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.
Madison Biddle, Southwest College, $2,500
Growing up in South Los Angeles as the child of a single mother living with lupus, I learned early on what it means to be both vulnerable and resilient. I was raised without organized religion, and over time, I began to identify more with secular and freethinking values that prioritize empathy, critical thinking, and action over belief. My mom’s strength, despite her chronic illness, taught me that people, not divine forces, are the ones who bear the responsibility to support and uplift each other. Identifying as nonreligious allows me to focus on real-world solutions and justice, grounded in the here and now. Secular humanism, to me, means addressing inequities through reason, compassion, and accountability not relying on religious explanations for suffering or progress. My lived experience has shown me that social change happens when people organize, educate, and build systems of support, especially in communities like mine that are too often overlooked.
I aim to create a more just and compassionate world where human lives are valued not for their conformity to a belief system, but for their inherent worth and potential.
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.
