Category: Forums

Raj Desai

March 26, 2017

Raj Desai , an Indo-American, born in Malawi, East Africa, immigrated to the USA from London, England. He has devoted over 30 years in supporting and building several non profits in Silicon Valley. During this time, Raj had the privilege of connecting with India, and was included on a trip to India with President Bill Clinton. Recently Raj joined the India Community Center (http://www.indiacc.org/) as the CEO. ICC was established 12 years ago to serve the local Indo American Community. It offers numerous Indo cultural activities for kids, adults and seniors hosted at three facilities; two in Milpitas and one in Cupertino.

Humanist Community Forum (2017-03-26): Making a Difference in Social Entrepreneurship (Raj Desai) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

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Dr. Christopher R. Cassell

March 19, 2017

Our technological civilization enriches our lives in many ways, yet cannot be sustained much longer on the Earth. We have despoiled the Earth and depleted its resources, and our population has expanded almost to the breaking point. Would human expansion into space allow us to “have our cake and eat it too”; i.e., permit continuance of our technological civilization while allowing the Earth to return to a more natural state? Perhaps, or is this just escapism and science fiction? Also, given our poor stewardship of the Earth, what gives us the right to expand our carnage into the wider cosmos? Let’s explore these issues.

Chris’ education includes a B.A. in Physics from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from UC, San Diego, and he has worked his career as an aerospace engineer. He is a co-founder and the astrodynamics lead of Deep Space Industries, Inc. (http://deepspaceindustries.com/), a company which intends to harvest the resources (notably water) of near-Earth asteroids for use in space, and thereby help bootstrap a viable space economy. Chris is also a board member of the Ethical Culture Society of Silicon Valley.

Click here for the slides that were shown during the presentation.

Humanist Community Forum (2017-03-19): Humanity's Space Frontier: Implications, Practicalities, and Ethical Issues from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

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Jessica Nifield

March 12, 2017

Jessica Nifield of “Showing Up for Racial Justice” (http://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/) will show the video “Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin Di Angelo” (https://vimeo.com/147760743). She will then lead a discussion of her organization, and how doing our work in our own white-identifying communities is what we’ve been tasked with by POC (people of color)-led groups.

Jessica Nifield founded the Santa Cruz Area Chapter of SURJ in 2015 and held its first meeting in October of that year. She holds a J.D. with a concentration in International Law from U.C. Hastings, an M.Ed. from Peabody College (Vanderbilt), and a BA in Literature from U.C. Santa Cruz.

 

Humanist Community Forum (2017-03-12): Racial Justice (Jessica Nifield) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

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Hank Pellissier

March 5, 2017

On June 26, 2016, Hank Pellissier gave an HCSV Forum entitled “Humanist Missionaries” in Uganda (http://www.humanists.org/blog/2016-06-26/). In this new talk, Hank will give us an update on everything that has gone wrong, or gone right, with the efforts of his organization (Brighter Brains, http://brighterbrains.org/) in Uganda since he last talked to us.

Humanist Community Forum (2017-03-05): A Progress Report on "Humanist Missionaries" in Uganda (Hank Pellissier) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

 

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Prof. Nancy C. Unger

February 26, 2017

What makes some movements (like the recent campaigns for LGBTQ rights) so successful, while others (like the feminist crusade for the Equal Rights Amendment) ultimately fail? Join Santa Clara University history professor Nancy C. Unger in an illustrated sampling of five movements in American history that illustrate the “dos” and “don’ts” of orchestrating meaningful and lasting change.

 

Humanist Community Forum (2017-02-26): Keys to Success (or Failure) in American Social and Political Movements from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

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