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The 2024 Freedom From Religion 47th Annual National Convention took place on September 26-29 at the Sheraton Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.
Watch this page for updates on convention awardees, videos, and speeches.
See convention photos here.
FFRF’s convention was inspiring, enlightening
by Sara Tetzloff
The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s 47th annual convention in Denver was a weekend filled with passionate speeches, enlightening presentations and an unmistakable sense of community among secular freethinkers. From the welcoming address on Friday, Sept. 27, to Saturday’s closing on Sept. 28, attendees were treated to a series of engaging events, celebrating the mission of FFRF while also addressing some of today’s most pressing issues regarding the separation of church and state. Read more…
2024 ANNUAL REPORT
SECULAR LEGISLATORS PANEL
This is an excerpt from the secular legislative panel discussion held on Sept. 27, 2024, at FFRF’s national convention in Denver. To watch the full panel video, go to ffrf.us/con24. The moderators were FFRF State Policy Manager Ryan Dudley and FFRF Senior Policy Counsel Ryan Jayne.
Ryan Dudley: We are here to present the second annual legislative secular legislative panel.
First, we have Rep. Judith Amabile. She’s from here in Colorado, and has served as a state representative, Colorado General Assembly, representing the 49th district, including Boulder, since 2020. Rep. Amabile has sponsored a number of bills, including measures to increase mental health resources, improve criminal justice systems and increase gun safety and make communities more resilient in the face of wildfires fueled by the climate crisis. She credits managing a growing business, carrying up to 65 employees and parenting three boys to have informed her work in the General Assembly.
Ryan Jayne: Second, we have another representative from Colorado: Rep. Brianna Titone, who is a geologist with a masters in geochemistry. She moved from New York to Colorado, where she earned a second master’s degree in information communication technology at the University of Denver in 2018. Rep. Titone was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as the first openly transgender state legislator in Colorado, and the fourth elected in the entire United States. She serves as chair of both the Legislative LGBTQ-plus Caucus and the Joint Technology Committee, and also serves on a variety of volunteer boards.
Ryan Dudley: And, third, from the state of Oklahoma, we have Rep. Mickey Dollens, who is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, where he played football and studied English. While attending an NFL combine, he was recruited by the U.S. bobsledding team. He taught ninth-grade English, and, after being one of 208 Oklahoma City public school teachers to be laid off due to budget cuts in 2016, he first ran for and won a seat in the state Legislature. He is the Oklahoma House Minority Whip and has served in multiple committees. He has been named our very own “Secularist of the Week” three times by the FFRF Action Fund. [Dollens has since become FFRF’s regional governmental affairs director.]
Ryan Jayne: Thank you all so much for joining us. We’re going to just kind of tag-team some questions for you. I’m going to start by giving you a chance to introduce yourself and explain why it is that you decided to run for public office.
Read their discussion in Freethought Today.
DAN BARKER
FFRF Co-President Dan Barker, besides doing a little entertaining at the piano, spoke on his brand new book, “Contraduction: The Death of the Design Argument”. After 140 debates for FFRF, Dan proposed a new way of looking at assumptions behind “fine-tuning” arguments for the existence of God. He’s the author of other books, including “God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction“, “Godless“, “Life Driven Purpose“, “The Good Atheist“, “Just Pretend: A Book for Young Freethinkers“, “Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist“, and “Free Will Explained“.
This is the speech given by FFRF Co-President Dan Barker on Sept. 28, 2024, at FFRF’s 47th annual convention in Denver. He was introduced by David Tamayo, a member of the FFRF Executive Board.
David Tamayo: I have the privilege to introduce Dan Barker, who, after 19 years of preaching the Christian gospel, finally left the faith and announced his atheism in January 1984, something that not even George Orwell could have predicted.
Eight months later, after joining the Freedom From Religion Foundation, he gave his first talk at the FFRF convention in Milwaukee in September 1984. That is 40 years ago. In 2004, he and Annie Laurie Gaylor became co-presidents of the Freedom from Religion Foundation. That was 20 years ago. Since leaving the ministry, he has participated in 140 public debates and has written 11 books.
As a way of introducing this amazing person and his latest book, I would like to dedicate to him this very short poem.
“There was once a preacher, Dan Barker, whose sermons in Mexico were sharper from induction to instruction and spiritual production, but his faith faced a swift reduction.
He preached once of sin and seduction, now he writes on religion’s destruction.
From obstruction to function, God lost his conduction, and then found pure joy in reduction.
With abduction of faith in the night, he embraced reason’s bright reconstruction.
No more church instruction, Dan’s journey, a unique conduction from preacher to atheist production.
And that is not a contraduction.”
For more on this new word, I present to you my most admired friend, Dan Barker.
Read Dan’s speech in Freethought Today.
CHARLES M. BLOW
Receiving FFRF’s Emperor Has No Clothes Award was Charles M. Blow. His columns in The New York Times tackle hot-button issues such as social justice, racial equality, LGBTQ issues and national politics. Blow is an MSNBC political analyst and has been the anchor of PRIME with Charles Blow on the Black News Channel and a CNN commentator. Mr. Blow is the author of New York Times bestselling books “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” and “The Devil You Know”. “Fire…” has been developed into an opera, the first by a Black composer to premiere at the Metropolitan Opera. “The Devil…” has been developed into a feature-length documentary that will air later this year on HBO.
Read Charles Blow’s intro here.
KATE COHEN
“Tampon Tim” and the Long Reach of Religion
Kate Cohen, a Washington Post contributing columnist, received FFRF’s “Freethought Heroine” Award in 2023. Her latest book is “We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (And Maybe You Should Too)”. Cohen, who lives in Albany, N.Y., grew up in Virginia and has a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature from Dartmouth College. Her essays — whether print, online, radio or live — seek to distill observations of family, politics and culture into moments of clarity and insight. She also writes nonfiction documentary scripts, including the Emmy Award-winning “Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero” and the Gold Panda award-winning “How China Works”. She is the author of two other books, “A Walk Down the Aisle: Notes on a Modern Wedding” and “The Neppi Modona Diaries: Reading Jewish Survival Through My Italian Family”. She speaks Italian and is fluent in food.
Read Kate’s speech in Freethought Today.
JOSHUA COWEN
How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers
This is the speech, lightly edited, delivered by Josh Cowen on Sept. 28 at FFRF’s national convention in Denver.
Josh Cowen is author of the book, “The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers,” which can be ordered at ffrf.org/shop. He is professor of education policy at Michigan State University and an author on topics related to education politics, school choice and culture wars in the United States.
Read Josh’s speech in Freethought Today.
RYAN T. CRAGUN
Goodbye Religion – The Causes and Consequences of Secularization
Ryan T. Cragun, a professor of sociology at the University of Tampa, focuses on both Mormonism and nonreligion. Professor Cragun was born and raised in Utah as a Mormon and served as a Mormon missionary. He’s author or co-author of many books, including “Beyond Doubt: The Secularization of Society.” – “What You Don’t Know About Religion (but should)“, “Christianity and the Limits of Minority Acceptance“, subtitled: “God Loves (Almost) Everyone“, the intriguingly titled book “How to defeat religion in 10 easy steps“, and “From One Missionary to Another“.
FFRF ATTORNEYS & LEGISLATIVE STAFF
Legal Director Patrick Elliott, Deputy Legal Director Liz Cavell, Litigation Counsel Sam Grover, Intake Attorney Maddy Ziegler, Senior Policy Counsel Ryan Jayne, State Advocacy Specialist Ryan Dudley, Governmental Affairs Director Mark Dann
BONNIE GARMUS
“Emperor Has No Clothes” Awardee
Bonnie Garmus was on hand to accept FFRF’s Emperor Has No Clothes Award. Garmus’ charming and thought-provoking novel, “Lessons in Chemistry“, has sold in the multimillions. The award-winning global phenomenon, which has been translated into 42 languages and has been on the bestseller list for more than a year, was recently turned into a series on Apple TV starring Brie Larson. The novel, part romantic comedy and part satiric commentary, is about a determined chemist who encounters so much sexism in the 1950s that she turns to hosting a highly scientific TV cooking show. While the book’s feminism has been much remarked upon, almost every main character in it is a pronounced atheist.
MICHELLE GOLDBERG
The Rise of Christian Nationalism
This is the speech given by Michelle Goldberg on Sept. 27, 2024, at FFRF’s national convention in Denver, delivered prior to the November election. She was introduced by Lisa Strand, FFRF’s director of operations. To watch the speech (and all others from the convention), go to ffrf.us/con24.
Lisa Strand: It’s my pleasure to introduce this year’s Clarence Darrow Award honoree. The award includes a statuette that is solid bronze and is a miniature of the 7-foot statue by Zenos Frudakis that FFRF erected in Dayton, Tenn., home of the Scopes trial.
We’re delighted now to present this statuette to someone who has been ringing the alarm against Christian nationalism since 2006, when her prescient book, “Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism,” first came out.
Michelle Goldberg is a New York Times columnist, and before that she was part of the New York Times team that won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for public service for reporting on issues related to workplace sexual harassment. She won the Front Page Award from the Newswomen’s Club of New York for opinion/criticism that year, and in 2020 the Hillman Prize for opinion and analysis.
Michelle, please come up to accept the FFRF 2024 Clarence Darrow Award for your insightful journalism and contributions to the public debate.
Read Michelle’s speech on Freethought Today.
JON HUERTAS
Blacks and Latinos – Unshackling Ourselves from Holy Handcuffs
Actor Jon Huertas is best known for starring as Miguel Rivas for six seasons on NBC’s “This Is Us,” also directing multiple episodes. Audiences also know him as Detective Javier Esposito from ABC’s hit dramedy “Castle,” as well as for his stand-out performance of Sgt. Tony “Poke” Espera in HBO’s limited docudrama series, “Generation Kill,” where he offered an unheralded streetwise view of the Marine Corps invasion of Iraq. As an Air Force veteran himself, Jon calls that his most meaningful role. He is one of the few LatinX actors who has broken the ceiling in mainstream TV, portraying characters telling diverse but universal stories. He’s an open atheist who has participated in events such as the Secular Day of the Dead. Jon’s speech was on “True Freedom: Breaking The Shackles Of Religious Indoctrination.” He notes: “Blacks and Latinos in the Americas have long been two of the most religious groups. I want to talk about how we can help people of color feel safe about facing their skepticism and allow people like me to feel free enough to be open about being non-believers.”
This was the speech (slightly edited) given by Jon Huertas on Sept. 28 at FFRF’s 47th annual convention in Denver. He was introduced by Margaret Downey, who is the founder the Freethought Society, president of the Thomas Paine Memorial Association and an FFRF state representative. To watch the video of his presentation, go to ffrf.us/con24.
Margaret Downey: Good evening, everyone. Hasn’t this been the most wonderful conference ever?
It is my honor to introduce my friend and fellow atheist, Jon Huertas, who is attending this conference with his spouse, Nicole Burgess. Many of you may recognize Jon from his remarkable career as an actor. He has captivated audiences with his dynamic performances in hit television programs such as “Castle” and “This Is Us.” Jon is particularly proud of his performance as Sgt. Tony Espera in the HBO miniseries “Generation Kill.” Being a veteran himself, Jon says that his “Generation Kill” character was the most meaningful role of his career.
Jon is also proud to say that in real life he was an atheist in the foxhole, having served eight years in the United States Air Force. Currently, Jon is working as a screenwriter, director and producer. Jon is a passionate advocate for secularism and the separation of religion and government. Jon has an unwavering commitment to the principles of freedom, reason and humanism.
Since 2020, Jon has volunteered to participate in the online annual International Secular Day of the Dead — Dia de Los Muertos. Each time Jon opens our Dia de Los Muertos secular program, he conveys an inspiring and passionate message.
Jon’s dedication to ensuring that individuals are free from religious coercion is commendable, and his promotion of separation of religion and government is very impressive.
I’m confident that the Freedom From Religion Foundation convention audience will enjoy what Jon has to say tonight as he presents his speech titled “Blacks and Latinos: Unshackling Ourselves from the Holy Handcuffs.”
Please welcome Jon Huertas.
Read Jon’s speech in Freethought Today.
2024 HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY WINNERS
Finn Albert Mosher, Ivy Nichols, Rita Nyamkamiah
Finn Mosher, 18, placed first in the William Schulz Memorial Essay Contest for College-bound High School Seniors, winning $3,500 for his essay “The Good Book or the Textbook.” He is attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., to earn a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. He received the President’s Volunteer Service Award as a result of my time spent as vice president of the Washington State Future Business Leaders of America Industry Relations. He was involved in environmental activism through his school’s Green Club, serving as treasurer. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, reading sci-fi and watching films in his free time. Read more…
Ivy Nichols, 17, placed sixth in the William Schulz Memorial Essay Contest for College-bound High School Seniors, winning $1,000 for her essay, “One Less Barrier.” She plans to major in Middle Eastern and North African Studies at Colorado State University with the goal of a career at a non-governmental organization or research institution. She has been an active volunteer, including at a children’s library and a charity for children affected by HIV/Aids, has interned at an immigrant and refugee center, and on a Democratic campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rita Nyamkimah, 18, placed first in the David Hudak Memorial Essay Contest for Black, Indigenous Students of Color, winning $3,500, for her essay, “Gods of Their People.” She is pursuing a health sciences degree under the pre-med program at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelpha. Her goal is to be a psychiatrist to provide essential mental health services to underserved communities. She was student representative for her high school school in the Red Clay School District Superintendent Advisory Council and president of the Black Student Union. She is a photographer in her leisure time.
BRADLEY ONISHI
Christian Nationalism’s Threat to Democracy
Dr. Bradley Onishi is faculty at the University of San Francisco and a research associate at the UC Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion. He co-hosts the top-ranked religion and politics podcast “Straight White American Jesus” and is the author of “Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism – And What Comes Next“. His work has appeared at the New York Times, NBC News, Huffpost, Religion + Politics, among others. A former Christian nationalist pastor, Dr. Onishi speaks around the country about the dangers of Christian nationalism to democracy and the public square.
This is an edited version of the speech delivered by Bradley Onishi on Sept. 28, 2024, at FFRF’s national convention in Denver.
Bradley Onishi is a faculty member at the University of San Francisco and a research associate at the UC Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion. He co-hosts the top-ranked religion and politics podcast “Straight White American Jesus” and is the author of “Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism — And What Comes Next.” His work has appeared in the New York Times, NBC News, Huffpost, Religion + Politics, among others. A former Christian nationalist pastor, Onishi speaks around the country about the dangers of Christian nationalism.
Read Bradley’s speech in Freethought Today.
RON REAGAN
The Present Moment
This is the (edited) speech given by Ron Reagan at FFRF’s 47th annual convention in Denver on Sept. 27. He was introduced by FFRF Board Member and filmmaker Jeremiah Camara. You can watch the video of the speech (and all convention speeches) at ffrf.us/con24. (This speech was given prior to the 2024 general election.)
Jeremiah Camara: Ron Reagan, as you know, has some pretty famous parents. But he dances to his own drumbeat. Literally. He left Yale to become a ballet dancer with the Joffrey Ballet Company. Then became an actor and a TV and radio personality. He does commentary for MSNBC and “Both Sides Now” podcast. He is the author of “My Father at 100.” For many years, Ron Reagan has served as an honorary director of FFRF.
FFRF first offered him its Emperor Has No Clothes Award in 2004 for publicly identifying as an atheist when it was brave to do so.
Since 2014, you’ve been seeing a lot of Ron in the TV ad that he so generously recorded for FFRF that year, which was refreshed two years ago, and which has become iconic for his improvised remark that he’s “an unabashed atheist, not afraid of burning in hell.” I have stolen that remark and used it quite often. In 2019, when the ad ran during the Democratic primary debate on CNN, many said that Ron won the debate! Since the ad started running in 2014, FFRF’s membership has almost doubled.
On behalf of the FFRF Board, Ron, we thank you. Please welcome Ron Reagan.
Read Ron’s speech in Freethought Today.
CLAUDETTE ST.PIERRE
Claudette St.Pierre was raised Catholic but eventually as an adult realized she was an atheist. Since that time, she has been active in the secular community and joined many of the national groups. In 2013, she worked with a small group of individuals to form the Denver Metro Chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and has served on the chapter’s leadership board since that time. She believes in the importance of expanding the voice of secular Americans and that both science and rational thinking are the bedrock for a better world. Claudette graduated with her Bachelor of Nursing from California State University. She has worked as a pediatric nurse for the past 36 years.
KATHERINE STEWART
“Freethought Heroine” Awardee
This is an edited version of the speech given by Katherine Stewart at FFRF’s national convention in Denver on Sept. 28. She was introduced by FFRF Member and artist Kelly Houle, who created the beautiful Freethought Heroine Award. (This speech was given a month before the 2024 election, so some references may be dated.)
Kelly Houle: It has been my honor to create the Freethought Heroine Award for the Freedom From Religion Foundation — first for Kate Cohen, who received the award last year, and now for Katherine Stewart.
The design of the award was inspired by the Art Nouveau movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s. With whiplash curves and broken frames, Art Nouveau celebrated the power of strong women at the turn of the century and again in the 1960s and ’70s on music posters and album covers during the sexual revolution, times when women were breaking free from cultural norms, using their voices to defend women’s rights.
I illustrated the award with a few symbolic items — pansies and apples.
Pansies are a recognized symbol of freethought. Their name shares a root with the French word “pensée,” meaning “thought” or “remembrance.” The pansy is a larval host plant for the blue pansy butterfly, which I included in honor of Butterfly McQueen, the first recipient of the Freethought Heroine Award in 1989.
Apples are a symbol of the fruit from the tree of knowledge in the bible, but also as a gift for the teacher.
I have learned a lot from previous recipients of the Freethought Heroine Award, and today’s honoree is no exception.
A heroine is a woman who is admired for doing something extremely brave. Today in America, journalism is a courageous act.
In her two previous books “The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children” and “The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism,” which was made into a documentary feature produced by Rob and Michele Reiner, Katherine Stewart courageously exposed the dangers that religion poses to democracy, environmentalism, education, women’s health and scientific truth.
Her books are extensively researched and her new book will be no exception. “Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy” is due out in February.
It is my honor to present the FFRF’s Freethought Heroine Award to Katherine Stewart.
Read Katherine’s speech in Freethought Today.
BRANDON WOLF
“Henry Zumach Freedom From Religious Fundamentalism” Awardee
This was the (edited) speech given by Brandon Wolf at FFRF’s 47th national convention in Denver on sept. 28. He was introduced by FFRF Board Member Todd Peissig. You can watch the video of the speech (and all convention speeches) at ffrf.us/con24.
Todd Peissig: It is my pleasure and honor on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Freedom From Religion Foundation to bestow this year’s Henry Zumach Freedom from Fundamentalist Religion Award to an organization that has represented a population and uniquely targeted by the religious right and by Christian nationalists. The Zumach Award was created in 2017 by our ultra-generous Wisconsin member and activist Hank Zumach. It has grown from its initial $100,000 endowment to over $1 million today. FFRF gives out 5 percent of the fruits of this endowment every year to reward and acknowledge major activism against religious intolerance and bigotry. This year’s recipient is the Human Rights Campaign. The HRC is our nation’s largest organization leading the fight for LGBTQ-plus rights. Here to accept the award today on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign is Brandon Wolf, currently serving as the national press secretary for the HRC. Brandon is a nationally recognized advocate for LGBTQ-plus civil rights and also gun safety laws. Brandon is a survivor of the 2016 Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting. He was the first survivor of the Pulse tragedy to testify before Congress, and returned in 2022 to testify before the House Oversight Committee on the rise of anti-LGBT hate and violence. His debut memoir, “A Place For Us,” was released last year and became an instant bestseller. Now, I’d like to present Brandon with a plaque that he will keep and a $50,000 check on behalf of the HRC for the vital work that it does. Please welcome Brandon Wolf.
Read Brandon’s speech in Freethought Today.
