FFRF has awarded $30,000 in First in the Family Humanist Forward Freethought scholarships to seven students, thanks to the incredible generosity of FFRF benefactor Lance Bredvold. The students were selected by Black Skeptics Los Angeles (BSLA), an African American humanist/atheist-based organization.
KeVonna Dixon, Coastal Carolina College, $5,000
I identify as nonreligious because of who I am and what I’ve endured as a Black queer woman. As someone who started their early life in foster care, it has shown me that love doesn’t always come from the places where it’s expected. I’ve been raised by holy narcissists who have labeled me as the devil or sinister. I’ve had people who I thought were friends quote bible verses at me for not believing, saying I’d go to eternal hell if not. I’ve had peers tell me I need God to fix me, but I stand on the basis that you don’t need God to teach you how to care. What you need is a heart and empathy, the simple ability to see someone struggling and to give them a shoulder.
As someone who has struggled with my identity and has not felt safe and seen for simply existing with the way I was made, I’ve learned that compassion without conditions is a powerful testimony. I’ve found that power in secular humanism. It’s an act of belief that anyone and anybody, no matter the race, sex, sexual orientation or religion, deserves protection and freedom because we are all human. And, as I walk through life, that’s what I hold dear to my heart.
BSLA is the first secular humanist/atheist organization to specifically address college pipelining for youth of color through its ongoing scholarship, college and K-12 youth leadership partnerships. FFRF has proudly partnered with BSLA for 12 years to provide tuition grants, gradually increasing the funding and number of scholarships.
Those who would like to donate toward the Forward Freethought Fund, a needs-based scholarship dedicated to helping freethinking students who might otherwise be unable to attend college, may designate “tuition scholarships” in the ffrf.org/donate dropdown or earmark checks for “Forward Freethought Fund” or “tuition scholarships.” All donations to FFRF remain deductible for income-tax purposes.
