By Harlan Garbell
As we know, the Covid-19 pandemic forced all local “non-essential” business activities that involve close human interaction to shut down. Even many “essential” economic activities have suffered during this public health crisis. As a result, wage earners without sufficient savings have been hard pressed to cover their routine living expenses, including most importantly, food.Â
The Secular Week of Action, which takes place from May 1 to 10, aims to mobilize secular people across the country to demonstrate our shared commitment to making this world, here and now, a better place. This year’s emphasis will be on offering a compassionate response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Â
The following is written by a HumanistsMN member who wishes to remain anonymous.
During the current public health crisis, families’ incomes are being lost and kids and parents may soon be going hungry. Need is currently at an all-time high, and there is no way to know how long this will last, or how bad it will be. Young, developing brains need good nutrition to maintain their optimal development. These kids are the future workforce, and will determine our futures as well. And this time, the humanitarian crisis is perched on our own doorsteps.
By Christine Retkwa
HumanistsMN believes in collaborating with groups whose goals align with the humanist value of enabling all humans to thrive , recognizing that collaboration is the key to forming the mass needed to make an impact. December’s newsletter highlighted our work with Compassion & Choices to promote medical aid in dying. Now HumanistsMN has stepped up again by becoming an organizational-level member of Minnesota Second Chance Coalition, which works to ensure that persons who have been punished for crimes have meaningful opportunities to live, work, and grow as people after serving their debts to society.
By Marcy Woodruff
As we head into the next legislative session, which begins February 11, HumanistsMN’s Social Action Team is working to make it easy for our members and followers to take action on legislation dealing with an issue team has identified as a priority — medical aid in dying.
By Suzanne Perry
HumanistsMN for the first time this year joined hands with two other humanist organizations to plan a major event at the Capitol to observe the National Day of Reason, which honors the principles of secular lawmaking and separation of religion and government.
By Vicki Barnes
Humanists of Minnesota has endorsed efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution to restore our ability to regulate campaign spending and curb the influence of money in politics. This would reverse damaging Supreme Court rulings, including Citizens United, which struck down restrictions on political spending by corporations and billionaire donors on free-speech grounds Vicki Barnes, Minnesota state coordinator for American Promise, reports on recent legislative developments.
By Nathan Curland
Last month, Humanists of Minnesota launched a new monthly volunteer opportunity for its members. We secured a two-hour monthly slot at the Food Group’s Warehouse in New Hope to pack food boxes for the secular nonprofit’s 170 statewide food-shelf partners.
The Humanists of Minnesota board has agreed to endorse a resolution aimed at curbing the influence of wealthy special interests in our elections.
By Suzanne Perry
Want to help counter the political influence of the Religious Right? Humanists of Minnesota has a deal for you! Several of us met in August with representatives of the Secular Coalition for America, which is working to build the power of secular voters across the country. We agreed to follow up by organizing a voter-registration drive and encouraging our members to sign up for the coalition’s Rapid Response Network.
When I joined Humanists of Minnesota in January, I had no idea what I was getting into. And it’s all good! One of the first events I attended as a member was a presentation in February by Jeff Clements, President of American Promise, with Social Action Team leader Meline Juarez.
Humanists of Minnesota Social Action Team members in September attended a seminar on single-payer health care and public forums on water quality and the proposed Enbridge pipeline replacement.
Social Action Team leaders met in late August to kick off Humanists of Minnesota advocacy activities under a new captain. Meline Juarez, a former union organizer with lots of advocacy experience, has agreed to head the team, taking over from Suzanne Perry.
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