MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR: A Humanist Without Fear

By now you’ve heard about the Cranston, Rhode Island prayer banner case and the harassment Jessica Ahlquist, an atheist student who filed the lawsuit, continues to experience—all for standing up for the Constitution. Jessica’s bravery is a reminder of why we at the American Humanist Association work to promote humanist values and end discrimination against atheists in the United States, so that future generations can declare their nonbelief proudly without fear of being shunned from families, losing a job, or experiencing harassment

One of the easiest ways to support our work is to become a card-carrying humanist and join the American Humanist Association today. And if you haven’t told your family, your friends, and your co-workers that you’re a humanist, now is the time. As Harvey Milk said in encouraging LGBT people to come out, “Once they realize that we are indeed their children and that we are indeed everywhere, every myth, every lie, every innuendo will be destroyed once and for all.” Let’s work together to dispel the myths about atheists, to stand up for church-state separation, and make the world a more humanistic place.

Maggie Ardiente
Editor, HNN