Sunday Programs

Al Christians and Talent —

Talent Show (Father's day)

From FH. Emcee Al Christians writes: Come To Receive Clear, Sweet and Refreshing Joy into Your Weary Minds. We cease the serious sermonettes to celebrate a successful semi-annum sustaining our species with staunch service, steadfast synergy, and selfless stamina to simply show our stuff on stage. All members are welcome to join the show, solo or in groups, to entertain their friends and companions as people have for many thousands of years. The essences are human narratives, emotions, humor and drama; the artistic elements, color, energy, composition, voice, melody, harmony and rhythm. Anything goes. The maximum is five minutes per act.

Improv & Empathy

Kristen Schier —

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM PDT

From FH. Improv is a practice in connection, joy, support and empathy. Kristen Schier is an actor, improviser, teacher, and clown who has extensive improv teaching, directing, and performing experience. She holds a BFA in Theater Arts from, and taught at, the University of the Arts, and has studied improv at Second City, Magnet Theater, and Annoyance. Kristen has toured the country teaching and performing at various festivals, is the former Co-Artistic Director of Curious Comedy in Portland Oregon, and former Improv Producer at the Philly Improv Theater. (First Sundays start with 1/2 hour of live music, offer childcare, and may last until noon.)

Learning in the Age of AI: Opportunities, Risks, and Agenda

Mary Burns —

Over Zoom. Mary Burns will discuss both the transformative potential and the serious risks Artificial Intelligence poses to middle and high school students, and education in general. She proposes a framework for how schools, families, and education systems can help students prosper, stay prepared, and remain protected in an AI-driven world. Mary has won national awards for teaching (at all levels), research, and curriculum design, and is internationally recognized expert in teacher professional development, online learning, and educational technology. She has authored four books, and is the lead author of the Brookings Institution’s new study on AI in education.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Unpacking the Anti-PRIDE Backlash

Anand Atre — Mediator

Join us from FH for an HGP open discussion about the Anti-PRIDE backlash sweeping America. We’ll contrast hard-won civil rights protections for the LGBTQ+ community, from marriage equality to state-level non-discrimination laws, with today’s unprecedented wave of legislation and vitriolic rhetoric targeting transgender people and the broader LGBTQ+ community. As Portland prepares to celebrate its Pride Parade, we’ll ask: what’s driving this backlash, what does it mean, and how should humanists respond? HGP member Anand Atre will moderate the open discussion.

Maggie Ardiente — President, Humanists International

The Humanist Resistance: Advocacy, Community, and Courage in a Global Crisis

Over Zoom. Religious authoritarianism – from MAGA in the United States to the far-right movement abroad – is reshaping global politics. Around the world, human rights defenders are being silenced, jailed, or even killed for what they believe – or don't believe. The crisis is global – but so is the resistance. President of Humanists International Maggie Ardiente will map out the gravest threats to freedom of thought, share inspiring stories of progress, and deliver a roadmap for how humanists can build power and community to defend human rights.