After a two-year pandemic-related absence, HumanistsMN returned to the State Capitol on May 5 to observe the National Day of Reason, which honors the principles of secular lawmaking and separation of religion and government. As in 2019, we joined hands with First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, and Or Emet – the Minnesota Congregation for Humanistic Judaism to sponsor a breakfast with legislators to affirm that policy should be based on reason, science, and evidence, not on religious preference.
Category: Humanism In Action
Our members are passionate about making the world a better place for all. We have a Social Action Team and sponsor a variety of community-service activities to further our humanist values.
We Did Good in Our Community!
Humanists were out and about during HumanistsMN’s participation in the national Secular Week of Action, coordinated by Foundation Beyond Belief. Our events:
Fifteen people worked hard at The Food Group, packing boxes of meats for the program that supplies food at wholesale prices in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Looking for Helpful Alternatives to ‘Thoughts and Prayers’?
HumanistsMN is participating in the nationwide Secular Week of Action. We are sponsoring events from April 20 to May 14 (a broader range than the national event to include more activities). Help show how humanists do good in our community! Please consider participating in one of the following activities:· Pack and sort food at The Food Group on April 20. The food will be distributed to more than 200 food shelves.
Looking for Alternatives to Thoughts and Prayers?
HumanistsMN is participating in the nationwide Secular Week of Action from April 30 to May 9. Help show how humanists do good in our community! Please consider participating in one of the following activities:
Please Support Camp Quest, a Secular Summer Camp
HumanistsMN is proud to have supported Camp Quest North, a humanist-oriented summer camp, since its inception. This overnight camp for youth ages 8 -17 provides an educational adventure shaped by fun, friends, and freethought. A summer camp experience that promotes science, wonder, and humanist values.
HMN Members Donate More Than $10,000 to Food Drive
Due to the generosity of our members, HumanistsMN in November raised $10,695 to help relieve hunger during the COVID-19 crisis. This included $5,000 from our “angel” anonymous donor. The amount was matched by the Schulze Family Foundation, resulting in a total contribution of $21,390 to the Second Harvest Heartland food bank.
HumanistsMN Statement on Systemic Racism
The HumanistsMN board has adopted the following statement:
HumanistsMN affirms that every person, regardless of race or ethnicity, has the right to thrive and flourish. Ensuring these rights can only be achieved through a sustained commitment to racial, social, and economic justice.
Voting Information and Get Out the Vote Ideas
Hello, HumanistsMN Members:
As election season draws near, the coronavirus pandemic has underlined the importance of fighting for public policy that reflects humanist values, for example science-based decision-making, affordable health care, help for people in need, and racial equality.
‘Say His Name’: A Protest Diary
By Christine Retkwa
In this time of COVID-19, I do not need to shop or get my hair cut or go to the gym. I do need to risk exposing myself to protest someone’s life being squished out of them like they were an insect while in yet another act of inhumanity.
Board Resolution on Racial Justice and Policing
HumanistsMN (HMN) is deeply distressed at the violent death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, while detained by members of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). As humanists, we believe in the dignity of all human beings and in racial justice, two principles that were severely violated in this case. As a result, the Board …
HumanistsMN Members Donate More Than $11,000 to Food Bank
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.
Humanists Offer More Than Thoughts and Prayers
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.
Humanist Offers to Match Donations to Help Food Banks During COVID-19 Crisis
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.
HMN Collaborates to Promote Second Chances for Those Who Have Paid Debt to Society
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.
Medical Aid in Dying: Gearing Up for the 2020 Legislative Session
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.
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