2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025
First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis
With special guest Rachel Laser, President and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Join HumanistsMN to commemorate National Religious Freedom Day at a forum to explore the true meaning of religious freedom. This principle, enshrined in our Constitution, keeps government and religion separate and protects the right of Americans of all faiths — or no faith — to practice their beliefs.
Unfortunately, some courts and lawmakers have interpreted “religious freedom” to mean the right to discriminate against LGBTQ people, curtail reproductive rights, deny services, health care, or impose religion in public schools. With the return of Donald Trump to power, backed by Christian nationalists, these threats are likely to grow.
Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State in Washington, D.C., will explain what’s at stake in the battle over religious freedom and the steps her group is taking to fight back against the erosion of church-state separation.
She will be joined by local panelists who will discuss how the principle of religious freedom affects their work in Minnesota.
They will include:
- Rep. Mike Freiberg, co-chair of the Legislature’s Secular Government Caucus
- Rep. Esther Agbaje, member of the Secular Government Caucus, author of the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act
- Jess Braverman, legal director at Gender Justice, an organization that fights for gender equity
- Rev. Angela Denker, Lutheran minister, book author, and outspoken opponent of Christian nationalism. She is a contributing columnist at the Minnesota Star Tribune.
- Audrey Kingstrom, humanist celebrant and program coordinator for HumanistsMN
- Kyrstin Schuette, executive director, School Board Integrity Project, which recruits and trains school board members who value the freedom to read and to learn and creating a welcoming environment for all students.
Groups tabling at the event will include ACLU of Minnesota, Americans United, Christians Against Christian Nationalism, First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, Gender Justice, Health Care for All Minnesota, Jews for a Secular Democracy/Or Emet, Minnesota Atheists, OutFront Minnesota, the Secular Student Alliance, and the School Board Integrity Project.
A reception at 4:30 p.m. will follow the program.
Questions? Contact Suzanne Perry at editor@humanistsmn.org.
Background on National Religious Freedom Day (Jan. 16)
National Religious Freedom Day commemorates the Virginia General Assembly’s adoption of Thomas Jefferson’s landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on Jan. 16, 1786. The statute became the basis for the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing the separation of church and state. The U.S. President has proclaimed Religious Freedom Day annually since 1993.
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