Bookmark this page to see updated post-convention highlights!
The 2025 Freedom From Religion 48th Annual National Convention took place on October 16-19 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Watch this page for updates on convention awardees, videos, and speeches.
HERB SILVERMAN – “Being an Atheist in South Carolina”
Herb Silverman, who will give a welcoming address, is president emeritus of the Secular Coalition for America. He served as president of the Secular Coalition through December of 2012 and again from December 2014 to June 2017. Born in Philadelphia, Herb received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Syracuse University and is Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the College of Charleston.After an eight-year battle, Herb won a unanimous decision in the South Carolina Supreme Court, which struck down South Carolina’s religious test requirement. He founded the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry in Charleston, S.C., and is founder and first faculty advisor to the College of Charleston student Atheist/Humanist Alliance. He has written “Candidate Without a Prayer, An Autobiography of a Jewish Atheist in the Bible Belt” as well as “An Atheist Stranger in a Strange Religious Land.” Herb is a recipient of the American Humanist Association Lifetime Achievement Award and SCA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
This humorous speech was given by Herb Silverman on Oct. 17 at FFRF’s 48th annual convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He was introduced by FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.
Annie Laurie Gaylor: Herb Silverman, who’s an Afterlife Member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and lives in South Carolina, is a distinguished professor of mathematics at the College of Charleston. He founded the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry in Charleston, and he’s president emeritus of the Secular Coalition for America, which he founded.
Herb is going to tell you how he won a unanimous 1997 decision by the state Supreme Court of South Carolina, striking down the state’s religious test requirement to run for office. And, he’s written a book about it, “Candidate Without a Prayer,” as well as “An Atheist Stranger in a Strange Religious Land.”
I’m going to surprise you, Herb, very belatedly, by naming you our Freethinker of the Year, which is reserved for individuals winning state/church lawsuits. We don’t know how we missed giving this to you back in 1997. It’s high time to correct this oversight. So, please, be our Freethinker of the Year.
Read Herb’s speech in Freethought Today.
FFRF HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR
Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Co-Presidents
CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT
Matthew Krevat, president of the Triangle Freethought Society in North Carolina, highlights how FFRF’s local chapters bring secular activism and community to life across the country. From advocacy meetings with lawmakers to public events and secular celebrations, he showcases the power of grassroots freethought organizing.
GODLESS GOSPEL SINGERS
Candace Gorham, LCMHCS, is a licensed professional mental health counselor. A former ordained minister turned atheist-humanist activist, she is a member of The Secular Therapist Project and The Clergy Project. Candace is the author of “The Ebony Exodus Project: Why Some Black Women Are Walking Out on Religion — and Others Should Too” and “On Death, Dying, and Disbelief.”
Cynthia McDonald is a social worker in Chicago who authors a blog called freedmenhealthandwellness.com, which speaks on the social determinants and health of Black Americans who descended from chattel slavery. She is a regular host on the “Non-Prophets” and “Women Atheist Unload.”
Mandisa Thomas is the founder and president of Black Nonbelievers ands has appeared on “CBS Sunday Morning,” CNN.com and in Playboy, The Humanist and JET magazines. She’s featured in the documentaries “Contradiction” and “My Week in Atheism.” She was FFRF’s 2019 Freethought Heroine.
NANCY NORTHUP – “Defending Today. Building for Tomorrow”
Nancy Northup is president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a global human rights organization whose game-changing litigation and advocacy work have transformed how reproductive rights are understood by courts, governments and human rights bodies. The Center has played a key role in securing legal victories in the U.S., Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe and at the U.N. on issues including access to life-saving obstetrics care, maternal health, contraception and safe abortion services, as well as the prevention of forced sterilization and child marriage. With offices in Colombia, Kenya, Switzerland and the U.S., the Center has built the legal capacity of women’s rights advocates in over 60 countries. Nancy graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and received her J.D. from Columbia Law School. She is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Brown University recognizing her achievements as an attorney and global reproductive rights leader. She has held adjunct appointments at NYU Law School and Columbia Law School, and taught courses in constitutional and human rights law. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Nancy was previously the founding director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, where she litigated voting rights, campaign finance reform, and ballot access cases. From 1989 to 1996, she served as a prosecutor and Deputy Chief of Appeals in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Prior to that she was a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.
This is the (edited for space) speech given by Nancy Northup on Oct. 17, 2025, at FFRF’s national convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C. She was introduced by Liz Cavell, FFRF’s deputy legal director. To watch the speech (or any of the FFRF convention speeches), go to ffrf.us/con25.
Liz Cavell: I have been given the lovely task of presenting this year’s Henry Zumach Freedom From Fundamentalist Religion Award, also known as the FFRF FFFR Award. It’s endowed by our member and state/church activist Henry Zumach. Hank couldn’t be here today, but he’s well known to FFRF as one of our plaintiffs for a second successful iteration of a lawsuit that was challenging the Ten Commandments monument in a public park in La Crosse, Wis.
Since 2017, Hank has put money into this fund every year, which has now grown to over $1 million. He created the fund with FFRF so that the fruits of this fund can annually recognize and reward major activism by allied organizations that take a stand against religious intolerance and bigotry, and that work to keep it out of our laws and our social policy.
The award amount started at $10,000, but has quickly grown, thanks to Hank’s generosity, to $50,000. Recipients in the past have included Americans United, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and the Human Rights Campaign.
This year’s recipient is the Center for Reproductive Rights. It’s a global human rights organization of attorneys and advocates working to ensure reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights. The Center for Reproductive Rights has secured groundbreaking victories in national courts, U.N. committees and regional human rights bodies.
Here to accept the award is Nancy Northup, the president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. Nancy is no stranger to FFRF. She received the FFRF Forward Award in 2019. That is reserved for individuals who are moving society forward. Nancy graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, got her J.D. from Columbia Law School. She’s held adjunct appointments at NYU Law School and Columbia Law School, and previously was the founding director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice.
Please welcome Nancy Northup.
Read Nancy’s speech in Freethought Today
KATHERINE STEWART – “Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy”
Katherine Stewart, who received FFRF’s 2024 “Freethought Heroine” Award, has been covering religious nationalism and the assault on American democracy for more than 15 years. Her most recent book “Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy” (February 2025) joins her earlier powerful investigations: “The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism” and “The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children.” She writes for The New York Times opinion, New Republic and many other periodicals. “The Power Worshippers” was acquired by producers Rob and Michele Reiner, who subsequently based their documentary feature film, “God & Country” (2004) on the book.
This is the speech given by Katherine Stewart at FFRF’s 48th annual convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Oct. 17, 2025. She was introduced by FFRF Senior Litigation Counsel Sam Grover. To watch the speech, go to ffrf.us/con25.
Sam Grover: Our next speaker is well known to FFRF audiences. She’s a journalist and author whose writings appear in a variety of major publications. Katherine Stewart has spoken to us about her first book, written in 2012, “The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children.” She’s also spoken to us about her award-winning 2020 book, “The Power Worshipers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism.”
That book formed the basis for the documentary “God and Country,” produced in 2024 by Michelle and Rob Reiner. At our convention last year, Katherine received FFRF’s Freethought Heroine Award
Her latest book, “Money, Lies, and God” is a deep and critical look into Christian nationalism, which not only explains the who’s who of Christian nationalism, but how we got to this point where an organized political movement is working to destroy American democracy.
Let’s give a hand for Katherine Stewart.
Read Katherine’s speech in Freethought Today.
FFRF LEGAL HIGHLIGHTS
Patrick Elliott, FFRF Legal Director
Liz Cavell, Deputy Legal Director
Sam Grover, Senior Litigation Counsel
Sammi Lawrence, Staff Attorney
FFRF LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
Ryan Dudley, State Policy Manager
Mark Dann, FFRF Governmental Affairs Director
MICKEY DOLLENS – “The Citizen’s Guide to Political Change”
Mickey Dollens is the regional government affairs manager at the Freedom From Religion Foundation, where he fights to uphold state/church separation and protect religious freedom for all. Based in Oklahoma City, Mickey continues to push back against religious extremism in government, efforts to weaken direct democracy, and policies that deepen economic inequality. At FFRF, he works to ensure that lawmakers prioritize reason over religion and that public policy is shaped by constitutional principles—not religious doctrine. He is the author of “The Citizen’s Guide to Political Change: How to Win with Ballot Initiatives and Defend Direct Democracy.”
DR. MAGGIE CARPENTER
FFRF’s “Forward Award” recipient is a family doctor with over 20 years of experience who specializes in reproductive health. In 2023, she co-founded the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine to support clinicians who serve patients across the United States with telemedicine abortion care. She has been fined in Texas and indicted in Louisiana for prescribing abortion pills.
This is the speech given at FFRF’s national convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C., by Dr. Maggie Carpenter on Oct. 17, 2025, in accepting FFRF’s Forward Award.
Carpenter is a co-founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, or ACT, a New York-based nonprofit that provides technical and legal support for telemedicine providers. In February 2025, Louisiana indicted Carpenter and charged her with a felony for allegedly mailing abortion pills to a patient in their state.
By Dr. Maggie Carpenter
I am so sorry that I cannot be with you in person to accept this amazing award. I am humbled. This award really goes to all telehealth shield providers — my peers who are bravely doing work that is so desperately needed in this dark time in our nation’s history.
Read Dr. Maggie’s speech in Freethought Today
ROY ZIMMERMAN
Singer/songwriter Roy Zimmerman’s motto is “Sing. Laugh. Defend Democracy.” Roy’s songs have been heard on HBO and Showtime, and his videos have garnered hundreds of millions of views. He’s just released a new album — his 11th as a solo artist. The tributes have included this comment from Tom Lehrer: “I congratulate Roy on reintroducing literacy to comedy songs.”
MARY L. TRUMP
Mary L. Trump received FFRF’s “Emperor Has No Clothes Award,” reserved for individuals who “tell it like it is” about religion. She’s a trained clinical psychologist and has authored two books, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man” and a new memoir, “Nobody Will Ever Love You.” She holds a PhD from the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies and taught graduate courses in trauma, psychopathology, and developmental psychology. She lives with her daughter in New York.
This is the speech given by Mary L. Trump at FFRF’s national convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Oct. 17, 2025. She was introduced by FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. To watch the speech, go to ffrf.us/con25.
Annie Laurie Gaylor: Almost 20 years ago, when a very dear and creative member named Mildred Perpigna first suggested that FFRF create the “Emperor Has No Clothes Award,” none of us could have imagined we’d be living in an America with an actual self-appointed emperor.
We think of this award as recognizing public figures who are like the small child in the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, who proclaim “the emperor has no clothes” and who tell it like it is about religion. This award has gone to many famous nonbelievers, from Christopher Hitchens to Rep. Jared Huffman to John Irving. And make no mistake, Mary L. Trump, as an atheist, is a public figure who makes known her dissent from religion.
Mary is author of two insightful and poignant books about growing up in the extended family of Donald Trump, including the bestseller “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” which sold nearly a million copies on its first day of sales. She followed that with a book in 2021, “The Reckoning: Our Nation’s Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal,” about the failure to address the scourge of white racism.
Last year, her haunting family memoir called “Who Could Ever Love You” came out. Mary has a literature degree from Tufts University. She earned a master’s in English Lit from Columbia and is a trained clinical psychologist who holds a Ph.D. from the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies.
She’s taught graduate courses in trauma, psychotherapy, psychopathology and developmental psychology, and we are so grateful to her for everything she does. She has been so kind to the Freedom From Religion Foundation in being here today and for agreeing to accept the Emperor Has No Clothes Award.
Please give Mary a very warm welcome.
Read Mary’s speech in Freethought Today
BAILEY HARRIS – “A Nightmare on Creationist Street”
Bailey Harris, 19, a second-year college student, received the “Out of God’s Closet” Diane and Stephen Uhl Memorial Student Activist Scholarship of $5,000. Bailey is the author of the Stardust series of science books for young readers, which she began at age 8. The series includes beautifully illustrated children’s books that present sound science in a manner accessible to young readers and pre-readers. “My Name Is Stardust” was released in 2017 and has sold thousands of copies worldwide. Follow-ups “Stardust Explores the Solar System” (2018) and “Stardust Explores Earth’s Wonders” (2019) present concepts of astronomy, geology, biology, and principles such as the Big Bang and evolution. Just released is “Stardust & Friends: Darwin’s Journey.” Bailey has appeared on iHeartRadio’s “The Public Library Podcast,” where she spoke to host Helen Little about the importance of books and learning in her life. She won a previous 2018 FFRF convention award.
ELI FROST – “Advocating For Change in Chaska, Minnesota”
Eli Frost, 18, received the Beverly and Richard Hermsen Student Activist Award of $5,000. Eli is a passionate graduating senior at Chaska High School who is in the National Honor Society and Key Club. He will be attending Minnesota State University in Mankato in the fall, where he’s planning to major in political science and potentially attend law school to become a politician. His ultimate aim is to use his political influence to bring positive change, particularly by standing up to Christian nationalist politicians and promoting respect and kindness for all people—not for religious rewards, but because it’s simply the right thing to do. For several years, he’s worked tirelessly to move his school district’s graduation ceremonies away from a discriminatory megachurch. Through petitions, school board meetings, and engaging with local media and advocacy organizations like FFRF, Eli successfully pushed the district to change the graduation venue to a more inclusive, secular location.
STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY WINNERS
Jaianah Hightower, 20, placed fifth in FFRF’s 2025 David Hudak Memorial Assay Contest for Black, Indigenous Student of Color and read her winning essay, “Just Existing is Resistance.” By 15, “I knew I would become and OB/GYN.” She’s a junior pursuing a bachelor of science degree at Morgan State University.
Gabrielle Williams, 19, placed third in FFRF’s 2025 David Hudak Memorial Essay Contest for Black, Indigenous Student of Color, received a $2,500 cash scholarship for her essay titles “Unholy Alliance: When Nationalism Wears a Cross.” She was her high school valedictorian in Stewartstown, Pa. She’s a sophomore at Howard University.
Mekah’E La Clair, 20, won first place in FFRF’s 2025 David Hudak Memorial Essay Contest for Black, Indigenous Student of Color, earned a $3,500 scholarship. A member of the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, she’s an artist who creates cartoons and is in her junior year of college, majoring in digital art and animation at the DigiPen Institute of Technology.
MUBARAK BALA – “The Right to Freethought and Criticizing Ideas”
Mubarak Bala is a human rights activist and president of the Humanists of Nigeria, who was arrested in 2020 for posting comments on Facebook deemed insulting to Muhammad. Mubarak Bala spent a year in detention before being sentenced to 40 years in prison. An appeals court later reduced his sentence to five years. He was released in 2024, but is still under sanction in Nigeria. Mubarak Bala’s case drew international attention by many groups, including FFRF, calling for his release and for the repeal of blasphemy laws. Mubarak Bala received FFRF’s Avijit Roy Courage Award, accepted remotely.
This is the speech given by Mubarak Bala at FFRF’s national convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Oct. 18, 2025. He was introduced by Bonya Ahmed, a former FFRF Forward Award winner.
Bonya Ahmed: Hi, everybody. Looking at all of us this morning, I was just thinking that there couldn’t be a better way to protest and show solidarity with the No Kings Day than what we are doing here, all of us together. It is a wonderful protest against the kings and queens all over the world who are still persecuting people for political and religious reasons, for just expressing their thoughts.
It’s very sad to see that it’s not just all those poor, developing countries in the Global South, either. It’s here in America, too. We have to protest against an elected king in office.
We thought we had made some progress. We got a little ahead of those countries where autocracy and hateful persecutions are so prevalent. We have progressed so much on these freedoms — individual freedom, freedom of rights, freedom of thought — but, now, everything is under attack. We have to continue to fight.
I’m here to introduce the 2025 Avijit Roy Courage Award and the recipient of this award. Avijit Roy was trained in biomedical engineering and worked in IT and was a prolific writer. He was born in Bangladesh. I was, too. He also happened to be my husband. Alongside our day jobs, in the 15 years that we were together, he wrote eight books and edited two. I just managed to write one book on evolution of life, but for Avijit, writing was his passion.
He also created the first Bengali online platform back in 2000 when blogging was becoming hip. He wrote books on science, philosophy of atheism and humanism. He wrote against the oppression of women, minorities, homosexuals. We both decided to write in Bengali or Bangla, our native language, because these kind of books on taboo topics were not easily available to in our native language, even though we lived in Atlanta for decades. His writings inspired many. But at the same time, it really enraged those militant Islamists back home.
In 2015, we decided to visit our home country. We used to go every few years, especially to visit Avijit’s parents. That year, we attended a book-signing trip for Avijit’s two new books in a historic month-long book fair in Bangladesh. That’s where we were targeted and attacked by the militant Islamists of al-Qaida of the Indian subcontinent.
Avijit bled to death in the middle of the street, and I don’t know how I survived with four machete stabs on my head and a chopped off thumb. But, you know, I have to admit that nine fingers work pretty well. Yeah, I can do pretty much everything.
Anyway, let me introduce our hero, the recipient of the Avijit Roy Courage Award — Mubarak Bala. He’s a human rights activist and president of the Humanists of Nigeria. He was arrested in 2020 for posting a Facebook comment, which was deemed as an insult to Prophet Mohammed in Nigeria. It’s the same way in Bangladesh, too. I’ve had a lot of my friends arrested for the same reason.
He spent a year in detention before being sentenced to 40 years in prison. An appeals court later was very kind to reduce it to five years. But, last year, he was released and is now studying in Germany. Many international groups, including FFRF, have called for his release and repeal of the blasphemy laws. Mubarak Bala will be accepting the award remotely. I give you Mubarak Bala. Thank you.
Read Mubarek’s speech in Freethought Today.
CHRISSY STROOP – “Emptying Pews, Evangelicals, and the Fight for American Democracy”
Chrissy Stroop received FFRF’s 2025 “Freethought Heroine” award. Raised evangelical in the Indianapolis area and Colorado Springs, Chrissy Stroop was sent to culture-warring Christian schools that demonized queerness, abortion and anything viewed as “liberal.” She earned a Ph.D in modern Russian history from Stanford University, which she put to use as both a classroom instructor and a senior research associate with the University of Innsbruck’s Postsecular Conflicts project that investigated international right-wing networks. A former weekly columnist for openDemocracy and a frequent contributor to Religion Dispatches, Stroop is now a full-time writer and speaker with bylines in Foreign Policy, Playboy, The Boston Globe, Political Research Associates, and other outlets. Her newsletter, The Bugbear Dispatch, explores American politics and society through the lens of an ongoing moral panic of which Stroop, as an out transgender woman, is a primary target. She is also a cofounder and co-owner of the intersectional feminist outlet The Flytrap and (with Lauren O’Neal) coeditor of the essay collection “Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church.”
This is an edited (for space) transcript of the speech given by Chrissy Stroop at FFRF’s national convention on Oct. 18, 2025, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. She was introduced by FFRF Director of Operations Lisa Strand. To watch her speech, go to ffrf.us/con25.
Lisa Strand: Our 2025 Freethought Heroine, Chrissy Stroop, was raised an evangelical in the Indianapolis area and in Colorado Springs. She was sent to culture-warring Christian schools that demonized queerness, abortion and anything viewed as liberal. She earned a Ph.D. in modern Russian history from Stanford University and worked as a senior research associate with the University of Innsbruck’s Postsecular Conflicts Project, which investigated international right-wing networks. A former weekly columnist for openDemocracy and a frequent contributor to Religion Dispatches, Stroop is now a full-time writer and speaker with bylines in Foreign Policy, The Boston Globe, Political Research Associates and other outlets.
Her newsletter, The Bugbear Dispatch, explores American politics and society through the lens of an ongoing moral panic, of which Stroop, as an out transgender woman, is a primary target. She is also a co-founder and co-owner of the intersectional feminist outlet The Flytrap, and with Lauren O’Neil, coeditor of the essay collection “Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church.”
Please welcome Chrissy Stroop, FFRF’s 2025 Freethought Heroine awardee.
Read Chrissy’s speech in Freethought Today
THIRD ANNUAL SECULAR LEGISLATIVE PANEL
Rep. Heather Meyer represents District 29, Overland Park, in the Kansas House of Representatives. She was appointed in 2021 and re-elected in 2024 to a two-year term. She is also a social worker, mom of two, Kansas first openly bisexual legislator, and an agnostic.
Rep. Andy Smith was elected in 2022 and is serving his second term in District 25B in the Minnesota House of Representatives. A small-business owner, he is co-chair of the Minnesota Health Plan Caucus. He has a B.A. in theology from Moody Bible Institute and a M.Div. in theology from Westminster Seminary.
Rep. Monique Priestley is serving her second term as a Vermont state Representative (Orange-2), focusing on consumer protection. She has received recognition for he impactful legislative leadership, including EPIC’s National Champion of Freedom Award in 2024. She identifies as an atheist and humanist.
The following is a condensed transcript (edited for clarity) from the Third Annual Secular Legislative Panel held at FFRF’s national convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Oct. 18, 2025. To watch the full panel discussion, go to ffrf.us/con25.
Mickey Dollens: Welcome to the third annual secular legislative panel. My name is Mickey Dollens. I’m the FFRF Action Fund regional government affairs manager, and I’m going to be joined with my colleague Ryan Dudley, our state policy manager.
We are honored to be here with Rep. Heather Meyer, who serves Kansas House District 29. Rep. Meyer’s childhood experiences shaped her commitment to public service and her career as a clinical social worker. In 2021, she made history as Kansas’s first openly bisexual legislator. She is a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive freedom, state/church separation and affordable health care. Rep. Meyer serves on several key committees, including House and Federal and State Affairs, Health and Human Services, Elections and Insurance, and is dedicated to ensuring government works for all Kansans.
Read the full panel discussion in Freethought Today
JAMELLE BOUIE – Clarence Darrow Award
Jamelle Bouie, who received FFRF’s Clarence Darrow Award, is a columnist for the New York Times where he covers history and politics. In addition, he co-hosts the Unclear and Present Danger podcast on the political and military thrillers of the 1990s. Jamelle was formerly chief political correspondent for Slate magazine. He began his career at The American Prospect magazine and also spent time as a writer for The Daily Beast. Jamelle has also contributed essays to volumes such as “Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019” and “The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story.” In 2021, he received the Hillman Prize for Opinion & Analysis Journalism and in 2024 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Science. Jamelle attended the University of Virginia, where he graduated in 2009 with degrees in political and social thought, and government.
This is the speech given by Jamelle Bouie at FFRF’s national convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Oct. 18, 2025. He was introduced by FFRF Communications Director Amit Pal. To watch the speech (or any of the convention speeches), go to ffrf.us/con25.
Amit Pal: It’s such a privilege and pleasure to be introducing this year’s recipient of our Clarence Darrow Award — Jamelle Bouie. He is, as you many of you know, a columnist for the New York Times.
He was formerly chief political correspondent for Slate, was awarded a writing fellowship for the American Prospect, a fellowship at the Nation Institute, then went to the Daily Beast, and then joined the Times as a columnist in 2019.
Our Clarence Darrow Award is a solid bronze miniature, not a replica, of the 7-foot Clarence Darrow statue created by sculptor Zenos Frudakis that FFRF placed on the lawn of the Rhea County Courthouse during the Scopes Trial Centennial celebration that some of you may have attended in Dayton, Tenn. The Clarence Darrow Award is one of only 20 statuettes we have created to date. It’s an all-purpose award to recognize civil libertarians. Past recipients have included Ed Asner, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Elie Mystal, and two previous New York Times columnists, Linda Greenhouse and Michelle Goldberg.
We are proud today to honor Jamelle Bouie for his brilliant commentary on the law, the Constitution and democracy.
Read Jamelle’s speech in Freethought Today
STEVEN LEVITSKY – “The Great Abdication: America’s Descent into Authoritarianism”
The David Rockefeller professor of Latin American Studies and of government is director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard. He is Senior Fellow at the Kettering Foundation and a Senior Democracy Fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations. Steven is co-author (with Daniel Ziblatt) of “How Democracies Die,” a New York Times bestseller, and “Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point.”
This is the speech, edited for length, given by Professor Steven Levitsky at FFRF’s national convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Oct.18. He was introduced by FFRF Executive Board member David Tamayo, who is co-founder of Hispanic American Freethinkers.
David Tamayo: Professor Steven Levitsky’s background is of special interest to me as a Latino. He is the David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies and director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard. He is senior fellow at the Kettering Foundation and a senior democracy fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
He is co-author of “How Democracies Die,” which was a New York Times bestseller and published in 30 languages. It was followed by the book “Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point.” He is currently working with a colleague on a book about democratic resilience across the world.
Please welcome Professor Steven Levitsky.
Read Steven’s speech in Freethought Today.
JOHN FUGELSANG – “Separation of Church and Hate”
John’s been murdered on CSI, interviewed 2 Beatles on separate continents in the same week, and famously once got Mitt Romney’s advisor to call Governor Romney an ‘etch a sketch’ on CNN. Actor, comedian & broadcaster John Fugelsang hosts ‘Tell Me Everything” weekdays on SiriusXM Insight #121, and has interviewed everyone from Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Yoko Ono to Stanley Tucci, Rita Moreno and Carl Reiner. He recently performed in “The Bill of Rights Concert” alongside Lewis Black & Dick Gregory, which aired on AXS. He’s also appeared at Montreal’s “Just for Laughs” Festival, HBO’s U.S Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, hosted America’s Funniest Home Videos for ABC and Bill Maher called him “one of my favorite comedians.” He recently performed in “The Bill of Rights Concert” alongside Lewis Black & Dick Gregory which aired on AXS. He’s also hosted America’s Funniest Home Videos for ABC and Bill Maher called him ‘one of my favorite comedians’. His new film “Dream On,” examining the American Dream, features 200 interviews in 55 cities including 17 states. His new book, just out, is “Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds.”
