Friends,

I consider myself a lifelong learner—someone who strives to grow personally and professionally through everything I do. To give that energy a bit of direction, once a year I step back, reflect, and commit to a New Year's Resolution.

This year, I want to excel at two things in particular: Being an effective ambassador for our community; and being an effective advocate for our movement.

While these two things are critical for the Secular Coalition for America in 2020, I'm focused on them because they can enhance my work as a leader in our community, as well as move the needle at SCA and for nonbelievers across the country.

Whether we like it or not, every member of the secular community who is open about their lack of belief—be they atheist, agnostic, humanist, or anything else—is an ambassador to the broader public. It is a reality I've kept in mind most of my life, especially since I began organizing atheist and humanist programs in my hometown of San Diego.

Every action we take—good or bad—can impact millions in our country who haven't had a real conversation with a nonbeliever, along with countless others who are one friend away from recognizing that the negative rhetoric aimed at us is more fiction than fact.

I want to change hearts and minds so that people think more positively about nonbelievers, as well as the Secular Coalition for America. This year, for me that means a stronger focus on supporting marginalized and misunderstood communities.

Of course, that work is at the core of what we do at the SCA. But as nonbelievers in a world that privileges the religious, we are also well-positioned to empathize with people across our nation and the world who are disenfranchised or in need of a helping hand.

I am proud that our lobbying and community efforts—including standing against religious-based discrimination, championing critical organizations like Ex-Muslims of North America and Recovering from Religion, and fighting to end blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws across the globe—match our community's capacity to directly support those who most need it.

And as I take part in that work this year, I plan to continuously reflect on and celebrate that empowering people aligns so deeply with our community and our values.

As a leader at SCA and in our movement, I also recognize that our efforts on Capitol Hill and our ability to support the work of our member organizations can be enhanced, or hindered, depending on how strong an advocate I am for our community.

Although I have been in this fight a long time I am always striving to do better. That is why this year I'm focused on building stronger relationships across the board.

I am fortunate that long before I came to the Secular Coalition, I was working with, donating to, and advocating for many of our coalition member organizations. As a result, I have developed meaningful and productive relationships with their leaders and staff, which makes working together a real pleasure.

Those friendships and partnerships came through years in the trenches, listening carefully, and working to support each others' goals. And in the past year, I have built those same bonds with lawmakers, community partners, and so many supporters and donors.

In 2020, I plan on meeting even more of you, establishing new partnerships with local and national organizations, and developing new, diverse, and deeper relationships with lawmakers on the Hill. Connecting with people is some of the most important work I do at the Secular Coalition for America, and I will do more of it, better than ever before, next year.

I know I'm not alone in setting some resolutions for myself, though I know mine are very focused on my secular identity and my work here at SCA. Still, I would love to hear your resolutions, if you have them. We'll be sharing our favorites, along with resolutions from leaders of our coalition members, to celebrate the new year.

(One last personal resolution… I’m going to start tap dancing tapping again!)

If you have already donated this year, thank you again for your support. I look forward to propelling the SCA and our movement forward in 2020.

Sincerely,

Debbie Allen
Executive Director

P.S. If you're interested, you can sign up to be a recurring monthly or annual donor, rather than making a one-time contribution.