Growing Up Humanist: Framework for a Better Society

Young people in today’s American society face many challenges. Tumultuous economic conditions, continued discrimination leveled against large segments of the population, and progressive climate change are all serious issues that we as a nation have failed to deal with effectively. Can the current American moral framework, which seems lacking and foundationless, be cited as a source aggravating these problems? Can Humanism provide the generation now entering adulthood effective solutions? Kate LaClair will explore these questions during her platform address.

LaClair grew up in Kearny, N.J., attending the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County in Maplewood for much of her childhood. Two years ago, she graduated from Drew University in Madison, N.J., with a bachelor's degree in neuroscience. She then moved to Baltimore, where she is pursuing a PhD in cellular and molecular medicine at Johns Hopkins University and is studying the disease mechanisms of and therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s Disease. She is currently a member of the Baltimore Ethical Society, and recently co-founded BES-Youth Action to involve the next generation of Ethical Humanists in direct action with the Society and the larger community.