Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
Humanism and Its Aspirations
Upcoming Events
Book Discussion "James" by Percival Everett
Saturday, February 21, 2026, 2:30PM
Note: Location updated to Zoom.
Our book for February (Black History Month) is James by award-winning writer Percival Everett.
From Amazon: When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.
While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…) Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.
“[A] sly response to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn…What’s most striking, ultimately, is the way James both honors and interrogates Huck Finn, along with the nation that reveres it.” – The Washington Post
Supplementary Reading: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Online event
Northern Social Dinner
Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 7:00PM
We’ll be meeting again in Wallingford at Pacific Buffet & Grill (https://pacificbuffetandgrill.com/). (Buffet Prices:…
Board Meeting
Sunday, February 22, 2026, 6:30PM
All members of the Humanist Association of Connecticut are welcome to attend. If you have something to bring to the board or wish …
Online event
Social Dinner
Monday, March 2, 2026, 7:00PM
Join us at Thai Stories for our monthly Social Dinner, and discuss a wide range of topics with like-minded people. (We’re…
Humanist Explorations - "Fanny"
Saturday, March 7, 2026, 2:30PM
Human beings are often guided and informed by their emotions. They may be simple, or deep and complex. Hate, joy, narcissism, and …
Book Discussions
"The Icon & the Idealist" by Stephanie Gorton
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for March (Women’s History Month) is The Icon & the Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry That Brought Birth Control to America by Stephanie Gorton.
From Amazon: [A]s the birth control movement was born, two leaders emerged: Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett. While Sanger would go on to found Planned Parenthood, Dennett’s name has largely faded from public knowledge. Each held a radically different vision for what reproductive autonomy and birth control access should look like in America…The Icon & the Idealist reveals how and why these two women came to activism, the origins of the clash between them, and the ways in which their missteps and breakthroughs have reverberated across American society for generations.
“The Icon & the Idealist is an essential, and accessible, look at the U.S.’s fraught history of reproductive freedoms through the lives of two leaders as complex and nuanced as the topic itself.” – Rachel Somerstein, author of Invisible Labor
"Heretic" by Catherine Nixey
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for April is Heretic: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God – An Eye-Opening Account of Early Christian Divergence by …
"The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz
Saturday, May 16, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for May is The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz.
From Amazon:
In The Four…
You can download the New Haven Free Public Library’s flyer for the 2024 book discussions at the Wilson Branch.
Our Calendar
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You can RSVP for most HAC events via meetup.com.
Newsletter
Titles selected for our book discussions can be found in most local libraries or ordered from bookstores such as Barnes and Noble.
HAC is a chapter of the American Humanist Association and a UU Humanists local group.