The Freedom From Religion Foundation is launching a campaign this summer to support young freethinkers of color.
While atheists, agnostics and skeptics are often misrepresented as privileged, the fact is that freethinkers of all backgrounds experience deep discrimination. Freethinkers of color, in particular, have undergone discrimination, punishment, and even exile from their families for coming out of the closet as an atheist or agnostic in heavily religious communities.
FFRF is shining a light on their experiences through a new video highlighting three freethinking students of color. FFRF will also be placing a series of billboards featuring these three freethinkers later this summer.
“We take special pleasure in advocating for young freethinkers of color,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “The challenges they face as nonbelievers are uniquely daunting.”
FFRF is also awarding students of color essay scholarships this summer. Over the past several years, FFRF has paid out more than $10,000 in annual award money to freethinking college students of color, who write essays critiquing religion and overcoming discrimination. This year, prizes have increased, so a minimum of $15,400 will be distributed to these exceptional students. The contest is open till July 15.
The state/church watchdog is doing all that it can to support more Millennial and Gen Z freethinkers as they come out of the closet.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national organization with more than 31,000 nonreligious members and several chapters all over the country.
