Humanist Groups Express Solidarity with Baltimore, Call for End to Racial Injustice and Violence

For Immediate Release

American Humanist Association Contact:

Merrill Miller, 202-238-9088 ext. 105, merrillmiller@americanhumanist.org

Frederick Douglass Humanist Society of Baltimore Contact:

(Baltimore, MD, May 4, 2015)—In the wake of the protests in Baltimore, Maryland, the American Humanist Association and the Frederick Douglass Humanist Society of Baltimore reaffirm their commitment to peace, justice and reason.

“The black humanist community mourns Freddie Gray and others across the nation who lost their lives because of racial injustice,” said Aaron Bishop, an organizer for the Frederick Douglass Humanist Society of Baltimore. “Everyone deserves human rights, and we demand accountability and transparency from our law enforcement to ensure that all citizens are treated humanely and justly.”

“It is neither an American value nor a humanist value to rule our citizens as if they are guilty criminals who must be proven innocent. When the police ignore fundamental civil liberties, it is time that we rethink the role of our increasingly militarized law enforcement,” said Rebecca Hale, president of the American Humanist Association.

Hale continued, “Instead of seeing themselves in opposition to residents, police must develop an ethic of community that includes building relationships and communicating with citizens so that both can live together in cooperation, free from fear and intimidation.”

“Humanists have long supported civil rights based on our understanding that all humanity shares basic dignity and worth,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “Since we believe that we each only have one life to live, it is an acute tragedy when that life is cut short because of prejudice.”

The American Humanist Association and the Frederick Douglass Humanist Society of Baltimore come together to recognize: “The humanist philosophy promotes the application of reason to solving our nation’s greatest challenges, and so we denounce the irrationality of racism and violence. We call for peace in Baltimore and condemn the decades of systemic violence and discrimination throughout our nation’s history that continue to haunt our present in the abuses by the police and the criminal justice system. We stand with those who work to end inequality, in all its forms, and promote human rights and justice for all.”

The American Humanist Association has also endorsed a statement from the American Ethical Union and the Baltimore Ethical Society. The statement can be viewed here.

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Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other non-religious Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming philosophy of humanism, which—without beliefs in any gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.

The Frederick Douglass Humanist Society of Baltimore, a chapter of the American Humanist Association, advances humanistic values that emphasize reason, critical thought, free inquiry, human dignity, welfare and freedom.