Friend:

It’s almost Thanksgiving, so let me start out by saying how grateful I am for YOU – our smart, dedicated, loyal and generous AU supporters. I wish you all could get to know each other the way I know you. You’d be delighted to find people of all faiths, nonreligious folks, scientists, teachers, lawyers, activists, introverts, public library fans, college students, grandparents and mostly a large group of people who care enormously about the course of our country and our American ideals. It’s an honor to be in community with you. 

And while it’s true that these have been very challenging times for church-state separation, there are also constant victories to celebrate. Just in this last week alone, AU is thankful for: 

• The Midterms. Now that most of the races have been decided, we can breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate that the midterm election was not nearly as damaging to our mission as it could have been. I am grateful for Generation Z voters coming out in force, people in five states voting to support abortion access, the defeat of many election-denying and Christian nationalist candidates, and the increasing diversity of our elected officials, to name just a few election victories.
• Your engagement with AU. I was thrilled to see hundreds of AU supporters join AU’s Post-Election Analysis Webinar Wednesday night! If you’d like to be part of future discussions in our Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF) Webinar Series and/or to come to Washington, D.C., for the in-person portion of the Summit, please sign up for SRF. You’ll save money if you register before our early-bird discount period ends at midnight on Monday, Nov. 21!
• Respect for all marriages. Our bitterly divided Senate managed to come together and advance the popular, bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act this week. This bill re-affirms that marriages between two consenting adults, regardless of race or sex, must be treated as equal under the law. The bill is a critical safeguard against a potential attack on marriage equality from the conservative members of the Supreme Court. As I told The Associated Press, the act is a vital step in our nation’s march toward freedom without favor and equality without exception.
• Another AU court victory. AU’s client Gregg Tucker, an exemplary teacher who was fired by a Colorado Christian school when he tried to combat pervasive racism there, scored another court victory this week when a federal appeals court refused the school’s request to rehear his case. The order allows Gregg’s lawsuit to proceed and him to seek justice in court. And his case is important to our work of preventing religious employers from claiming they’re above the law and can discriminate against all workers and sidestep civil-rights laws.

As you know more than anyone, AU’s work to protect the separation of church and state – the shield that ensures we all can live as ourselves and believe as we choose – has never been more important. It’s been a tough year, and I’m sure there are plenty of hard battles ahead. And at the same time, we are on the winning side of history, we have a steady stream of victories to celebrate, and we have you! 

With immense gratitude, hope and determination,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO