Register today!

36TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION - 2013
WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER 27-28, 2013

The Madison Concourse Hotel
1 West Dayton Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53703 
(800) 356-8293 or (608) 257-6000

Convention rate for rooms: $149 plus tax single, double, triple and quadruple. Note you are with the Freedom From Religion Foundation room block. The registration number to verify the room block is 211725.
Or book online directly by clicking here.

Exciting speakers and events

The Freedom From Religion Foundation will host its 36th annual national convention on the last weekend in September at the Concourse Hotel, 1 West Dayton St., in downtown Madison, Wis.

Jill Sobule and Julia Sweeney will team up for a delightful set that mixes witty songwriting with witty repartee and social commentary. Author, playwright, actress and comedian Sweeney (“Letting Go of God”) intersperses comedic improv and stories in between songs by Sobule, who wrote the title song for Sweeney’s DVD, “Letting Go of God.”

“Saturday Night Live” alum Sweeney has a new book, If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Your Mother, on parenting and being parented.

Sobule broke new ground in 1995 when her recording “I Kissed a Girl” was the first Top 40 hit to deal with overtly gay themes. Known for fanciful storytelling and satire, she’s releasing a new album with the string quartet Ethel. She also writes commentary on Huffington Post.

Also entertaining will be Australia’s freethinking and talented young songstress and singer Shelley Segal, who accompanies herself on guitar. Segal sang at the Reason Rally and has released a freethought CD, “An Atheist Album.” Her signature freethought song, “I Don’t Believe in Fairies,” makes a cameo on FFRF’s new musical CD “Adrift on a Star,” featuring Dan Barker and friends. FFRF Co-President Dan Barker will also entertain at the piano and team up with Shelley for a few songs.

Honored with the first Richard and Beverly Hermsen Student Activist Award of $5,000 will be 19-year-old Zack Kopplin, a Louisiana student activist who’s made national news in his work to repeal a stealth creationism law in his home state. His repeal effort has been endorsed by 43 Nobel laureates, among others. Zack persuaded the New Orleans City Council to vote unanimously to support repeal of the Louisiana Science Education Act of 2008. He appeared in March on “The Bill Moyers Show.” He’s a sophomore history major at Rice University.

Receiving a Freethought Heroine Award will be mystery writer Sara Paretsky, an ardent supporter of separation of state and church and women’s reproductive rights and creator of the famous V.I. Warshawski detective series, which revolutionized the mystery world.

Paretsky took ill just before FFRF’s 2012 Portland conference and will be accepting her award a year late. Her memoir, Writing in an Age of Silence, chronicles her journey from Kansas farm-girl to New York Times bestseller, and includes social commentary.

Jamila Bey worked for a decade as producer and editor at National Public Radio on such shows as “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered” and “Talk of the Nation.” She hosts the weekly radio show, “The Sex, Politics and Religion Hour: SPAR with Jamila,” airing on AM 1390 in Washington, D.C., and AM 1430 in New York City.

A stand-up comedienne, Bey says she enjoys the stage because it’s a cheaper hobby than scrapbooking. She’s currently working on a book that critically examines the role religion plays in the lives of African-American women. She frequently writes and lectures on state/church and religious issues.

The convention will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the landmark McCollum v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court by airing the Peabody Award-winning documentary “The Lord Is Not on Trial Here Today,” directed by Jay Rosenstein, and with an appearance from Lifetime Member Jim McCollum. Jim was previously named an FFRF “Champion of the First Amendment.”

Rooms may be booked now at the Concourse for the convention rate of $149 plus tax single, double, triple and quadruple. Phone 800-356-8293 toll-free or 608-257-6000 locally, or register online indicating you are with the Freedom From Religion Foundation room block. The registration number to verify the room block is 211725.

The event will include an afternoon social reception with plentiful hors d’oeuvres on Friday, early registration and FFRF staff workshop presentations (attorneys and media). The convention formally opens at 7 p.m. Friday (concluding with a complimentary cake reception) and continues through Saturday night.

Two optional group meals are offered, the Saturday Non-Prayer Breakfast and the banquet dinner. Friday dinner and Saturday lunch are on your own. The membership and Board of Director meetings take place Sunday morning (just to be sacrilegious), adjourning by noon.

Plan ahead and book now to avoid disappointment! Register online: 

http://ffrf.org/outreach/convention/convention-2013-registration

Menu

The Saturday Non-Prayer Breakfast is the plated Classic Breakfast: scrambled eggs with roasted breakfast potatoes, bacon, seasonal fruit cup, juice, coffee and tea and chef’s pastry basket. Vegetarian option is broiled tomato instead of bacon. Vegan and gluten-free will receive chef’s choice version. The cost is $20, including 20% gratuity and 5.5% sales tax.

The Saturday Banquet Dinner will be a choice of traditional breast of turkey, salmon or seasonal ravioli. The turkey is accompanied by andouille corn bread stuffing, whipped potatoes, cranberry relish and smoked apple-giblet gravy. 

The seasonal vegetarian ravioli is accompanied by sautéed squash. The Atlantic salmon (farmed) includes roasted red potatoes with asiago, and lemon-creamed spinach. 

Entrées include fresh bakery breads, coffee and hot and iced tea, garden greens and chocolate roulade cake. Saturday dinner is $45, including gratuity and tax.

35th Annual National Convention

Weekend of October 12-13, 2012
Hilton Portland & Executive Tower
921 SW Sixth Ave
Portland, Oregon

Speakers and Speeches

Transcripts available with audio after being printed in Freethought Today.

Richard Dawkins is a world renowned evolutionary biologist and freethought champion. He began his career as a professor of zoology at the University of California at Berkeley and then became a fellow of New College. Dawkin's first book, The Selfish Gene (1976) became an international bestseller. It and the award-winning Blind Watchmaker were translated into all major languages. His other books include The Extended Phenotype (1982), River Out of Eden (1995), Climbing Mount Improbable (1996), Unweaving the Rainbow (1998) and A Devil's Chaplain (2003). His 2006 iconoclastic book, The God Delusion, which he wrote with the public hope of turning believing readers into atheists, became a bestseller in both the UK and the U.S. Dawkins has held the Charles Simonyi Chair of Public Understanding of Science since 1995, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1997. He has advanced the concept of cultural inheritance or "memes," also described as "viruses of the mind," a category into which he places religious belief. Dawkins, a vice president of the British Humanist Association, was named Humanist of the Year in 1999. He is the 1997 winner of the International Cosmos Prize, and received an Emperor Has No Clothes Award from the Freedom From Religion Foundation in 2001.

• Read "On Mormons, Metaphors"
• Listen to "On Mormons, Metaphors"

Julia Sweeney, comedian and author of the hilarious but profound play, "Letting Go of God," about her journey from Roman Catholic schoolgirl to atheist. Julia was on "Saturday Night Live" for four hit seasons in the early 1990's, and is known for introducing the character, "Androgynous Pat." Her other movies include "It's Pat," the Grammy-nominated "God Said, Ha!" (a filmed version of her one-woman show), appearances in many TV and movie comedies and "Pulp Fiction." Julia has recently recorded a series of TV, web and radio ads for FFRF countering the Catholic Bishops' war against contraception. 

Dr. Peter Boghossian is an instructor of philosophy at Portland State University. His main focus is bringing the tools of professional philosophers to people in a wide variety of contexts. Peter has a teaching pedigree spanning more than 20 years and 30 thousand students — in prisons, hospitals, public and private schools, seminaries, colleges and universities, Fortune 100 companies, and small businesses. His fundamental objective is to teach people how to think through what often seem to be intractable problems. Peter’s publications can be found in Diálogos, The Philosopher’s Magazine, Skeptical Inquirer, Education Policy Analysis Archives, The Clearing House: Educational Research Controversy and Practices, The Radical Academy, Offender Programs Report, Teaching Philosophy, Corrections Today, Informal Logic, The Skeptic, Journal of Philosophy of Education, Educational Philosophy and Theory, Inside Higher Ed, Essays in Philosophy, Federal Probation Journal, and the Journal of Correctional Education.

• Listen to "Think: What would make you a believer?"
• Read "Think: What would make you a believer?"

Katherine Stewart is an investigative journalist and author. Her most recent book, The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children, provides "a chilling exposé of the well-funded, highly coordinated effort by Christian Nationalists to use public schools to advance a fundamentalist agenda." Stewart began her career in journalism, working for The Village Voice, Newsweek International, Rolling Stone, Marie Claire and others. She co-wrote the book about the musical "Rent" and has published two novels about 21st century parenting. Most recently she has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, the Daily Beast, Bloomberg View, and Religion Dispatches.

• Listen to "The Good News Club"

Jessica Ahlquist was a plaintiff in a successful ACLU federal lawsuit challenging a prayer banner at her high school in Cranston, R.I. During the months before and after the victory, Jessica was targeted by many in her state and community including by her state representative, who publicly labeled her "an evil little thing." Jessica stood tall in the face of adversity and became the first recipient of FFRF's Atheists in Foxholes Support Fund, a $10,000 award. She also received two Thomas Jefferson Student Activist Awards, a $2,000 award in 2012 and a $1,000 award in 2011. She gave a compelling speech at last fall's annual conference in Hartford, recounting her commitment to the Constitution as well the school and community's shockingly hostile responses to the lawsuit. Jessica will be a senior at Cranston West High School this fall. 

• Read "Freethinker of the Year" acceptance speech
• Listen to "Freethinker of the Year" acceptance speech

Max Nielson is a student plaintiff in FFRF's ongoing South Carolina lawsuit against School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties over a district policy that sanctions graduation prayer. Max graduated from Irmo High School this spring. Max observed during the school year that a student vote on whether to have 2012 graduation prayer was organized by teachers and other staff. He met with school officials to express constitutional concerns. FFRF formally objected in a letter of complaint. The District refused to remove the scheduled prayer and FFRF filed suit. Max has received a $1,000 Catherine Fahringer Memorial Student Activist Award from FFRF and will attend the College of Charleston in the fall. 

• Read "Cahterine Fahringer Memorial Student Activist" acceptance speech
• Listen to "Catherine Fahringer Memorial Student Activist" acceptance speech

Andrew Seidel graduated cum laude from Tulane University with a B.S. in neuroscience and environmental science and magna cum laude from Tulane University Law School, where he was awarded the Haber J. McCarthy Award for excellence in environmental law. He studied human rights and international law at the University of Amsterdam and traveled the world on Semester at Sea. In May of 2011, Andrew completed his Master of Laws at Denver University Sturm College of Law with a 4.0 GPA and was awarded the Outstanding L.L.M. Award. He has written a book on International Human Rights Law and his essay on the role of religion in government and the founding of our nation placed second in the FFRF’s 2010 graduate student essay contest. Andrew is a former Grand Canyon tour guide and accomplished nature photographer; his work has been displayed in galleries in Colorado, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and Maryland. Andrew practiced law in Colorado prior to joining the FFRF staff as a constitutional consultant in November 2011. He has given talks on debunking the "Christian nation" fallacy and the unconstitutionality of the parsonage exemption. Andrew became a member of the Wisconsin Bar in May of 2012 and is now an FFRF attorney.

• Read "Christian Nation?"
• Listen to "Christian Nation?"

Teresa MacBain became a non-believer after more than 20 years of ministry throughout the deep south. Her ministry experience begin at the early in life, serving along side her father who was a Baptist minister. She taught in Christian Schools for many years, served as a worship pastor, associate pastor and ultimately senior pastor. Teresa received her B.S. in Christian Education at Samford University and her M.Div at Duke Divinity School. Teresa also holds the distinction of being the first female graduate of The Clergy Project, a private, invitation-only “safe house” community of current and former ministers who no longer hold the supernatural beliefs of their religious traditions. The Clergy Project was started by Dan Barker, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Linda LaScola. As a former minister, Teresa's years of experience as a pastor along with a deep understanding of biblical concepts are of great benefit as she works within the freethought movement. She's a passionate public speaker whose love for people and for the truth shines through as she shares her own journey from faith to freedom. Teresa is currently serving as the acting Executive Director for the Clergy Project.

• Listen to Clergy Project speeches

Jerry DeWitt realized he was an atheist after more than 25 years of Pentecostal ministry in his home state of Louisiana. His ministry experience begin at the early age of 17 and included evangelizing across the U.S. and being the assistant pastor of two United Pentecostal churches and one Apostolic church. During his dilemma with doubt Jerry ultimately held the senior pastorate of two very unique congregations, one charismatic dominionist and the other non-denominational fundamentalist. He also holds the distinction of being the first graduate of The Clergy Project. Even though Jerry has only been in the Freethought movement for a short time, he’s already been honored with a seat on the board of directors for Atheist Nexus and was featured in The New York Times Magazine article "From Bible-Belt Pastor to Atheist Leader." Most recently, Jerry was appointed Executive Director of Recovering from Religion. The RR mission is to coordinate and facilitate face-to-face meeting for those who desire support in leaving their religion. RR also facilitates online forums and resources in cooperation with other secular organizations and groups. It tries to connect those in need with secular therapists in their local community. Former minister Jerry DeWitt brings a broad understanding of the religious lifestyle and its effects on personal wellbeing to the non-theist movement. He’s a dynamic and entertaining public speaker with a heartfelt compassion for those struggling to completely free themselves from their religion.

annalise fonza is a former United Methodist clergywoman. She was ordained in 1998 in the United Methodist Church, Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference. fonza's journey to local church ministry started in 1992 when she was in law school in Houston, Texas. After her ordination, she served under Episcopal appointment in four charges, to pastor six churches in all; and, in 2003, after a two-year leave of absence and her final pastoral appointment in Massachusetts, she voluntarily returned her credential and walked away from it all. She says it was one of the best decisions of her life. fonza is driven to live an honest life, which she came to believe was not possible in Christian ministry. She joined the Clergy Project in July 2012. 

Robert Parham is a former Southern Baptist minister who served various churches in Alabama and Tennessee on both a part-time and a full-time basis, from 1985 until 1998. Having earned his Bachelor's of Music in Church Music from Samford University (a Southen Baptist university), it was while serving full-time as Minister of Music and Youth, that he decided to forego seminary and attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he earned his first Master's Degree in Agency Counseling.  It was during graduate school that Robert first challenged his conservative Christian beliefs and began the emotionally difficult and gradual process of giving up belief in the god of the bible and the supernatural. Having a second Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology, Robert is president of Parham & Associates, P.C., a private practice where he works as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider in Tacoma, Wash. Robert is one of the original members of, a screener for, and on the board of directors of The Clergy Project.  He was recently appointed the acting treasurer of The Clergy Project. The Clergy Project is a confidential online community for active and former clergy who do not hold supernatural beliefs.  

Photo Slideshow

The 2009 National Convention took place in Seattle, Washington. Speakers included Ursula K. LeGuin, Ron Reagan, Jennifer Michael Hecht and many more.

Reserve this Date on Your Calendar!

37th Annual National Convention - 2014
Weekend of October 24-25, 2014

Millennium Biltmore Hotel - Los Angeles

506 South Grand Avenue

Los Angeles CA 90071-2607

The 2011 34th Annual National Convention took place Oct. 7-9, in Hartford, Connecticut. Speakers include Steven Pinker, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, Jerry Coyne, Charles Strouse and many more. The convention recap includes audio and slideshows.

The 2010 33rd Annual National Convention took place Oct. 29 – 31, in Madison, Wisconsin, at the Concourse Hotel. Speakers include a welcome from Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, Rep. Pete Stark (Calif.), Linda Greenhouse, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Cenk Uygur, Mike Konopacki, Prof. James F. Crow, and much more! The convention recap includes videos, audio and a photo slideshow.

The 2008 31st Annual National Convention took place Oct. 10 - 12, at the Regency Hyatt, Chicago, Illinois. Speakers included Daniel C. Dennett, Jeff Sharlet, Kay Staley, Eleanor Clift, Jim McCollum, Scott Dikkers, Jeremy Hall, and Dan Barker. The Convention Recap includes transcripts and audio.

The 2007 30th Annual National Convention took place Oct. 12 - 14, at the Monona Terrace, Madison, Wisconsin. Speakers included Christopher Hitchens, Katha Pollitt, Julia Sweeney, Matt LaClair, Ellery Schempp and Stephanie Salter.

Registration for the convention is closed!

35th Annual National Freedom From Religion Foundation Convention

Weekend of October 12-13, 2012
Hilton Portland & Executive Tower
921 SW Sixth Ave
Portland, Oregon

Richard Dawkins is a world renowned evolutionary biologist and freethought champion. He began his career as a professor of zoology at the University of California at Berkeley and then became a fellow of New College. Dawkin's first book, The Selfish Gene (1976) became an international bestseller. It and the award-winning Blind Watchmaker were translated into all major languages. His other books include The Extended Phenotype (1982), River Out of Eden (1995), Climbing Mount Improbable (1996), Unweaving the Rainbow (1998) and A Devil's Chaplain (2003). His 2006 iconoclastic book, The God Delusion, which he wrote with the public hope of turning believing readers into atheists, became a bestseller in both the UK and the U.S. Dawkins has held the Charles Simonyi Chair of Public Understanding of Science since 1995, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1997. He has advanced the concept of cultural inheritance or "memes," also described as "viruses of the mind," a category into which he places religious belief. Dawkins, a vice president of the British Humanist Association, was named Humanist of the Year in 1999. He is the 1997 winner of the International Cosmos Prize, and received an Emperor Has No Clothes Award from the Freedom From Religion Foundation in 2001.

Sara Paretsky is credited with transforming the image of women in the crime novel genre. A University of Chicago graduate, Paretsky is most famous for her 15-book series featuring female Chicago detective V.I. Warshawski. The series begins with Indemnity Only (1982) and currently includes Body Work (2010) and Breakdown (2012). Paretsky is passionate about social justice and women’s rights, and worked as a community organizer in Chicago during the 1966 race riots. In 1986, Paretsky founded Sisters In Crime, an organization that supports female mystery writers. She was named 1987 Woman of the Year by Ms. Magazine. Her numerous other awards include the Gold Dagger from the British Crime Writers for the best novel of 2004. Paretsky opposes religion’s intrusion into science. In her memoir, Writing in an Age of Silence (2007), she wrote about “the roadblocks put up by religion” to women’s access to birth control and abortion. Paretsky spoke on Freethought Radio on June 2, 2011, about her family’s protest of a mandatory Christian revival at her public high school.

Julia Sweeney, comedian and author of the hilarious but profound play, "Letting Go of God," about her journey from Roman Catholic schoolgirl to atheist. Julia was on "Saturday Night Live" for four hit seasons in the early 1990's, and is known for introducing the character, "Androgynous Pat." Her other movies include "It's Pat," the Grammy-nominated "God Said, Ha!" (a filmed version of her one-woman show), appearances in many TV and movie comedies and "Pulp Fiction." Julia has recently recorded a series of TV, web and radio ads for FFRF countering the Catholic Bishops' war against contraception. 

Dr. Peter Boghossian is an instructor of philosophy at Portland State University. His main focus is bringing the tools of professional philosophers to people in a wide variety of contexts. Peter has a teaching pedigree spanning more than 20 years and 30 thousand students — in prisons, hospitals, public and private schools, seminaries, colleges and universities, Fortune 100 companies, and small businesses. His fundamental objective is to teach people how to think through what often seem to be intractable problems. Peter’s publications can be found in Diálogos, The Philosopher’s Magazine, Skeptical Inquirer, Education Policy Analysis Archives, The Clearing House: Educational Research Controversy and Practices, The Radical Academy, Offender Programs Report, Teaching Philosophy, Corrections Today, Informal Logic, The Skeptic, Journal of Philosophy of Education, Educational Philosophy and Theory, Inside Higher Ed, Essays in Philosophy, Federal Probation Journal, and the Journal of Correctional Education.

Katherine Stewart is an investigative journalist and author. Her most recent book, The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children, provides "a chilling exposé of the well-funded, highly coordinated effort by Christian Nationalists to use public schools to advance a fundamentalist agenda." Stewart began her career in journalism, working for The Village Voice, Newsweek International, Rolling Stone, Marie Claire and others. She co-wrote the book about the musical "Rent" and has published two novels about 21st century parenting. Most recently she has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, the Daily Beast, Bloomberg View, and Religion Dispatches.

Teresa MacBain became a non-believer after more than 20 years of ministry throughout the deep south. Her ministry experience begin at the early in life, serving along side her father who was a Baptist minister. She taught in Christian Schools for many years, served as a worship pastor, associate pastor and ultimately senior pastor. Teresa received her B.S. in Christian Education at Samford University and her M.Div at Duke Divinity School. Teresa also holds the distinction of being the first female graduate of The Clergy Project, a private, invitation-only “safe house” community of current and former ministers who no longer hold the supernatural beliefs of their religious traditions. The Clergy Project was started by Dan Barker, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Linda LaScola. As a former minister, Teresa's years of experience as a pastor along with a deep understanding of biblical concepts are of great benefit as she works within the freethought movement. She's a passionate public speaker whose love for people and for the truth shines through as she shares her own journey from faith to freedom. Teresa is currently serving as the acting Executive Director for the Clergy Project.

Jerry DeWitt realized he was an atheist after more than 25 years of Pentecostal ministry in his home state of Louisiana. His ministry experience begin at the early age of 17 and included evangelizing across the U.S. and being the assistant pastor of two United Pentecostal churches and one Apostolic church. During his dilemma with doubt Jerry ultimately held the senior pastorate of two very unique congregations, one charismatic dominionist and the other non-denominational fundamentalist. He also holds the distinction of being the first graduate of The Clergy Project. Even though Jerry has only been in the Freethought movement for a short time, he’s already been honored with a seat on the board of directors for Atheist Nexus and was featured in The New York Times Magazine article "From Bible-Belt Pastor to Atheist Leader." Most recently, Jerry was appointed Executive Director of Recovering from Religion. The RR mission is to coordinate and facilitate face-to-face meeting for those who desire support in leaving their religion. RR also facilitates online forums and resources in cooperation with other secular organizations and groups. It tries to connect those in need with secular therapists in their local community. Former minister Jerry DeWitt brings a broad understanding of the religious lifestyle and its effects on personal wellbeing to the non-theist movement. He’s a dynamic and entertaining public speaker with a heartfelt compassion for those struggling to completely free themselves from their religion.

annalise fonza is a former United Methodist clergywoman. She was ordained in 1998 in the United Methodist Church, Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference. fonza's journey to local church ministry started in 1992 when she was in law school in Houston, Texas. After her ordination, she served under Episcopal appointment in four charges, to pastor six churches in all; and, in 2003, after a two-year leave of absence and her final pastoral appointment in Massachusetts, she voluntarily returned her credential and walked away from it all. She says it was one of the best decisions of her life. fonza is driven to live an honest life, which she came to believe was not possible in Christian ministry. She joined the Clergy Project in July 2012. 

Robert Parham is a former Southern Baptist minister who served various churches in Alabama and Tennessee on both a part-time and a full-time basis, from 1985 until 1998. Having earned his Bachelor's of Music in Church Music from Samford University (a Southen Baptist university), it was while serving full-time as Minister of Music and Youth, that he decided to forego seminary and attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he earned his first Master's Degree in Agency Counseling.  It was during graduate school that Robert first challenged his conservative Christian beliefs and began the emotionally difficult and gradual process of giving up belief in the god of the bible and the supernatural. Having a second Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology, Robert is president of Parham & Associates, P.C., a private practice where he works as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider in Tacoma, Wash. Robert is one of the original members of, a screener for, and on the board of directors of The Clergy Project.  He was recently appointed the acting treasurer of The Clergy Project. The Clergy Project is a confidential online community for active and former clergy who do not hold supernatural beliefs.  

Jessica Ahlquist was a plaintiff in a successful ACLU federal lawsuit challenging a prayer banner at her high school in Cranston, R.I. During the months before and after the victory, Jessica was targeted by many in her state and community including by her state representative, who publicly labeled her "an evil little thing." Jessica stood tall in the face of adversity and became the first recipient of FFRF's Atheists in Foxholes Support Fund, a $10,000 award. She also received two Thomas Jefferson Student Activist Awards, a $2,000 award in 2012 and a $1,000 award in 2011. She gave a compelling speech at last fall's annual conference in Hartford, recounting her commitment to the Constitution as well the school and community's shockingly hostile responses to the lawsuit. Jessica will be a senior at Cranston West High School this fall. 

Max Nielson is a student plaintiff in FFRF's ongoing South Carolina lawsuit against School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties over a district policy that sanctions graduation prayer. Max graduated from Irmo High School this spring. Max observed during the school year that a student vote on whether to have 2012 graduation prayer was organized by teachers and other staff. He met with school officials to express constitutional concerns. FFRF formally objected in a letter of complaint. The District refused to remove the scheduled prayer and FFRF filed suit. Max has received a $1,000 Catherine Fahringer Memorial Student Activist Award from FFRF and will attend the College of Charleston in the fall. 

Andrew Seidel graduated cum laude from Tulane University with a B.S. in neuroscience and environmental science and magna cum laude from Tulane University Law School, where he was awarded the Haber J. McCarthy Award for excellence in environmental law. He studied human rights and international law at the University of Amsterdam and traveled the world on Semester at Sea. In May of 2011, Andrew completed his Master of Laws at Denver University Sturm College of Law with a 4.0 GPA and was awarded the Outstanding L.L.M. Award. He has written a book on International Human Rights Law and his essay on the role of religion in government and the founding of our nation placed second in the FFRF’s 2010 graduate student essay contest. Andrew is a former Grand Canyon tour guide and accomplished nature photographer; his work has been displayed in galleries in Colorado, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and Maryland. Andrew practiced law in Colorado prior to joining the FFRF staff as a constitutional consultant in November 2011. He has given talks on debunking the "Christian nation" fallacy and the unconstitutionality of the parsonage exemption. Andrew became a member of the Wisconsin Bar in May of 2012 and is now an FFRF attorney.

Dan Barker is co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and co-host of Freethought Radio. A former minister and evangelist, Dan became a freethinker in 1983. His books, Just Pretend: A Freethought Book for Children and Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher To Atheist (1992) are published by FFRF. His newest book, The Good Atheist: Living a Purpose-Filled Life Without God, was published by Ullysses Press in January, 2011. His previous book, the autobiographical Godless: How An Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists, was published in 2008. A graduate of Azusa Pacific University with a degree in Religion, Dan now puts his knowledge of Christianity to effective freethought use. A professional pianist and composer, Dan performs freethought concerts and is featured in the Foundation's musical cassettes, "My Thoughts Are Free," "Reason's Greetings," "Dan Barker Salutes Freethought Then And Now," a two-CD album "Friendly Neighborhood Atheist," and the CD "Beware of Dogma." He joined the Foundation staff in 1987 and served as public relations director. He was first elected co-president in November 2004.

Annie Laurie Gaylor is co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and co-host of Freethought Radio. She was also editor of Freethought Today from 1984 to 2009, when she became executive editor. The paper is published 10 times a year. Her book, Woe To The Women: The Bible Tells Me So, first published in 1981, is now in its fourth printing. In 1988, FFRF published her book, Betrayal of Trust: Clergy Abuse of Children, the first book documenting widespread sexual abuse by clergy. Her 1997 book, Women Without Superstition: 'No Gods, No Masters' is the first collection of the writings of historic and contemporary women freethinkers. A 1980 graduate of the UW-Madison Journalism School, she was an award-winning student reporter and recipient of the Ken Purdy scholarship. After graduation, she founded, edited and published the Feminist Connection, a monthly advocacy newspaper, from 1980-1985. She joined the Foundation staff in 1985. She has been co-president since 2004. She co-founded the original FFRF with Anne Gaylor as a college student.

Cheryl Kolbe has lived in Oregon since 1974, living first on the coast in Newport and then in the Willamette Valley in Corvallis. She moved to Northeast Portland in 1998 to work as Student Systems Support Manager at Portland Community College and retired in 2004. She joined FFRF in 2008 after learning about them from a billboard in Portland. Since then she has attended several of their conferences and became a lifetime member in 2010. She wants to extend a warm welcome to this wonderful city — great culture, outstanding restaurants, spectacular beauty and friendly people with just the right amount of quirkiness. Portland is the perfect place for her to enjoy hiking, cross-country skiing, kayaking, wonderful neighborhood walks and the many cultural opportunities of the city.

Stay tuned for additional speakers. 

35th Annual National Convention

Weekend of October 12-13, 2012

Hilton Portland & Executive Tower
921 SW Sixth Ave
Portland, Oregon

Speakers were: richard dawkins, sara paretsky (canceled due to illness), Dr. Peter Boghossian (NEW ADDITION!), JULIA SWEENEY, Katherine Stewart, Teresa Macbain, Jerry Dewitt, Annalise Fonza, Robert Parham, Jessica Ahlquist, Max Nielson, Dan Barker, Annie Laurie Gaylor and Andrew Seidel. 

FFRF’s 35th annual national convention was the weekend of Oct. 12-13, 2012, at the downtown Hilton Portland & Executive Tower, 921 SW Sixth Avenue, Portland, Ore.

Speakers were: Richard Dawkins and mystery novelist Sara Paretsky (canceled due to illness) are philospoher Dr. Peter Boghossian, actress and playwright Julia Sweeney, journalist Katherine Stewart, author of The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children, Clergy Project “graduates,” Teresa MacBain, Jerry DeWitt and annalise fonza, as well as student activists Jessica Ahlquist and Max Nielson. DeWitt, director of Recovering from Religion, openly parted with the Pentecostal ministry last year and was recently featured in The New York Times Magazine article "From Bible-Belt Pastor to Atheist Leader." MacBain, who is now acting director of the Clergy Project, left the Methodist ministry in March with much media attention. fonza is a former United Methodist clergywoman and joined the Clergy Project in July. Parham is a former Southern Baptist pastor and newly appointed treaurer of the Clergy Project. Ahlquist was a plaintiff in a successful ACLU federal lawsuit challenging a prayer banner at her high school in Cranston, R.I. and Nielson is a student plaintiff in FFRF's ongoing South Carolina lawsuit over a district policy that sanctions graduation prayer. Barker, "The Singing Friendly Neighborhood Atheist" will perform at the piano and Gaylor will be the Emcee for the weekend. FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel will "debunk the 'Christian Nation' myth."

See past convention coverage: audio, video, pictures and more!