Humanists Celebrate National Day of Reason Resolution
On Friday, Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-8) and Representative Jared Huffman (CA-2)—both founding members of the Congressional Freethought Caucus—introduced a resolution to recognize May 4th, 2022 as a “National Day of Reason.”
The resolution is co-sponsored by fellow Congressional Freethought Caucus members Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Representative Hank Johnson (GA-4), Representative Mark Pocan (WI-2), Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Representative Jerry McNerney (CA-9), and Representative Rashida Tlaib (MI-13).
The National Day of Reason celebrates science, logic, and reason as guiding principles of our secular democracy, and promotes greater awareness of the constitutional separation of religion and government along with the important roles played by reason and critical thought in our nation’s founding, social evolutions, and its continued and necessary improvement. And at a time when White Christian Nationalists are gaining a terrifying amount of momentum in government, bills like this one help us correct the narrative: our nation was founded on definitively secular values.
Alongside designating May 4 as a Day of Reason and calling for reason-based approaches to combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the resolution also addresses climate change and highlights that America’s Founders “insisted upon the primacy of reason and knowledge in public life, and drafted the Constitution to prevent official establishment of religion and to protect freedom of thought, speech, and inquiry in civil society.”
The resolution “encourages all citizens, residents, and visitors to join in observing this day and focusing on the central importance of reason, critical thought, the scientific method, and free inquiry to resolving social problems and promoting the welfare of humankind.”
AHA Executive Director Nadya Dutchin commented, “As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, amid ongoing conspiracy theories and distrust in vaccinations, we must continue to work to re-center reason and science in all facets of the United States’ response. This resolution is another step forward in doing so.”
Humanist and nontheist communities around the country will celebrate the National Day of Reason as part of a nationwide Secular Week of Action, an opportunity to make positive change in our communities through volunteerism. Those interested in demonstrating their support for a National Day of Reason are encouraged to visit the National Day of Reason website, where individuals can view planned events, read media coverage from previous years, and organizations can sign-up as endorsers.
“Reason has always been a guiding light for humanity’s progress and a way to tackle major issues we have faced and continue to face. We will continue to protect the rights of all people, recognizing that reason is a vital tool in getting us to the more inclusive and just future we envision,” Dutchin concluded.
You can participate by joining other AHA members in contacting your members of Congress through the Humanist Action Headquarters and asking them to co-sponsor the resolution.