HumanistsMN sponsors monthly gatherings for our community at 3 p.m. on the third Saturday of the month. Everyone is welcome at these free get-togethers. We host engaging speakers on humanism, social issues, political affairs, science, and other topics of interest to world citizens. And we catch up with our friends and meet newcomers at a social hour with drinks and snacks. We take a break in June, July, and August, when we hold outdoor picnics with other secular groups.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who led the prosecution of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, spoke to our November Community Gathering about the trial and about what we can do to stop the pattern of police brutality against Black people. He urged us to model our behavior on the …
Kate Cohen, Washington Post contributing columnist and author of We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (and Maybe You Should Too) spoke to and signed books at our October Community Gathering. Her topic was: “Are You an Atheist? Then America Needs You to Say So.”
Drew Bekius, humanist author and coach, spoke to our September Community Gathering about how to identify our humanist values and put them into action.
HumanistsMN members elected a secretary, treasurer, and four at-large members to its Board at the May annual meeting. See their profiles here. We also said thank you (with flowers) to Dave Guell, who stepped off the board after serving the mandatory limit of eight years (pictured at left). Dave was the Board’s secretary and technology guru. He heads the MediaTech team, helps to maintain our online membership system, and works on social media strategy. Rumor has it he will continue to perform those roles as a “mere” HMN member.
J. Drake Hamilton of the nonprofit Fresh Energy spoke about plans to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electricity in Minnesota by 2040. She spoke optimistically about efforts to expand the electric vehicles market, help building owners get expanded electric panels and electric heat pumps, and promote green hydrogen in agriculture.
Speaking at our March Community Gathering, David Breeden, senior minister at First Unitarian Society, traced the written history of freethought back to the 700s BCE, when the Hindu Charvakas insisted upon a materialist examination of reality through philosophical skepticism and empiricism. He also discussed the development of humanism and the different interpretations over the …
We were pleased to welcome Kazi Ahmed Habib, winner of HumanistsMN’s first Paul Heffron Scholarship for Secular Students, to our February Community Gathering. Kazi, a Muslim born in Bangladesh, told us about his journey to atheism and position as head of the Mavericks Alliance for Secular Students (MASS) at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He shook …
Our January Community Gathering focused on the fight against Christian nationalism in Minnesota. Sen. John Marty and Rep. Mike Freiberg discussed their work as co-chairs of the Legislature’s new Secular Government Caucus. Matt Lewellyn-Otten of OutFront Minnesota, an LGBTQ rights group, described the goals of the new Rights, Faith, and Democracy Coalition, which aims to drive messaging against the codification of Christianity into law.
Two political experts spoke at our November Community Gathering about the results of the midterm elections.
Christopher Chapp, associate professor of political science at St. Olaf College, dissected the Congressional elections, including an exit poll that he supervised of voters in the Minnesota race between Democrat Angie Craig and Republic Tyler Kirstner.Torey Van Oot, a …
Timothy Johnson, professor of law and political science at the University of Minnesota, discussed the partisan nature of the current U.S. Supreme Court, the most conservative in history. Under the leadership of John Roberts, the court has overturned precedents —- for example, the Roe v. Wade ruling granting a constitutional right to abortion — in a way that has upended legal tradition.
Our September Community Gathering featuring Seth Andrews, host of the Thinking Atheist podcast and online community, attracted a record audience. About 100 people, including several from out of town, came to hear Seth talk about “regaining our humanity in an inhumane world.”
At the May annual meeting, HumanistsMN members elected new board members, revised our bylaws, heard reports about programming and finances, and met in small groups to discuss HMN priorities.
Board Election. Members elected two new HMN Board members, Abigail Jackson and Stephanie Schwinn. They reelected Seth Engman to a two-year term and David Guell to …
Andy Norman, author of the book Mental Immunity and director of the Humanism Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University, spoke at our April Community Gathering about ways we can inoculate ourselves against irrational thinking and conspiracy theories.
Kevin Lindsey, Chief Executive Officer of the Minnesota Humanities Center, spoke to our March Community Gathering about the center’s work and the importance of promoting humanities for a more just world.
Science is usually a force for good in the world. But science writer Sam Kean, who spoke at our February Community Gathering, discussed cases where obsession led scientists to twist a noble pursuit into something sinister. cited three examples from his latest book, “The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science.”
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