Don’t miss the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s upcoming annual national convention taking place the weekend of Oct. 18-20. Make plans now before time runs out!
The irreverent gathering, to be held at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, Wis., has an impressive array of speakers. Sarah Vowell, New York Times best-selling author of seven nonfiction books on American history and culture, is a headliner. Other presenters include “Liberal Redneck” comedian Trae Crowder, popular “Friendly Atheist” blogger Hemant Mehta and Amber Scorah, author of Leaving Witness, her moving memoir about exiting from the Jehovah’s Witnesses. FFRF’s Director of Strategic Response Andrew L. Seidel will be talking about his new book The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American. Professors Isaac Kramnick and R. Laurence Moore will give a speech focused on their most recent book, Godless Citizens In A Godly Republic: Atheists In American Public Life.
The schedule includes irreverent music, FFRF book and merchandise sales tables and book signings, complimentary ice cream and beverages on Friday afternoon and an on-the-house Friday night dessert reception. Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Steve Benson will be drawing caricatures of convention guests as a fundraiser for FFRF. Jeremiah Camara’s new documentary, “Holy Hierarchy: The Religious Roots of Racism in America,” will be screened twice at the convention. Andrew Bradley and Deven Green, who have teamed up to create Mrs. Betty Bowers, America’s Best Christian (an award-winning satirical web series), will be engaging in a humorous performance. Plus, there is the ever-popular drawing for “clean” (pre-“In God We Trust”) currency on Saturday night. Sign up here.
The convention has a stellar line-up. Rachel Laser will be accepting the $10,000 Henry Zumach Freedom From Religious Fundamentalism Award on behalf of Americans United for the Separation of Church & State. Avinash Patil will be receiving the Avijit Roy Courage Award (which includes a crystal plaque and $5,000) on behalf of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), an organization dedicated to fighting superstition in India and founded by Narendra Dabholkar, who was assassinated by religious terrorists in 2013. Mandisa Thomas, who will be named FFRF’s 2019 Freethought Heroine, is the founder and president of Black Nonbelievers. Anthony B. Pinn, a professor of humanities and religion at Rice University and founding director of the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning, will be presented FFRF’s Emperor Has No Clothes Award.
There will be congressional appearances. Rep. Jamie Raskin will be accepting via video FFRF’s second annual Clarence Darrow Award and Rep. Mark Pocan will be accepting in person FFRF’s Champion of the First Amendment. Both are stalwart members of the Congressional Freethought Caucus.
The youth will be represented, too. The top three winners of FFRF’s 2019 high school senior essay competition (Aline Pham, Jacob McGee and Shiv Shah) will be there.
Always a hit at conferences is the presentation by FFRF’s legal eagles, who will wow you with FFRF’s accomplishments to keep religion out of government. Major speakers will be signing copies of their books, giving you a chance to meet with them.
Please reserve rooms now to avoid disappointment! Reservation deadlines are mid-September. FFRF is using three Madison hotels. The Hilton Madison, with a Sept. 16 reservation deadline, attached to the site of the convention, is the main hotel venue (rate $185 plus tax). The other two hotels offer overflow rooms, and require either a three-block walk or driving or taking a free shuttle to the convention site, with similar reservation deadlines. All hotels have blocks Thursday through Saturday nights, with a few more limited rooms Wednesday and Sunday nights.
FFRF conventions are a celebration of freethought and secularism and a great way to renew energy for the significant challenges our community currently faces in the United States. Help us celebrate! Come on down to Madison next month!
