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Washington Ethical Society
7750 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20012
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WES History 
The Washington Ethical Society was founded in 1944 by people active in the religious and civil rights movements. The Constitutional rights of "ethics as a religion" were established in 1957 by a landmark opinion written by Judge Warren Burger in favor of WES and all Ethical Societies. Subsequent legal efforts made it lawful to use ethical rather than just theological grounds for conscientious objections to war.
In the early years, because WES was racially integrated and actively campaigned against segregation, it was difficult to find meeting space in Washington DC. At the time even government buildings separated bathrooms and restaurants by race. Our first home was in Dupont Circle.
When a new meetinghouse was constructed in 1966, it was at 7750 16th Street NW - a neighborhood chosen because it was dedicated to integration. The move was made possible by the generosity of Nancy Blanche Jemison MD (1876 - 1960), a long-term member of the society who established a building fund and left most of her estate to WES. |
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