FFRF has awarded $25,000 in First in the Family Humanist Forward Freethought scholarships to seven students, thanks to the generosity of FFRF benefactor Lance Bredvold. The students were selected by Black Skeptics Los Angeles (BSLA), an African American humanist-atheist-based organization.
Amir Asadi, University of California – Santa Cruz, $5,000
“I identify as a humanist because humanity alone has the power to create social change.
As a queer person who was raised Muslim, I am passionate about eliminating homo/transphobia in religious communities and protecting marginalized queer people of color around the world. As a Black person, I have seen the ways institutionalized religion has torn apart our community. I have seen the Black community regurgitate the same rhetoric used to enslave us under the guise of religion. As an American, I am passionate about protecting my physical and medical autonomy. From gender transition to reproductive health care, no religious organization should have the power to tell me what decisions I can make with my body.”
