her collection Central Heating: Poems that Celebrate Love, Loss and Planet Earth will be published in 2018 by Cave Moon Press. Currently, she and JP provide an open mic for music with poetry on Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 9:00 at Greene’s Corner, 2208 James Street.

The Fundamentals of Hinduism, November 12, 2017

At 9;15 am, Debu Majumdar will share with us the Fundamentals of Hinduism—what it really is. Unitarians will be interested in knowing the basic ideas of Hinduism, as it has a common theme with them.

"Hinduism is incomprehensible to non-Indians," Debu says. It has a deep, basic philosophy, but that is usually unspoken; non-Indians only see the gods and goddesses that ordinary Hindus worship. Most of the Hindus do not dwell with the Hindu philosophy or cosmology. Often, the religion leaves the adherents to find their own kind of god to worship or no god at all. That way it is the freest religion, but hard to understand when you see the different ways the Indians worship—from worshiping idols to snakes or just through meditation. Come and hear Debu explain some of the mysteries of this ancient religion.