GBHumanists Luncheon: AHA's Dir. Stark on Fighting Religious Extremism

We invite you for an early summer lunch and talk by Fish Stark, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association, at the India Pavilion as he discusses how the AHA is fighting the unprecedented surge of religious extremism (bolstered by recent pro-religious US government actions), along with our allies in the secular and religious communities.

His talk is titled "How Humanists are Fighting Religious Extremism and Christian Nationalism".

"The religious right is waging the most aggressive assault on secular values in a generation — defunding public schools, pushing religion into government, and attacking empathy itself as a weakness and a sin. But the picture isn't all bleak. Efforts to force the Bible into public school classrooms are being defeated in court. The AHA just won a major federal case in Florida.

The Congressional Freethought Caucus we helped start is now larger than the Freedom Caucus. And from Minneapolis to Biloxi, humanists are showing what is possible when we show up for our communities. AHA Executive Director Fish Stark will break down the threats the AHA's legal and policy teams are tracking right now, where the most serious attacks on the First Amendment are coming from, and what humanists can do to fight back — in the courts, in Congress, in the culture, and in our communities."

Fish Stark is Executive Director of the AHA. As organizer, educator, social entrepreneur, and lifelong humanist, he has spent his career turning big ideas into bold action in service of belonging, flourishing, and social justice for all people.

THE RESTAURANT
The India Pavillion in Central Square Cambridge (vegetarian options*). It is $17 per person for all you care to eat, not including drinks; bring cash or check made to GBHumanists, please).
Parking in Cambridge is free on Sundays in metered and some non-metered spots, 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.
*(Unfortunately, the restaurant does not have any vegan options on the buffet, so check out the a-la-carte menu and plan accordingly to purchase from the menu and pay separately.)
Join us for a lively get together and meal!
PLEASE RSVP

THE SPEAKER
Prior to his role at AHA, Fish was the Head of Program + Curriculum at Legends, an educational technology startup, where he led research and implementation teams to create products that helped children build self-confidence, positive mental health, and critical thinking skills. Previously, Fish served as the Director of Programs at Peace First, a global nonprofit that provides training and funding to youth social justice activists, where he led a global team of organizers who empowered thousands of youth grantees in 140+ countries to make lasting change in their communities, and worked with organizations such as the Red Cross and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation to develop youth leadership programs.

Fish will speak at around 1 pm.