The New Atheists became popular at a time when books could captivate a country. That time is long gone. While some politicians and powerful religious groups have adapted to a new era of media, secular organizations and people have not. Let's talk about what needs to change in our community and how all of us can play a part in that.=

How does our conceptualization of health reflect or deny the inherent worth and dignity of all people? What does it mean to engage in democracy when definitions of health are being narrowed while access to meaningful health-care is being degraded? What roots should we be aware of in discussions of public health? Are some more in line with our values than others? Join us to explore the intersections of health, worth, and democracy in modern US society.

Music is more than entertainment it's a lifeline. In this heartfelt, interactive talk and live performance, Lynn O'Brien explores how music supports our health, relationships, and sense of meaning in everyday life. Drawing from her years as a board-certified music therapist and professional artist, she shares real stories and songs that reveal how music can calm, connect, and carry us through change. This is an invitation to listen differently, to notice how music meets us right where we are, and how it can help us stay grounded, creative, and connected in a noisy world.

Music is more than entertainment—it’s a lifeline. In this heartfelt, interactive talk and live performance, Lynn O’Brien explores how music supports our health, relationships, and sense of meaning in everyday life. Drawing from her years as a board-certified music therapist and professional artist, she shares real stories and songs that reveal how music can calm, connect, and carry us through change. This is an invitation to listen differently—to notice how music meets us right where we are, and how it can help us stay grounded, creative, and connected in a noisy world.

My presentation centers on the book, which I wrote in conjunction with the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, on the history of Black Baseball in America. The book accompanies the Hall of Fame’s new exhibit on Black baseball which opened in May 2024. I worked as a consultant on the exhibit and will discuss the development of the exhibit as well as the process of writing the book.

Music has always been a force for justice—giving voice to struggle, inspiring resilience, and building solidarity across movements. Join us for a moving Platform experience with Dr. Lauren Eldridge Stewart, assistant professor of ethnomusicology at Washington University.

In this presentation Geoff Ward discusses efforts of Community Remembrance Projects across the U.S. and here in MO working with Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) to address legacies of lynching. He will briefly discuss the large body of social science research showing how histories of lynching contribute to enduring patterns of conflict, violence, and inequality, in part through their distortions of the moral universe and corruption of the rule of law. Community Remembrance efforts aim to leverage the “power of us” to repair these harms, elevating the plane of civil and human rights in places where it was degraded by histories of lynching. The St. Louis Community Remembrance Project is unveiling St. Louis’ first EJI historical marker Oct. 18 in Buder Park and will next turn its attention to installing a second marker commemorating the 1836 lynching of Francis McIntosh in downtown St. Louis. Members of the Ethical Society of St. Louis have been involved in our local efforts since their inception, and all are welcome to join.

Looking at the poetry of W. H. Auden and the writing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and attempting to form a relationship between the two. We’ll be talking about how we can support efforts for liberation on the terms of the people who are working to be liberated. We’ll also take a look at some classical works of art and wondering what clues they can offer us about working for more love and justice in our world.

Looking at the poetry of W. H. Auden and the writing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and attempting to form a relationship between the two. We’ll be talking about how we can support efforts for liberation on the terms of the people who are working to be liberated. We’ll also take a look at some classical works of art and wondering what clues they can offer us about working for more love and justice in our world.

Hear a special panel highlighting the voices of our lay leaders — members who help guide and sustain the Society’s programs, initiatives, and community life. Together they will reflect on what leadership means in our values-driven community, how their experiences embody our mission of inspiring ethical living and working for a more just world, and why shared leadership is central to our success. Panelists will also share some of their most formative experiences at the Ethical Society and discuss ways they believe our organization can continue to improve and evolve into the future.