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A weekly newsletter to keep you informed.
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What's in this week's news?
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Who are we called to be? What should we be doing? What is WES's role in the broader community?
These are just a few of the many questions that WES members may be asking themselves in these uncertain times. The guiding principles of Ethical Culture (http://aeu.org/who-we-are/ethical-humanism/) call us to deep reflection, resistance and action - but how? Let's talk about it together.
This community conversation will:
* Provide a space to process together
* Explore the ways in which WES members can (and do) support one another
* Explore ways in which WES can support the broader community
* Imagine what WES's future can hold
The emphasis and energy that emerge from this conversation will contribute to how WES charts its course, our course, in the Trump years - both in how we resist the normalization of hatred and oppression and how we continue to advance our mission to decrease suffering and increase human goodness in the world.
There will be childcare available. If you are in need of childcare, please send Melissa (melissas@ethicalsociety.org) a message.
***Stick around after the community conversation for the The Resistance Un-Ball!
If you have questions about this community conversation, please feel free to contact Shelby French shelby.french@rescue.org, or Jennifer Linkletter linkletterje@gmail.com.
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 Join
WES
friends and the wider community in an evening of love, support, and resistance. The Resistance Un-Ball is the launch for the social justice efforts that WES will be organizing in the coming years. The Un-Ball is open to WES members and non-members alike and will include:
- Music & dancing for all ages
- Potluck food and BYO wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages.
- Protest art-making (possibly for the Women's March on the next day) & letter writing
- Open mic for comedy, improvisation, poetry, music, or spontaneous performance art
- Kids' Social Justice corner with activities, art, and dance
- Inauguration Bingo and updates on the absurd events of the day
- "Thank You" gestures/art/letters to the Obamas (with a specific invite to WES!)
- General laughter, camaraderie, and joy!
Fancy attire not required; dress however makes you feel comfortable but we invite you to come as your favorite rebel, rogue, or resister!
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WES will plan to meet at 9:30am at 200 Independence Ave. SW (on the North side of the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services-- facing the Botanical Gardens and within sight of the Capitol Building)
(For the Facebook event, click here.)
If you are planning on coming downtown to the March, please fill out this form:
www.remind.com/join/ethicaldc. By sharing your cell phone number via this link (which will only be used by the WES office-- this is NOT for use by any agency or organization beyond WES), the WES office will be able to quickly and efficiently communicate via text message with those at the March. Because the March route isn't being publicized and there are some factors we won't know until we get down there, text message will be the easiest form of communication.
To get to the meeting point, we recommend that you consider taking mass transit (specifically the M
etro). The closest stop will be the Federal Center Southwest. There is only one exit at this Metro stop. Take the escalator up and exit onto 3rd Street at the intersection of 3rd and D Street, SW. Turn left and walk two blocks to Independence Ave and 3rd St. Look for the WES banner and the yellow "Standing on the Side of Love" UU banner.
The hashtags for the March are:
#womensmarch
#ethicaldc
#resist
Don't forget, you can an also tag WES in any tweet (@ethicaldc) or Facebook post (@Washington Ethical Society)!
If you are looking for resources about the March, in general, WES has created a Pinterest board where we are gathering resources. We invite you to check it out!
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 SEEK Weekly Spotlight
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In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday and a day of service in his honor, the 1st through 5th grade classes at
9:30 and 11:30 platforms filled a few dozen bags of toiletries for N Street Village.
If you forgot to bring your donation in or if you would like to contribute more, we will not be turning these in immediately. We could especially use small size toothpaste, tooth brushes and women's deodorant.
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This Sunday's Platform
9:30 & 11:30am.
"
We
Hold the Vision Now," Amanda Poppei, Senior Leader.
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's particular role in this time? Don't miss this platform that will invite each of us into visioning together. Music from the WES Chorus.
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Ethical Living Laboratory, 11am, Social Hall.
Join the Community Relations Committee to explore the principles of Ethical Culture and how we live them in our daily lives. This will offer an opportunity to connect with others in a small group setting.
Information Meeting on the WES Tonight! (Follies), 1pm, Social Hall.
The Follies production team will continue to review performance ideas and concepts this
Sunday 1/22, 1pm
, after platform. Please be prepared to bring as many details as possible about your proposed performance including length of time, number of people needed, being prepared to sing or play a few bars of a song or musical number, or share a basic script of a skit that we could use for a table read. The Follies production team will be making decisions about how each performance will be used in the show based on what is received by
Jan 22
. If you are unable to make this Sunday's meeting, please contact Shelby French (
shelbyfrench2@yahoo.com
) or Sera Morgan (
sera.morgan@gmail.com
). Videos or audio recordings via email are welcome as well.
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The Upcoming Weeks at WES
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- All WES Conversation: Who Should We Be?, 3-5pm. Small group discussions and direction-setting for WES's role in this new time. See the note above with details.
- The Resistance Un-Ball, 5pm, Main Hall. Join WES friends and the wider community in an evening of love and resistance--an Un-Ball with music, dancing for all ages, protest art-making, and letter writing. Potluck food and BYO wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages. Fancy attire not required; dress however makes you feel comfortable and empowered! To get involved, contact Shelby French at shelby.french@rescue.org or Becky Klabunde Tomer at beckyann1110@gmail.com. See the Facebook event here.
- **Cancelled** Still Thirsty After All These Years. The Still Thirsty Group hopes to see you at the Resistance Un-Ball.
Saturday, January 21
- Women's March on Washington, 10am, 200 Independence Ave. If you are planning to attend the march, please RSVP to the Facebook event (https://www.facebook.com/events/1617863051849017/). For the purposes of day of meeting up and organizing, please join the Remind Group for WES (www.remind.com/join/ethicaldc). By joining this service, the WES office will be able to send you text messages throughout the March.
Sunday, January 29
- Platform Service, 9:30am & 11:30am. "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. Music from the DC Labor Chorus.
- Meet WES's Volunteer Teams, 10:45am, Social Hall and Lobby. Swing by the tables highlighting our different volunteer teams. Whether you can volunteer occasionally or you are ready to dive in with both feet, we have a place you'll fit. [If you have a volunteer team that you would like to highlight, please email Robyn, robynk@ethicalsociety.org.]
- Expanded WEStalks, 1pm, Main Hall. In September, our WEStalks speaker was Chris Chafe, and the topic, a week after Labor Day, was The Future of Labor. This will be an expansion of that talk giving more time for in-depth conversation. Chris is president of Growth2 LLC, a company he founded with labor leader Andy Stern in 2011 to encourage sustainable good job creation. Chris is a 20-year veteran of the international labor movement, serving as an organizer, political and legislative director and Chief of Staff at ACTWU, UNITE, and UNITE HERE. WEStalks, offered once a month on second Sundays between the first and second platforms, feature a speaker talking about a topic of contemporary interest, with the goals of increasing our knowledge and providing a way to connect to both the topic and to others.
- Aging with Intention, 1pm, Double Classroom. Possible topics to discuss include fighting ageism and exploring end-of-life concerns, including introducing a Death Café (see deathcafe.com to learn more). We also hope to add some new topics, such as sexuality and older adults and perhaps a relevant film and discussion session. We also hope to have an opportunity for a discussion with younger adults on a related topic.
- Neighborhood Potlucks, 5pm. Be on the lookout for more information from your neighborhood coordinator.
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