Director's Note

Humanists Built American Democracy

I just got back from Michigan, and I need your help.

This week, humanists around the country have been signing up for Humanists Vote, our campaign to mobilize our community ahead of the midterms. I want you to be one of them.

Sign up here: https://americanhumanist.org/work/humanists-vote/

Humanists built American democracy and defended it in every generation since. Thomas Paine took on a king. Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought to give women the vote. A. Philip Randolph organized the March on Washington. Every time this country has had to decide whether it belongs to all of us or only to some of us, we have been in that fight.

It’s our turn, and there are close races that will decide whether we have an inclusive secular democracy that treats Americans with dignity, or an authoritarian theocracy that tramples on civil liberties and ignores human need. 

We can’t afford to sit on the sidelines.

Here’s what you can sign up to do:

Send postcards to Virginia. Virginians are voting on a measure that would write the right to an abortion into their state constitution — and yes, nonprofits can support ballot measures! This is a fight humanists have led for over a century. The AHA was the first national membership organization in the country to publicly back abortion rights, years before Roe. You tell us how many postcards you want. We’ll send you the cards, the addresses, and the message. You write, stamp, and send.

Become a poll worker. Poll workers are the people who make sure every eligible voter who shows up actually gets to cast a ballot, and who are standing there if anyone tries to interfere. We’ll reach out, get you what you need to get started, and connect you with our national partners for training.

And if you’re part of a local group, you can sign up to:

Host an event. Get your group together to write and send postcards to Virginia – we’ll send you a stack! OR – if you want to register voters in your community, we can provide training, support, and connections with local partners to have a voter registration drive. And we’ll give you a grant of up to $250 to make your event happen. 

Organize a Poll Outing. Go vote together, as a group – and show your community that humanists vote. 

And I’m right there with you. I’ve been criss-crossing Ohio and Michigan on my Fight Christian Nationalism tour, with North Carolina coming up soon – reminding humanists in these very important states just what we stand to lose under a theocracy, and why it’s so important that we take action to protect our rights. I know so many of us are scared – and my job has been to remind you of the court cases we’ve won, the Christian Nationalist bills we’ve defeated, and the ways our movement has come together to help Americans being harmed by authoritarian cruelty. My proudest moments are when someone leaves one of our tour stops feeling a sense of hope, because hope is what gives us the fuel to take action when people want us to stay silent and submissive. When our movement takes action together, the results have been positive. It’s the fights we don’t show up for that we lose.

If you can’t help this fall? Consider a contribution to fund Humanists Vote. Printing and sending postcards isn’t free. Neither is giving out $250 grants to groups for hosting Humanists Vote events. And having driven from Columbus to Detroit to Toledo to Traverse City to Grand Rapids these past few days, I can tell you: neither is gas. 

So my first choice is for you to write some postcards, but if you can’t do that, chip in here: https://secure.everyaction.com/3oubuxguB06diurrsW4p7Q2

A. Philip Randolph knew what it took to win fights against long odds.. He organized not only the march on Washington but the first union in America with a majority of Black members. And he said: “At the banquet table of nature, there are no reserved seats. You get what you can take, and you keep what you can hold. If you can’t take anything, you won’t get anything, and if you can’t hold anything, you won’t keep anything. And you can’t take anything without organization.”

That’s why it’s important we take action together. As humanists. If we want the world to look more humanist, we need to show up in these critical moments as a group. Every time we take action together, we get more organized. Our voices get louder. Our power grows. We need to show people that we can’t and won’t be ignored – and that we are on the side of the people, making sure every voice is heard and every right is protected. 

That’s our legacy. That’s our heritage. Let’s defend it. 

Sign up to be part of Humanists Vote right now: https://americanhumanist.org/work/humanists-vote/ 

For humanity,

Fish

The American Humanist Association

The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of Humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of Humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.

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