The Freedom From Religion Foundation's principal founder Anne Nicol Gaylor, who has been memorialized in the New York Times and other publications after her death on June 14, will leave another permanent legacy in print, in the United States Congressional Record. On July 7, 2015, U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI) entered a moving memorial for Gaylor into the 114th Congress's record.
Pocan rose on the House floor "to recognize a constituent who dedicated her life's work to advancing principles of justice and fairness in her community, her state, and her country." The full dedication, which appears below, noted:
"In 1976, Anne founded the Freedom from Religion Foundation, the nation's leading defender in the fight to protect and preserve the separation of church and state. This organization grew from a small group of committed individual's discussing the advancement of civil liberties into a major national organization with more than 23,000 members." He also included Anne's work to co-found and run an abortion rights charity that has helped more than 20,000 women without means in Wisconsin exercise their rights under Roe vs. Wade.
Concluded Pocan, "Anne's commitment to community and work as an activist, feminist, and freethinker have been invaluable to Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I recognize Ms. Anne Nicol Gaylor today."
