First Friends presents Six Mondays
Lecture series addresses social media, criminal justice, government, and AI
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The Friends Meeting, or Quaker church, is known for its efforts for social reform; a tolerant and passive congregation that exercises its influence selectively and with clear intent. Historically, the church was instrumental in the operation of the Underground Railroad that led thousands of formerly indentured servants to freedom.
It is no wonder, then, that the First Friends Meeting of Kokomo is embarking on a series of public discussions about social issues affecting the local area as well as the entire nation.
Beginning on Mon., Feb. 19, First Friends Meeting will present the first of “Six Mondays” at Indiana University Kokomo. Held at 6 p.m. in the Kelley Center’s Room 130B on the IU Kokomo campus, 2300 S. Washington St. For six consecutive Mondays, Pastor Michael Carson will introduce and facilitate conversations with established experts in a variety of fields.
Carson said this is the third Six Mondays series presented by First Friends Meeting. Previous events took place at the Carver Community Center, but the pastor is appreciative of the sponsorship provided by IU Kokomo and the Howard County Supervision office.
And he is excited to dig into the issues that will be presented.
“I think the lecture on AI (artificial intelligence) is going to be interesting,” said Carson. “It’s a hot topic right now. I’m also looking forward to having State Rep. Mike Karickhoff speaking on civility in government.”
Jim Crew, an elder of First Friends Meeting and co-organizer of the Six Mondays series, is hopeful that the community will attend and participate in the important discussions the events will generate.
“There will be good information to share,” said Crew. “It is information that the people in our meeting need so they can be more effective in their support of efforts addressing these social issues.”
On Feb. 19, the topic will be “The Use of Multiple Social Media Accounts by Teenagers: How Friend Groups Manage Authenticity” by Christopher R. Darr, Professor of Communication Arts, and Erin F. Doss, Associate Professor of Communication Arts.
On Feb. 26, the focus shifts to the criminal justice system as Howard County Community Supervision Director Dustin Delong and his leadership team speak about “Community Supervision’s Impact on the Community.”
On March 4, Christopher Felts, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security, will speak about “The Impact of Concealed Carry Law Changes.”
The topic on March 11 will be “Pre-trial Initiatives’ Role in the Criminal Justice System,” presented by Howard County Magistrate Cheyenne Shepherd.
March 18’s session will feature Indiana House of Representatives Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Karickhoff as he discusses “Civility in Government.”
The final Six Mondays event takes place on March 25 and will cover “Demythologizing Generative Artificial Intelligence,” by Scott Blackwell, Senior Lecturer of Philosophy.
Each of the Six Monday events are free and open to the public. No registration is required.