Old Ship Meeting House
90 Main Street
Hingham, Massachusetts
781-749-1679

2018

#1
Sunday, March 18, 2018 @ 4:00 pm

​"Black Lives Matter - to Everyone"

​Martin Henson 
Black Lives Matter, Boston
Rahsaan Hall
Director, Racial Justice Program,
ACLU Massachusetts
#2
Thursday, April 5, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

"Let's Talk: Dealing with Conflict"

​​Aziz Abu Sarah
National Geographic Explorer
TED Fellow, author, peace activist
#3
Monday, June 11, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

"The Power of Education for Girls"

Shabana Basij-Rasikh
founder of a girls school in Kabul, Afghanistan

Meeting House Forums

About the Meeting House Forums

Since it was built in 1681, the Old Ship Meeting House in Hingham Square has served as a place for the entire community to debate pressing issues of the day. Generations have wrestled with questions that help determine who we are as Americans.

Meeting House Forums will connect to this tradition of thoughtful discussion and calls to action, by presenting stimulating programs on topics that engage our minds and hearts. Programs will vary in format, and each will be followed by a reception across the street in the Parish House for continued conversation and light refreshment. 

For more information or to suggest a program, please contact Nina Price, Meeting House Forum Chair, here. 

Meeting House Forums are co-sponsored by Friends of the Old Ship Meeting House, a 501c3 organization whose purpose is to preserve the Old Ship Meeting House, a National Historic Landmark, and connect it to the public, so that it continues to serve as an inspirational living legacy.

Logistics
  • The Old Ship Meeting House has a capacity of 300 persons.
  • The Meeting House is wheelchair-accessible.
  • Restroom facilities are located in the handicapped-accessible entrance hall to the Meeting House, and directly across the street in the Parish House at 107 Main St.
  • Parking is available in front of and behind the Parish House (across the street) and on adjacent streets. 


Handicapped parking is available at the top of the circular drive at the Meeting House entrance. Please do NOT park on the circular drive to the Meeting House.
  • Out of respect for the speakers and members of the audience, please silence any noise-making devices and alarms before the performance begins. Recording without prior permission is prohibited.    
  • Receptions and post-program activities will be held in the Fellowship Hall across the street in the Parish House, which is wheelchair-accessible through the side entrance. Accessible parking is located next to the side entrance. 
  • Programs are offered free of charge. We gratefully accept donations to help cover costs (suggested donation: $10 per person, or as able). 

Forum #3

The Power of Education for Girls
Monday, June 11, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

National Geographic Emerging Explorer Shabana Basij-Rasikh will speak on the experience and issues of girls’ education in Afghanistan. She will share stories from her life and from the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), the first boarding school for girls in Afghanistan, which she co-founded and now serves as president.

​SOLA is dedicated to helping Afghan girls develop into future leaders. It provides a high quality education to girls who would otherwise receive little or no education. Its students range in age from 11 to 19 and represent all major Afghan ethnic groups and religious sects. SOLA graduates have gone on to attend 45 different schools and colleges in 6 countries. Their commitment and efforts, as well as that of their families, in overcoming a legacy of bias, ignorance and inequality are inspiring. 

After the program, conversation with Shabana will continue over dessert across the street in the Parish House. The program is offered free of charge. Free-will donations to help cover costs are gratefully accepted.
SHABANA BASIJ-RASIKH
Born and raised in Kabul during Taliban control, Shabana's early education occurred in secret and at great risk to herself and her family. After the Taliban was ousted, Shabana was able to go to the United States to complete high school and then attend and graduate from Middlebury College in Vermont. She has worked on multiple development projects in Afghanistan and co-founded SOLA in 2008. She is widely recognized as a leading advocate for girls’ education. She is a global ambassador for Girl Rising, and in 2014 was named one of National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers and one of CNN International’s Leading Women.
Shabana lives in Kabul, but often travels abroad to gain support for SOLA and to advocate for more investment in girls’ education globally.

Forum #2

Let's Talk: Dealing with Conflict
Thursday, April 5, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Picture
Peace activist Aziz Abu Sarah draws on his deep international experience working with people in conflict, to share lessons learned for daily living: how we
can bridge gaps in communication and understanding to make peace in a polarized world. After the program, conversation will continue over dessert across the street in the Parish House. The program is offered free of charge. Free-will donations to help cover costs are gratefully accepted

AZIZ ABU SARAH is a National Geographic Explorer, TED Fellow, author, speaker and entrepreneur whose journey from Palestinian activist to peace advocate and builder has taken him around the world in an effort to bridge the gap between hostile communities. He focuses on understanding and dealing with conflict in ways that can reduce or eliminate it.

Aziz has spoken at countless international organizations and universities, including the United Nations, the European Parliament and TED. He has published articles in The New York Times, National Geographic, Haaretz, the Jerusalem Post and others, and he regularly provides analysis for CNN, Fox, and Aljazeera networks, among others. Aziz is the recipient of the Goldberg Prize for Peace in the Middle East from the Institute of International Education, the European Parliament’s Silver Rose Award, the Eisenhower Medallion, and the Eliav-Sartawi Award for his Middle Eastern Journalism. 

He has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the World by the Royal Strategic Centre in Jordan. He won the Intercultural innovation award from the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the BMW Group. He was also recognized by UNSG Ban Ki Moon for his work in peace building. He is co-founder and CEO of Mejdi Tours, a tourism business focusing on enabling travelers to places like Israel and Palestine to gain a deeper understanding of the people and cultures there and to forge lasting friendships with both individuals and local organizations. 

Forum #1

Black Lives Matter - to Everyone
​Sunday, March 18, 2018 at 4:00 pm

The inaugural Meeting House Forum: “Black Lives Matter – to Everyone” features speakers Martin Henson from Black Lives Matter Boston and Rahsaan Hall, the Director of the Racial Justice Program for ACLU Massachusetts. Together we will explore racism, white responsibility for change, and the facts underlying the Black Lives Matter movement. How can our communities engage in meaningful work to repair internal and systemic racism? There is much difficult work to do, and we all are invited and challenged to do our part.

Rev. Ken Read-Brown, minister of Old Ship since 1987 and formerly the associate director of Cambridge Forum, will moderate the conversation, which will include time for questions from the audience. After the program, conversation will continue over soup and salad across the street in the Parish House. The program is offered free of charge. Free-will donations to help cover costs are gratefully accepted.

Resources on the topic: Frugal Books of Roxbury will offer a selection of books for purchase. For a starter-list of excellent books and videos, check out our web page here. 
Martin Henson
Black Lives Matter Boston

​​Martin is an activist, organizer, and mental health counselor.  Martin’s interests include alternative community structures, dismantling white supremacy, intersectional dialogue, and coalition building.  Martin’s work includes being an organizer for Black Lives Matter Boston and hosting BLM Boston's radio show.   He uses the radio show to uplift the importance of the Black Lives Matter platform through bringing on guest that highlight the intersectional narrative of black people in Boston and throughout the African diaspora.
Rahsaan Hall
ACLU Massachusetts

Rahsaan Hall is the Director of the Racial Justice Program for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. In this role Rahsaan helps develop the ACLU of Massachusetts’ integrated advocacy approach to address racial justice issues. Through legislative advocacy, litigation and community engagement, the program works on issues that deeply impact communities of color and historically disenfranchised communities.

Prior to joining the ACLU of Massachu-setts, Rahsaan was the Deputy Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, where he headed up the Voting Rights Project. He also served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. A significant portion of his work in the DA’s Office included his time in the Safe Neighborhood Initiative and Senior Trial Units where he prosecuted drug, gang and homicide cases. He is also an ordained reverend in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

community 


•​ candlelight concerts

• meeting house forums

​• holidays

• merrie market

• may breakfast

• friends of old ship