Author: 1stexistentialist

“None of the Above”

Shani Robinson, an alumna of Tennessee State University, taught in the Atlanta Public Schools system for three years and was wrongfully convicted the in Atlanta Public Schools cheating trial. She is free on bond while her case pends appeal. She is currently an advocate for social justice causes.

Anna Simonton is an independent journalist originally from Atlanta and an editor for Scalawag magazine. She is a proud graduate of Atlanta Public Schools, and a member of the First E.

Our topic:

Shani Robinson and Anna Simonton will discuss their book None of the Above: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal, Corporate Greed, and the Criminalization of Educators. The book delves into Shani’s personal story as a new mother facing 25 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. The authors also explore the historic and political context underlying a trial that scapegoated Black employees for problems in the education system.

Stretching all the way back to Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling that outlawed segregation in public schools, to examining the corporate-led education reform movement, the policing of black and brown communities, and widening racial and economic disparities in Atlanta, Robinson and Simonton reveal how real estate moguls and financiers have lines their pockets with the education dollars that should have been going to the classroom.

• Facilitator: Charlene Ball
• Musician: William Chelton

“Runner-Up Word”

The word or words of the year are chosen by major dictionary publishers based on search metrics. Come learn about one of these and what it might or might not have to do with Women’s History month.

Rev Marti Keller recently finished a justice ministry with the Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation that spanned two decades. Prior to this she had been a communications director, legislative advocate and executive director for several women and family policy groups, including a dozen years with Planned Parenthood. She is still serving as consulting parish minister in Auburn Alabama

• Facilitator: Jan Lister
• Musician: Jean Heinrich

“Bliss and Other Good Things”

Lisa is a psychotherapist in private practice, a poet, writer, and activist. She is a long-time member of the First Existentialist Congregation. She has been a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh since 1999 and has studied with many other Buddhist teachers. Lisa incorporates feminism, existentialism, mindfulness and compassion in her therapy practice. She also trains therapists how to use mindfulness in their lives and professional practices. She offers her CD, Mindful Meditations for Well Being, as a free download from www.wellbeingpsychotherapy.net. 

• Facilitator: Robert Stewart
• Musician: Mick Kinney

“How to Smile, Love, and Sing all Year Long”

Barbara Van-Helsdingen is a retired special education teacher and construction supervisor. Formerly from Niagara Falls Canada, she now resides with her wife in Tucker, Georgia. Barbara speaks on a variety of topics from her many travel and work experiences. She believes in a world of love for everyone. She was a pupil of Leo Bisceglia who said hugs were very important. Barbara was a speaker and minister at the Pink Triangle Christian Fellowship PTCF for many years in Buffalo, New York. There she helped to create and run a coffee house for the abandoned LGBT community dealing with many issues. Later she went to the Canadian Arctic and lived among the Inuit for many years. She is happy to be in Georgia now full time and available to speak and share her life moments with others.

Facilitator: D. Patton White

Musician: Aviva and the Flying Penguins

“It’s in There: Black Self-Actualization in the face of ‘Social Progress’”

Anthony Knight is the President & CEO of The Baton Foundation—a Georgia nonprofit
organization that serves the emotional, intellectual and cultural needs of Black boys in grades five through nine. Before founding the Foundation, Mr. Knight worked for twenty-two years as a museum educator and consultant. Mr. Knight has extensive experience with and interest in African American history and culture, public and living history, informal education and Black youth. Mr. Knight’s work with The Baton Foundation reflects his ongoing interest in the issues and practices related to the collecting, preservation and interpretation of information about and
material culture from the African Diaspora. Mr. Knight’s undergraduate work was in Spanish and English (Ohio Wesleyan University), and his graduate work was in museum education (The George Washington University). Mr. Knight also holds a degree in Spanish-to-English translation from the Núcleo de Estudios Lingüísticos y Sociales, Caracas, Venezuela. Mr. Knight is a New York City native.

Facilitator: Libby Ware

Musician: William Chelton

“Using Our Voices/ Speaking Up”

Pauline Rose Clance, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Psychology at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia where she taught in the Doctoral Clinical Program for 28 years and was the first Senior Faculty Associate for the Task Force for the Advancement of Women. In 2012, she received an Honorary Doctorate in Science from Lynchburg College in Virginia.

She has been in private practice in Clinical Psychology for over 33 years and was a co-founder and faculty member of the Gestalt Institute of Georgia, President of the Southeastern Psychological Association, along with being a national and international speaker.

In 1978 Dr. Suzanne Imes and Dr. Clance wrote an important academic article on the Impostor Phenomenon which continues to gain world-wide attention.

She is one of the Founding and a long-term member of the First Existentialist Congregation. Pauline believes that the First E is needed more now than ever at this time in our country.

Facilitator: Sharon Mathis

Musician: Charli Vogt

Remember and Resist: Learning from the Dutch

What can we learn today from the Dutch Resistance to the Nazi occupation? Although only a tiny percentage of Holland’s population decided to act, Mary Dingee Fillmore will explore what motivated both Jewish and Gentile resisters, the actions women and men took, and how they relate to us today. Remembrance isn’t enough; we must act to honor them and learn from their courage.

Bio: After living in Amsterdam and becoming gripped by the stories of the Holocaust and Resistance there, Mary Dingee Fillmore devoted thirteen years to research about that place and time. The result is the acclaimed historical novel, An Address in Amsterdam, about a young Jewish woman who joins the anti-Nazi underground, published in 2016 by She Writes Press. Mary earned an MFA in Writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2005. As a writer, speaker and in her consulting work, Mary facilitates conversations for a fairer, more peaceful world.

Facilitator: M. Charlene Ball

Musician: Alan Dynin

“Small Gestures – Big Rewards. Atlanta Transit Angels’ work helping asylum seekers along their rocky path to safety.”

Grace Hawkins, Grandmothers for Peace, will speak about the “Overground Railroad” now called “Atlanta Transit Angels,” a group that goes to bus stations to meet migrants and give them necessities like blankets, baby diapers, children’s clothing. Some of the Grandmothers are going to the border to meet migrants, and Grace may tell us about that.

• Facilitator: Lorraine Fontana
• Musician: Mick Kinney

“Glimpses of Glory”

Rev. Chris Glaser has devoted his life to the reconciliation of the LGBT and religious communities. A graduate of Yale Divinity School, he has authored 12 books and, since 2011, has written a free weekly blog for progressive Christians, Christians who recognize the value of every faith and no faith, as well as the need for science and political involvement. His free weekly blog can be found at: http://chrisglaser.blogspot.com.

• Facilitator: D. Patton White
• Musician: William Chelton