Old Fashioned Chautauqua Series: Men as Social Justice Allies to Women

Popular in late 19th and early 20th century America—and now nearly forgotten—the CHAUTAUQUA (Shaw-taw-kwa) was a series of community programs featuring noted speakers, music, poetry, and storytelling. They were often held under tents and brought civic-minded dialogue to many rural towns. The name comes from the Iroquois word describing the lake in upstate New York where the movement began.

Please join us for our THIRD ANNUAL CHAUTAUQUA series curated by the Clinton Human Rights Committee as we revive this long tradition through a series of fascinating presentations on topics related to Human Rights issues.

SPEAKERS! MUSICIANS! STORYTELLERS! POETS! REFRESHMENTS!

We have invited community leaders involved in issues related to Human Rights to share insights into their work. Each program will offer refreshments and a unique mix of music, poetry, storytelling, and lively conversation

• Wed. 7/10 @ 6:30 PM: "Coastal Resilience"
  • Sarah Schechter, Assistant Extension Educator – Sustainable & Resilient Communities, CT Sea Grant uses her background in coastal resilience to carry out the goals of the Long Island Sound Study in Southeastern CT. She joins us to share more about local resilience initiatives.
  • Owen Placido, Assistant Extension Educator: Nature-based Resilience is focused on nature-based approaches to climate adaptation and connects individuals and communities to resources that help implement solutions, and restore critical habitats in the Sound watershed.
  • Musical Guest: Singer-Songwriter Capt. Mike Corcoran
  • Poet: Clinton Poet Laureate Cathy Weiss

• Wed. 7/17 @ 6:30 PM: "Artificial Intelligence: Decoding the Ghost in Our Machine"
  • Dr. Joe Johnson, Associate Professor In Residence, Director of Professional Education - UCONN School of Computing. What is Artificial Intelligence and how will it continue to shape and change our lives in the future? Although the prospects and positive outcomes of its uses are exciting, what ethical challenges does it present? How did it evolve and what should be done about possible unforeseen outcomes? Dr. Joe Johnson will help to answer some of these important questions with a look at the role of artificial intelligence in our lives.
  • Musical Guest: Singer-Songwriters Jim and Cara Sheehan
  • Poet: Wellness Instructor Stephen Watson

• Wed. 7/24 @ 6:30 PM: "Affordable Housing"
  • Abby Piersall, AICP, Clinton Town Planner. Shortages of affordable housing are a long-standing challenge in the U.S. For low-income Americans, the search for affordable housing can be especially difficult. Join Clinton Town Planner Abby Piersall to learn more about issues related to affordable housing in our town and what is being done to address some of these concerns.
  • Musical Guest: Singer-songwriter Alison Farrell
  • Poet: Clinton Poet Laureate Cathy Weiss

• Wed. 7/31 @ 6:30 PM: "Men as Social Justice Allies to Women"
  • Dr. Christopher Kilmartin, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Mary Washington; Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Members of privileged groups have social advantages and so in unique positions to address social issues. Thus, White people can work to reduce racism, heterosexual people homophobia, etc. Dr. Chris Kilmartin will explain how men have an opportunity to influence other men who may be dismissive of women, to model healthier forms of masculinity, and to educate other men to use their privilege to create leverage in social systems.
  • Musical Guest: Singer-songwriter Robert Messore
  • Poet: Denise Keyes Page of Ubuntu Storytellers

About the Clinton Human Rights Committee:

The purpose of the Human Rights Committee is to promote mutual understanding and respect within the Town of Clinton among all racial, religious, ethnic and other groups, and among individuals of differing genders, sexual orientations, ages and abilities.

The goal of the Human Rights Committee is to facilitate respect, discourse, education and understanding in the Clinton community relating to the backgrounds and identities of its members as well as to encourage equality of treatment of and opportunity for, all members of the community, without regard to economic status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age and abilities.

To learn more, visit: https://clintonct.org/709/Human-Rights-Committee