Innovative Technology Will Enhance Ghana’s Agriculture

It is lovely seeing seven different people from different social, racial, and geographical backgrounds working collectively for a common purpose. People across Ghana and the United States have come to my community in northern Ghana to help with various projects. The Humanist Action: Ghana (HA: Ghana), a Foundation Beyond Belief (FBB) program made this possible. As an HA: Ghana volunteer, I…

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A changing educational culture in El Salvador

If you’ve read about Central America recently in the newspaper, then you know the region is entrenched in violence. Sadly, El Salvador, is now the most violent peace-time nation in the world and those who suffer are overwhelmingly children. Improving education is a key component to combat violence! That’s why ConTextos raises the quality of…

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Ethical Culture Society of Westchester

We are a humanist congregation dedicated to ethical living, bringing out the best in others and ourselves, and working to create a better world for everyone. We seek: A world that enjoys diversity. A society that offers everyone the chance to realize his or her own potential. A civilization that encourages improvement of our own…

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T’ruah builds bridges across cultures and religious traditions

T'ruahBy Ed Brayton

Foundation Beyond Belief is proud to be featuring T’ruah as our Challenge the Gap beneficiary during the second quarter of 2013. T’ruah was founded in 2002 as Rabbis for Human Rights – North America, a sister organization to an Israeli group of the same name. In January of this year, they officially split off from RHR but said that the two organizations “remain close allies.”

The name of the organization is the name of “one of the blasts of the shofar (ram’s horn),” which sounds to announce the Year of Jubilee, on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and to note other major events in Jewish history.

“We are Americans and Canadians with deep connections to Israel, and a commitment to making all three of the countries we love the most just, peaceful, and righteous places possible,” the group’s mission statement says.
T’ruah’s work for human rights includes a campaign to combat human trafficking in the produce industry in Florida. Working with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), they convinced McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and nine other companies to only purchase tomatoes from suppliers that have strong policies to protect labor rights and prevent human trafficking in those who work the fields.

The organization has also worked inside Israel to fight against the placement of Jewish settlements that displace Palestinian families. They have worked to prevent the eviction of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem, which they argue is “the spiritual home of the Jewish people and a holy city for Christians and Muslims as well.”

T’ruah has also launched a campaign for Bedouin rights, working again to prevent the expulsion of thousands of Bedouins and to secure government services to several Bedouin villages in the Negev region of Israel. This has been a longstanding problem in that country, and T’ruah believes that the human rights of Bedouin tribes must be respected.

Because of their strong track record of supporting human rights and building bridges between Jews and Muslims both in North America and in Israel, along with many other actions that support and promote humanist principles, FBB will be giving T’ruah a grant for the second quarter of 2013. With more than 80% of their funds going directly to program activities, we are certain that grant will be put to good use.

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Men Can Stop Rape empowers men to fight rape culture

Men Can Stop RapeBy Walker Bristol

A common response, phrased subtly or outright, to the horrific story of sexual assault is to ask what the victim was wearing at the time, or how they carried themselves, or if they’d led their rapist on. Essentially, a modicum (or the bulk) of the blame is placed on the survivor, rather than the perpetrator. In a culture in which men still command significant privilege and power, and the vast majority of victims of sexual assault are women, fighting this “rape culture” demands that we educate and mobilize men.

Thus is the mantra of Men Can Stop Rape, our current Human Rights beneficiary. “To institutionalize primary prevention of men’s violence against women,” their Vision statement reads, “through sustained initiatives that generate positive, measurable outcomes in populations throughout the world.”

Men Can Stop Rape posterThis quarter, your Human Rights donations will go toward two major projects, in addition to their wide array of training sessions and technical assistance nationwide. The first is The Strength Campaign, a comprehensive approach that reaches out to young men on all rungs of the socioeconomic ladder and “embraces them as vital allies with the will and character to make healthy choices and foster safe, equitable relationships.” This includes encouraging them to build MCSR-affiliated clubs in their schools and universities, developing Community Strength Projects on the local level to reach further outward, and wide-spanning public awareness campaigns.

The other primary campaign is an “action project” titled Healthy Masculinity. This project intends to illuminate the link between masculinity and violence in our culture. “Masculinity” here refers to our societal notions of the power and superiority of men—in strength, intelligence, sexual needs, and competence in almost every dimension—and works to break them down, to eliminate the stereotypes that oppress women and that lead to victim-blaming. This project works by bringing together some of the foremost organizations in the fight, including the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, Men Stopping Violence, and A CALL TO MEN, as well as “more than 200 industry leaders from various sectors, including policy, business, education, and health” to examine the environment in which men are raised and taught to behave, and prescribe precise ways to reform this culture and decimate the power structures that bear the masculinity-violence link. Furthermore, the project will sponsor a Youth Leadership Summit, Town Hall Meetings, and a three-day intensive training session to mobilize Healthy Masculinity Action Project educators to hold presentations in schools on healthy, nonviolent masculinity.

MCSR is also sponsoring the 10th Annual Solutions Through Film Black History Month Film Festival on February 2, 2013, a festival organized by Men of Strength Club members from schools in D.C. and Baltimore. More information on the festival can be found on the MCSR website here.

If you want to get involved with MCSR beyond making a generous donation, visit the Become an Ally or Attend an Event pages on their website. MCSR and their ally organizations are not working to oppress or discredit men, but rather to empower them: to fight for the rights and safety of everyone, to build a healthier culture, and to show love toward all of our neighbors, reforming our society into one that we can all share fearlessly.

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Thank You from GO Humanity

We’re sad to say we’re closing… Dear Supporters of GO Humanity, We have very heavy news. As of October 1st, 2023, GO Humanity must dissolve as an organization and cease to operate.  In 2009, we planted a seed which became the sapling of Foundation Beyond Belief which became the tree of GO Humanity. Now our…

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Diversity in Discourse: Challenging Linguistic Imperialism

Language is more than a mere tool for communication—it shapes our identity, carries our cultural heritage, and reflects our understanding of the world. The intricate dynamics of language and power manifest in many ways across societies, particularly through phenomena such as language colonization and linguistic imperialism. Understanding these concepts is crucial for appreciating the complex…

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Underwearness for Haiti!

Secular Week of Action is underway! Want to participate but can’t come up with an activity idea on “brief” notice? We’ll cover your butt. In fact, we’ll cover a lot of peoples’ butts. We’re talking about Underwearness for Haiti. Folx living in tent camps and other impoverished areas in Haiti need undergarments. These are people…

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February Volunteer Network Roundup!

Teams in our Food Security Project (FSP) reported 55 events in February, serving 18,859 individual beneficiaries and giving out 9,453 meals! Additional GO Humanity Service Teams held 16 more service events.

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Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah Geechee Nation

March is designated as Women’s History Month. It goes back to the early 1900’s, though had been erased until sometime in the 1960’s by an activist who called herself Laura X. This month is set aside to highlight the contributions and legacies of women who have been forgotten or overlooked. This article will introduce a…

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