Humanities Washington announces February virtual events

Humanities Washington has announced a slew of virtual events for February.

On Tuesday at noon, the Holocaust Center for Humanity will host “Who Was Chief Seattle?” presented by David M. Buerge. Buerge, a biographer and historian to the Duwamish Tribe, Seattle’s mother’s people, spent more than 20 years researching Chief Seattle, learning that he was a warrior, an orator, a benefactor and a visionary. Buerge’s latest book is titled “Chief Seattle and the Town That Took His Name.”

During his presentation, Buerge will examine how close the city of Seattle is to Chief Seattle’s vision for the town, that of a prosperous and multiracial city. Registration information will be announced soon on humanities.org.

Buerge will also present “Who Was Chief Seattle?” on Feb. 18 at 1 p.m., hosted by Sno-King School Retirees. After registering for this event, attendees will receive an email about joining the Zoom presentation.

On Feb. 8 at noon, the Bainbridge Island Rotary will host “Let It Not Happen Again: Lessons of the Japanese American Exclusion,” presented by Clarence Moriwaki, president of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community and a founder and former president of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association.

In March of 1942, the U.S. Army forcibly removed 227 Japanese Americans from their Bainbridge Island homes. From there, more than 120,000 Japanese American men, women and children from across the United States were removed from their homes and incarcerated during World War II.

During his presentation, Moriwaki will share the history of Bainbridge Island as the origin of the exclusion and, using historical images and current propaganda, examine the fear, racism and failure of politicians that led to the exclusions and ask “Are there parallels to what’s happening in America now?”

Registration information will be announced soon on humanities.org.

On Feb. 11 at 6 p.m., the Everett Public Library will host Seattle-based professor, writer and historian Daudi Abe as he presents “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Principal’s Office?,” which Abe recently presented as part of Spokane Community College’s Hagan Center’s Diversity Dialogue speaker series.

Abe has a master’s degree in human development and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Washington. He has taught and written about race, gender, education, hip-hop and sports for more than 20 years. Through his research, Abe found that Black students are disproportionately suspended and expelled from school more than other students, which results, for some, in achievement gaps in school and legal troubles in adulthood.

In his presentation, Abe will discuss how the achievement gap cannot be closed until the discipline gap is addressed. To register for this presentation, visit crowdcast.io/e/abe/register.

Abe will also present “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Principal’s Office?” on Feb. 24 at 3 p.m., hosted by the CWU Libraries. Registration information for this presentation will be announced soon on humanities.org.

On Feb. 16 at 2 p.m., the Olympia branch of the American Association of University Women will host Tessa Hulls as she presents “She Traveled Solo: Strong Women in the Early 20th Century.”

Hull is a multidisciplinary artist, writer and outdoorswoman who completed a 5,000-mile solo bike ride from Southern California to Maine. After her ride, Hull started researching women who have traveled solo in the past. Using historical photographs, primary documents and hand-drawn illustrations, Hull will share the stories of these adventurous women who defied expectations to explain how vital female role models are in affecting social change.

To register for this event, send an email with your name, email address and phone number to olympia@aauw-wa.org.

Hull will also share “She Traveled Solo: Strong Women in the Early 20th Century” on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m., hosted by the Moses Lake Museum and Art Center. Registration information for this presentation will be announced soon on humanities.org.

On Feb. 18 at 6 p.m., the Spokane Public Library will host sociologist and writer Michelle Janning’s presentation of “What Your Home Says About the World.”

Janning, who earned a PhD in sociology from the University of Notre Dame and is a professor at Whitman College, is the author of “The Stuff of Family Life: How Our Homes Reflect Our Lives.”

In her presentation, Janning will explore what the things in our homes, from stuffed animals to smartphones to love letters, say about today’s changing family roles and relationships, “how objects have their own cultural biographies and the ways that group inequalities matter in the larger collection of our family stories.”

Registration information for this presentation will be announced soon on humanities.org.

On Feb. 24 at 2:30 p.m., Seattle Parks and Recreation and Lifelong Recreation will host ethicist Brian G. Henning’s presentation of “Heating Up: The Ethics of Climate Change.”

The effects of climate change are already here – longer wildfire seasons, sea-level rise, ocean acidification and accelerating species extinction. But few are talking about how our moral beliefs about nature have led us to where are are now.

Henning, a professor of philosophy and environmental studies at Gonzaga University, will discuss how global warming is a symptom of a bigger problem concerning “how we conceive of ourselves and our relationship to the natural world.”

Register for this presentation by using activity number 41027 at seattle.gov/parks. The meeting link will be sent to registrants a week prior to the event. For more information, contact robin.brannman@seattle.gov.