Beginner’s Mind and Socialism

Democratic Socialism is emerging as a populist movement on the left, just as MAGA emerged as a populist movement on the right. “Socialist” and “Communist” have strong negative connotations in our culture. Despite this, Democratic Socialist Zorhan Mamdani was elected the 112th mayor of NYC in 2026. There are over 250 Democratic Socialists serving in public office across 40 states. This talk will review basic principals of socialism and its historical development.

Dennis Roach and his wife, Kayla Vaughan, have been members of the Society for 35 years. He has served twice on the Board of Trustees and in many other volunteer roles including as a longtime Youth Group advisor. Dennis currently serves as the Welcome Team chair and on the Dignity and Belonging Team.

Platform will feature music from Acoustik Element. A “Latin vibe” best describes the instrumental group. Revolving their sound around the nylon-string guitar, AE is best known for reinventing popular songs by artists such as The Beatles, Santana, the Eagles, etc., while also staying true to Latin and jazz standards. AE is the house band at Barcelona Tapas, performing there every Wednesday night since 2005. In 2013, they performed before the legendary Carlos Santana at the Peabody Opera House. Acoustik Element has released five CDs and one DVD.