News from the Week April 10 - April 14, 2023

Friend:

We’re gearing up for a whirlwind week for the separation of church and state!

AU’s staff is busy making final preparations for our inaugural Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF) next weekend, April 22-24 ([link removed]). I can’t wait to see many of you in Washington, D.C., for our first major in-person event since the pandemic started three years ago! Finally.

We have an impressive array of speakers, panels, live podcasts, lobby visits with congressional offices, and opportunities to engage with other activists, all focused on advancing church-state separation, religious freedom, and the many issues that depend on them. And for those who can’t join us in D.C., you can still register to join us virtually for a curated SRF program. Check out theSRF.org for more information.

Even as we plan a major conference, our everyday work doesn’t stop. We’ve also been busy working on – and I’ve been busy talking to reporters recently about – two major church-state issues: this week’s vote on what would be the nation’s first religious public charter school in Oklahoma ([link removed]), and next week’s upcoming Supreme Court hearing on a case involving religious accommodations in the workplace.

In Oklahoma, a state charter school board for now has rejected a Catholic virtual charter school’s application; the board asked school officials to revise their application. The proposal will likely come back to the board soon, so we’ve – again – urged board members to reject it ([link removed]). As I told The Washington Post ([link removed]), “It’s hard to think of a clearer violation of the religious freedom of Oklahoma taxpayers and public school families than the state establishing the nation’s first religious public charter school.”

This coming Tuesday, First Liberty Institute, a member of the billion-dollar Shadow Network working to advance Christian Nationalism, will invite the ultra-conservative bloc of the Supreme Court to expand the religious accommodations employers must grant to workers, even if they cause harm to coworkers. This case is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. As I told ABC News ([link removed]), “This case opens the floodgates to every employee in the workforce being forced to carry the burden of someone else's religious practices.”

We’re also preparing for some big news in Congress next week. Stay tuned to AU in your email, on social media, in the news and at au.org – we’ll have a lot to say in the coming days. Thank you for being with us on this mission to secure freedom without favor and equality without exception for all.

And looking forward to seeing you – in person or virtually – very, very soon! It’s not too late to join us. Register here: [link removed]

With hope and determination,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO

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The Power Of Storytelling And Being Transgender In 2023.
AU Youth Organizing Fellow Kendall Kalustyan offers ways for people to take action to protect LGBTQ+ people from the unprecedented legislative attacks happening around the country.
READ MORE>> [link removed]

Calling All Youth Activists: Applications Open For AU’s Youth Organizing Fellowship.
AU has opened applications for our 2023-24 Youth Organizing Fellowship program, a paid, year-long leadership development program for young activists who want to gain new skills, learn more about church-state separation, and advocate in their communities.
READ MORE>> [link removed]

Get Involved—Check Out AU’s Upcoming Events:
Find additional details and a full list of events at [link removed]

April 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET (Virtual & In-Person): Atheists United Executive Director Evan Clark will talk about why the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors' proposal to increase its partnerships with religious organizations is problematic. Sponsored by AU's Orange County, Calif., Chapter. Sign up here: [link removed]

April 22 - April 24 (Virtual & In Person): The Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF) is a collaborative conference that will unify supporters, activists, organizers, policy and legal experts, academics, political and religious leaders, and committed people of faith and of no religion to fight for religious freedom. Sign up here: [link removed]


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