Events

Sunday 26th October 6.30pm Unholy Alliance: Religion and Patriarchy Rahila Gupta Rahila Gupta argues that religious shackles prevent the liberation of women, in particular in Russia, El Salvador and Saudi Arabia. Rahila Gupta is a freelance journalist, author and activist. She is Chair of Southall Black Sisters , a group which has campaigned and advocated for black and minoritised women escaping violence.  Her books include:   From Homebreakers to Jailbreakers : Southall Black Sisters in 2003  - a collection of essays she edited; Provoked - the story of a battered woman who killed her violent husband. She co- wrote this with Kiranjit Ahluwalia and the screenplay of the film which was released in 2007;  Enslaved: The New British Slavery - on immigration controls, was published in 2007. Planet Patriarchy - co-written with Beatrix Campbell, argues that religious shackles p...

Directed by Somnath Waghmare   An American Fulbright scholar from Minneapolis – Gail Omvedt – arrived in India in the 1970s. Shocked by its caste system, she dedicated her life to the struggles of Dalits. Alongside her partner, the brilliant anti-caste activist Bharat Patankar, she forged a lifelong fight for justice in Kasegav, Maharashtra.    This intimate new film explores their shared journey and Gail’s impactful final years in rural India.    Join us for a special screening followed by an in-person discussion with the director, Somnath Waghmare,  who was born to a rural Dalit-Buddhist family in Malewadi, Western Maharashtra, India. His mother worked as an agricultu...

The film is introduced by scientist Dr Caroline Vincent. It shows how a group of scientists, frustrated by the UK government ignoring the mounting evidence, turn to civil disobedience to warn the public of climate breakdown. Caroline is volunteering for Scientists for Extinction Rebellion after 20 years of experience developing forecasting models and analytical tools in the pharmaceutical industry. All welcome - admission free. Tea & biscuits. Donations welcome - £5 suggested to cover speaker and other costs.

Ian Myson Ian speaks about Amnesty’s campaign to curb the abuse of the UN Security Council veto. Wars today in Ukraine and the Middle East are just two examples of the UN’s repeated failure because of the use of the veto held by the permanent five members of the Security Council.   Ian has been involved as a volunteer with Amnesty International for over 40 years and currently hold a number of voluntary roles: Activism Representative for the South Midlands Lead organiser for the Amnesty Central England Network Chair of Banbury Amnesty Group. Representive of Amnesty’s local activists on the relevant Amnesty UK Board Committee Education lead for the United Nations Network and Veto Campaign Organising a campaign against human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir. He has been a Director of the main professional institute for management and leadership, workin...

Ffion Autumn   A powerful, personal talk exploring the lived experience of growing up as a woman in an Islamic Mediterranean society, navigating a patriarchal culture shaped by religious, social, and familial expectations. Image generated by Gemini AI.

Can We Celebrate Religious Secularists? Andrew Bolton Is religious secularist a contradiction in terms? Anabaptists, Baptists and Quakers are examples of religious secularists. They were supercritical of Christendom and suffered for their stand.   Andrew Bolton is a former Leicester RE teacher, and coordinated peace and justice ministries for 12 years with Community of Christ at their international headquarters in Independence, Missouri, USA. He serves his local congregation at the Little Blue Church in Leicester, hosts interfaith dialogue and gardens organically on his allotment in his spare time. Image generated by Gemini AI.

The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, commonly known as the Scopes trial or Scopes Monkey Trial, was an American legal case from July 10 to July 21, 1925, in which a high school teacher, John T. Scopes, was accused of violating the Butler Act, a Tennessee state law which outlawed the teaching of human evolution in public schools.   The film "Inherit the Wind", which was based on the trial and features many of the actual events  recorded in the trial transcript, will be shown.   All welcome - admission free . Running time 128 minutes. x

Ned Newitt Ned will look at Leicester’s early Victorian ‘heretics’ and ‘infidels.’ He traces the history of the irreligious in Leicester from the supporters of Richard Carlile’s ‘seditious’ press, through Robert Owen's socialists to the secularists of the 1850s. The talk shows how Leicester's hall of science, the 'Social Institution,' outraged religious opinion. It looks at how the infidels’ fight for free speech and freedom of conscience was bound up with the wider movement for political reform and the right to vote. He also examines the conflict between the Evangelising clergy and local radicals and freethinkers.   Ned was born in Southend-on-Sea in 1946. He studied at Cardiff College of Art and came to Leicester in 1971. From 1984-2003, he was a Leicester City Councillor. He is a long standing member of the Society and is the current Chair. ...

Sunday 14th September 10am to 4pm. Come and see this unique building rooted in Leicester's radical past. The whole of the Secular Hall will be available to see, including the rare arts and craft tiles in the Ballroom. There will be guided tours throughout the day and an exhibition about the opening of the Hall and its early years. The recently restored stained glass window can be viewed.   There is no need to book   Light refreshments available throughout the day.

Secularism as Sarva Dharma Sambhav (Equal Respect for All Religions) Speaker: Dr. Arvind Kumar Visiting Lecturer in Politics & International Relations, University of Hertfordshire Also available via Zoom live-stream ( ID: 856 6301 7127 | Pass: 019219 ) This is our first lecture of the Autumn–Winter programme — and we’re excited to kick things off with Dr. Arvind’s thought-provoking talk. He will explore Sarva Dharma Sambhav (Equal Respect for All Religions) as a manifestation of secularism, examining how it has posed challenges and created opportunities for governance and practice. Dr. Arvind Kumar is a Political Scientist with teaching experience at the University of Hertfordshire, Royal Holloway, University of Delhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is a Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy, EDI Officer for the Political Studies Association Early Career Network, and Trustee of the British Association for Sou...

An Evening with Suraj Yengde Also available via Zoom live-stream  ( ID: 856 6301 7127 | Pass: 019219 ) Join us for an illuminating evening with renowned anti-caste scholar, historian, and activist Suraj Milind Yengde, as he presents and discusses his landmark new book: Caste: A Global Story. In this groundbreaking work, Suraj reveals how caste is not confined to India but exists across the globe—from Britain to Bahrain, Canada to South Africa. Through history, ethnography, archival research, and personal narrative, he traces caste’s presence among indentured labourers in the Caribbean, migrant workers in the Middle East, and South Asian diaspora communities worldwide. Following his short presentation, Suraj will be in conversation with the host, followed by a lively Q&A session with the audience. This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from one of today’s leading Anti - Caste intellectuals and activists, whose work challenges us to rethink ineq...

Opening at noon on both days. The Society has again booked a stall at the Mela which we will be sharing with the Asian Rationalist Society of Britain - South Asian Rationalists UK . If you can spare some time to help with setting up, meeting and greeting or packing away, please email stall@Lsec.org.uk .

A Discussion with Professor Ravikant Kisana (aka Buffalo Intellectual) Available on Zoom ID: 856 6301 7127 Pass: 019219 What does it mean to live in a society where the doors look open—but aren’t? Who gets to belong, and who gets left outside?     Join us for an unflinching conversation with cultural theorist and educator Professor Ravikant Kisana, widely known as the Buffalo Intellectual, as we discuss his groundbreaking new book, Meet the Savarnas.     The book turns the spotlight on India’s privileged upper-caste millennials and how their unexamined advantages have shaped the country’s institutions, culture, and future. In this event, we’ll explore themes of caste privilege, mediocrity disguised as merit, and the quiet ways exclusion operates in everyday life—from education to media to personal relationships.   📍 Leicester Secu...