Winter Solstice Lunch/Lecture: The Challenges of Collegiate Secular Organizing

Happy New Year from Greater Boston Humanists! We will celebrate the recent Solstice, and coming of the Western Calendar New Year by having our traditional GBH Winter Secular Solstice Luncheon in association with other secular groups, including The Humanist Hub (Humanist Community at Harvard), Boston Coalition of Reason, the Secular Society of MIT, and members of the Boston Atheists and Sunday Assembly Boston communities.

We'll share in another Indian buffet meal at the India Pavilion in Central Square Cambridge (while we continue our search for an additional locale, for variety in future meetings). MIT Secular Society's most recent leader, Sohan Dsouza, is a studying for a PhD in computational social science and Artificial Intelligence Ethics, and has helped revitalize the MIT secular group in the past 2 years. He'll speak about "Challenges and Opportunities in Collegiate Secular Organizing."

"The growth of 'the non-religious' demographic group on the country’s college campuses — as in the general population — would appear to bode well for secular organizing at universities. However, for many in collegiate secular organizing, 'it takes all the running you can do to stay in place'. Many groups continue to repurpose, lapse into inactivity, or cease existing altogether.

"Especially in the Northeast, secular organizing across universities faces numerous tactical and strategic challenges — from the paradoxical effect of a de facto secular undercurrent on any advocacy, to the spillover from the current political climate of polarization and tribalism, to the continuing evolution of the apologetics and retention techniques of religious organizations. Religious groups on campus remain well-regarded, well-funded, and well-organized. Indeed, even on the more liberal, predominantly non-religious campuses, coming out as atheist and — especially relevant to us — FOR atheism remains difficult for many."

Sohan will share his perspectives on these and other challenges, together with opportunities he sees, offering his ideas for secular activism on campus. He'll use his record as social chair and then president of the Secular Society of MIT, as well as examples from other collegiate secular organizations. He'll also discuss a few broader issues facing secular organizations and communities, and what these mean for the “secular movement”, on and off campus.

The India Pavillion in Central Square Cambridge (vegetarian options, only $14 per person for all you care to eat, not including drinks; bring cash or check, please). Parking in Cambridge is via metered street parking, and several garages and lots in Central Square including several just steps away on Green Street. MBTA red line Central Square station and associated bus stops are also within the block.

RSVP here, or via Facebook, or by responding to your email list email, but NOT all three, please, so we can give the restaurant a good sense of our size. Thanks!