For Immediate Release
Contact:
Kate Uesugi, kuesugi@americanhumanist.org, 202-238-9088 (ext. 105)
(Washington, DC, April 29, 2022) – Today, Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-8) and Representative Jared Huffman (CA-2) introduced a resolution to recognize May 4th, 2022 as a “National Day of Reason.” The resolution is co-sponsored by fellow Congressional Freethought Caucus members Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Representative Hank Johnson (GA-4), Representative Mark Pocan (WI-2), Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Representative Jerry McNerney (CA-9), and Representative Rashida Tlaib (MI-13).
The National Day of Reason celebrates science, logic, and reason as guiding principles of our secular democracy, and promotes greater awareness of the constitutional separation of religion and government. The resolution “encourages all citizens, residents, and visitors to join in observing this day and focusing on the central importance of reason, critical thought, the scientific method, and free inquiry to resolving social problems and promoting the welfare of humankind.”
“As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, amid ongoing conspiracy theories and distrust in vaccinations, we must continue to work to recenter reason and science in all facets of the United States’ response,” AHA Executive Director Nadya Dutchin commented. “This resolution is another step forward in doing so.”
Humanist and nontheist communities around the country will celebrate the National Day of Reason as part of a nationwide Secular Week of Action, an opportunity to make positive change in our communities through volunteerism.
Those interested in demonstrating their support for a National Day of Reason are encouraged to visit the National Day of Reason website, where individuals can view planned events, read media coverage from previous years, and organizations can sign-up as endorsers.
“Reason has always been a guiding light for humanity’s progress and a way to tackle major issues we have faced and continue to face. We will continue to protect the rights of all people, recognizing that reason is a vital tool in getting us to the more inclusive and just future we envision,” Dutchin concluded.
Learn more about the National Day of Reason here.
Read the resolution here.
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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.
The Center for Freethought Equality (CFE) is the advocacy arm of the American Humanist Association dedicated to lobbying and political advocacy. The CFE significantly increases humanist activity in key Washington coalitions, and has established a permanent lobbyist on the Hill that fights for issues secular Americans care about like the separation of church and state and protecting civil liberties.