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Dear Friend,
The Secular Coalition for America (SCA) is comprised of 20 different organizations. Each organization is a unique and integral part of the larger American secular community and SCA is proud to work with them to advocate on their behalf here in our nation's capital.
The other weekend SCA hosted leaders from our member organizations for our annual Members Meeting. The weekend provides an important opportunity for the leadership from both large and small coalition members to catch up with what every group is doing and find opportunities for collaboration.
Saturday began with every organization reintroducing themselves and sharing what they have been working on. As 2022 is SCA’s 20th anniversary, the organizations presented in the order they joined, beginning with the Secular Student Alliance.
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After lunch Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State gave a presentation entitled Separation of Church and State: Is There Any Hope? Well we have some good news, there is in fact hope. Not that there won’t be setbacks along the way, especially at the Supreme Court, but Boston gave us a dose of optimism that in the court of public opinion, our stances on issues are overwhelmingly popular.
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Next, individual leaders spoke about particular initiatives they were working on. A common theme was what organizations were doing to help those around the world who face persecution for their beliefs and ideas. A somber reminder that the rights and freedoms afforded to us here in the US should not be taken for granted and there are still many in this world who face severe punishment, even death, for merely criticizing the religious norms of their country.
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Robyn Blumner of the Center for Inquiry (CFI) spoke about CFI’s Secular Rescue program which helps people who are persecuted because of their statements and writings concerning religion leave for safer countries.
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Tiffany Ho from Foundation Beyond Belief (FBB) spoke about Humanist Action Ghana and the Secular Week of Action. Humanist Action Ghana, a former program of FBB but now an independent organization, provides the skills necessary for Ghanaians in impoverished communities, particularly women, to meet their basic needs by collaborating with local organizations and individuals to help them build a life of self-sustainability and start a small business. Often the participants are being persecuted over accusations of witchcraft.
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Alison Gill from American Atheists and Danile Rogiérs from Black Nonbelievers outlined findings from their organizations’ recent join-report on Black nonreligious Americans. The report found that nearly 40% of Black survey respondents mostly or always concealed their nonreligious beliefs from members of their immediate family, compared with 31% of other nonreligious respondents. Black nonreligious respondents also reported a higher incidence of depression than non-Black respondents.
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This meeting was also an opportunity to welcome new people to our coalition and our movement. Nadya Dutchin, the new executive director of the American Humanist Association (AHA), shared her goals for AHA and the direction she plans to lead the organization which includes a focus on diversity and social issues.
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Lon Ostrander of The Clergy Project, the most recent organization to join the Secular Coalition for America, spoke about the ways his group serves clergy members who give up their jobs, their community, and sometimes their homes when they begin to live a secular life. We could not be more proud to be working with them and their membership.
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Sunday morning opened with Herb Silverman, founder and President Emeritus of the Secular Coalition for America recounting his inspiration and aspirations for a coalition of like-minded secular organizations and the history of SCA up to the present day. Twenty years on, through many changes in the secular movement, our central mission to bring people together for a common goal still remains alive and well.
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Following Herb came the lawyers and lobbyists who work for individual member organizations to fight for the separation of religion and government. First came the lobbyists: Scott MacConomy of SCA, Azhar Majeed of the Center for Inquiry, Mark Dann of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and Ron Millar of the Center for Freethought Equality. Azhar talked about work CFI is doing at the state level, Mark talked about the federal landscape, and Ron explained how the 20 nonprofits in the room can be effective advocates within the limits placed on them as 501(c)(3) organizations.
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The attorneys on the second panel included Alison Gill of American Atheists, Nick Little from the Center for Inquiry, Rebecca Markert from the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and Monica Miller from the American Humanist Association. The conversation covered current Supreme Court cases that address religious freedom issues and the approach being used to bring these cases to the Court and get them on the docket. The two panels gave everyone a clear picture of the challenges facing separation of religion and government and the work our coalition is doing to meet them.
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Finally, Dr. Jacques Berlinerblau, Professor of Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University, spoke on separationist secularism in America. Drawing from his new book, Secularism: The Basics, Dr. Berlinerblau examined the history of secularism in the government and the courts. He challenged the secular movement to innovate because, while the nation is becoming more secular, the government and courts are becoming more religious. His recommendation for success in the courts is to focus on the equal protection provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment rather than the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
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In all it was a very informative and productive weekend for the leadership of the member organizations of the Secular Coalition. New members were welcomed and introduced to the history of the SCA, and the unique contributions of their coalition partners. Long-time members caught up with each other, and everyone had the opportunity to address their shared challenges and goals. So important for maintaining the strength of our alliance, we yet again found ways to better serve and represent nonreligious Americans. We are stronger together.
As one person put it, the weekend had refreshed her “secular soul”.
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From all of us at the Secular Coalition for America, thank you for your support!
Debbie Allen
Executive Director
Secular Coalition for America
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Our member organizations are critical partners in the Secular Coalition for America's mission to defend the separation of religion and government. The Secular Coalition for America is grateful to have the support of our member organizations are out there every day building community and proving that we all can be "good without a god"!
To support our work on behalf all nonreligious Americans, please click the “I want to help secular advocacy!” button to donate to the (C4) division of SCA which is responsible for lobbying congress, or the “I want to help secular education!” button for a tax-deductible donation to the (C3) division of SCA which works to educate Americans about our movement and values. Every dollar goes to furthering our shared secular agenda.
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P.S. Please consider leaving a legacy gift to the Secular Coalition for America. The protection of our equal rights requires eternal vigilance.
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