News from the Week July 25 - July 29, 2022

Friend:

As we’ve celebrated Americans United’s 75th anniversary this year, I’ve been talking more than ever about the past and the future of church-state separation. This devastating Supreme Court term and today’s emboldened Christian nationalist movement have made one thing clear: We must focus on building the next generation of church-state separation champions who can protect and defend religious freedom and so many of our rights for the next 75 years. I’m proud to say that AU is already solidly on the path of doing this work.

I was proud to honor one of our younger champions last week when I presented AU’s David Norr Youth Activist Award for 2022 to Ramya Sinha. Ramya stirred up some good trouble at her former school, Faith Christian Academy in Colorado, on behalf of one of AU’s clients, Gregg Tucker. An exemplary teacher and director of student life, Gregg was fired for trying to combat extensive racism directed at his family and many of the school’s Black, Hispanic and Asian students. Ramya was a brave and outspoken supporter of Gregg: She publicly condemned the racism at Faith Christian Academy and the school’s unjust treatment of Gregg. To read more about Ramya and AU's David Norr Youth Activist Award, click here: [link removed]

Ramya spoke about her time at FCA—“one of the darkest and most traumatizing times of my life”—but also about how important our fight is. She explained: “What's been happening in our nation recently with the disgusting and inhumane removal of women's rights shows us just how much harm is done when those of power choose not to uphold the separation of church and state, all to please a Jesus they’ve distorted to be a white Christian Nationalist. That case, along with the current events, prove how much we can't stop fighting for the separation of church and state, which in turn fights for the rights of everyone.”

Ramya begins law school this fall and she’ll carry that message to a new group of peers. Supporting youth leaders like Ramya is critical to ensuring AU will be around for another 75 years and beyond to defend church-state separation and religious freedom. That’s why we are dedicated to youth outreach and leadership efforts like the new Legal Academy, our Youth Organizing Fellowship program ([link removed]), next year’s Summit for Religious Freedom ([link removed]), and our Student Essay Contest ([link removed]).

To highlight our commitment to this fight, this summer we launched a $750,000 campaign to seed our Next Generation Fund and equip the leaders who will drive AU and its work forward. Through a gracious matching gift from Barbara Meislin, any gift to this campaign from now to the end of the year will be matched up to $250,000. To read more about these initiatives and to support the Next Generation Fund, click here: [link removed]

Religious extremists, their political allies and even justices on the U.S. Supreme Court want us to return to a past that didn’t live up to our country’s promise of freedom and equality for all. We will not go back. With you and the next generation of leaders on our side, we are the future. With your support, AU is leading the way forward in pursuit of an America that guarantees freedom without favor and equality without exception.

With hope and determination,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO

P.S. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, please check out this inspiring new video about AU’s work over the past 75 years and our resolve to continue protecting church-state separation long into the future: [link removed]


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Thanks To The Supreme Court, We’re Seeing A Renewed Push For Coercive Forms Of School Prayer:
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, we’re seeing a predictable push for state-sponsored prayer and religious worship in public schools.
READ MORE » [link removed]

The Dobbs Decision Exacerbates Existing Inequities In The Health Care System:
The Supreme Court’s ruling to abolish the constitutional right to abortion will further stress a health care system that already does not adequately address the needs of all women and people capable of pregnancy, especially people of color.
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Like The Energizer Bunny, This Christian Nationalist Fake Historian Just Keeps Going And Going:
David Barton, a Christian nationalist pseudo-historian, for decades has spread the lie that separation of church and state isn’t in the Constitution and was never the founders’ intention.
READ MORE » [link removed]

This Education Professor Wanted To Believe That Private School Vouchers Work. The Research Convinced Him Otherwise.:
Education policy professor Joshua Cowen was blunt in his recent assessment: “I started this research cautiously optimistic that vouchers could help. But in 2022 the evidence is just too stark to justify the use of public money to fund private tuition.”
READ MORE » [link removed]


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

Aug. 20, 7 p.m. ET (Virtual): Eddie Tabash, a constitutional lawyer who serves on AU’s Board of Trustees and the Center for Inquiry’s Board of Directors, will discuss the recent Supreme Court cases that damaged church-state separation. Presented by AU’s Orange County, Calif., Chapter. Sign up here: [link removed]


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Americans United for Separation of Church and State
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