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We were honored to have Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08), the latest member to join the Congressional Freethought Caucus, open our meeting by speaking to us about his personal journey with religion, and his reasons for joining the caucus. Following that, the coalition’s member organizations shared presentations regarding their work in the coming year. Each organization’s leadership presented a clear and concise vision for the near future, and the group discussed how to best coordinate those plans across the coalition.
We also heard from respected secular community leader Roy Speckhardt, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association (AHA), who recently announced that he will be leaving AHA. He wished the community success in our endeavors, while assuring us that he will remain active in the movement. Roy also shared his desire to see a person of color at the helm of AHA as his replacement, to help advance their mission of being a diverse and inclusive organization.
Following the encouraging words from Roy, the coalition leadership heard from this year’s panel of lobbyists and lawyers from the member organizations. Each panelist spoke about an issue relevant to the work our coalition is doing, and how individual member organizations can contribute. This segment of the meeting is always a highlight. You will soon be hearing more about this from our "Heretic on the Hill”, SCA's Director of Policy and Government Affairs, Casey Brinck. The knowledge and insights gained through this meeting are invaluable as we begin our work with a new Congress and a new administration, in what will certainly be a historic year.
Our work could not be accomplished without contributions from our coalition organizations and our individual supports.  Please click the “I want to help!” button below to help strengthen the wall that separates religion and government, and ensuring the secular nature of our once again great nation.
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