The American Humanist Association is collaborating with Friendly Atheist, a blog written by Hemant Mehta, to create a scholarship for 16 year old atheist student Jessica Ahlquist. The campaign has already raised $40,000 and will run through the end of February.
As reported in theHumanist's press release, Humanists Applaud Cranston School Banner Decision To Not Appeal Federal Court Ruling:
(Washington, DC – Feb. 16, 2012) – Humanists are applauding the 5-2 decision tonight by the Cranston School Committee in Rhode Island to not pursue an appeal of a federal judge’s ruling to immediately remove a prayer banner from the Cranston West High School auditorium wall.
“Given the strength of the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux, it would have been tough for the school system to appeal,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “We’re certainly glad that the committee decided to not waste any more time and money in pursuing one.”
The case has brought international attention to the school and to Jessica Ahlquist, the student who filed the suit. Because she has been the subject of harassment and ridicule due to the case, local police have increased attention on her and her family’s safety. The outlandish behavior has come from every corner, including lawmakers, students, parents, and business owners.
Tonight’s committee meeting was attended by hundreds of people, many from out of the area who came to support Ahlquist in her fight to protect the separation of church and state, the constitutional principle that protects everyone’s religious freedoms.
“Jessica Ahlquist has stood up against her most vehement and vile critics with class and style,” Speckhardt said. “Her example shows how a fight should be undertaken in favor of protecting the freedoms we are guaranteed by our constitution. Everyone should offer a healthy measure of gratitude to her and her family.”
The American Humanist Association is proud to play a role in Ahlquist’s future by working with Hemant Mehta, blogger for the popular website The Friendly Atheist, to manage an education trust fund to help pay for the cost of her future education.
HuffPo also has
posted a story.
I encourage anyone who recognizes and supports the courage of Jessica to contribute to the fund. IMO, atheists may well be the most disciminated against minority left today. It is still entirely socially acceptable to publicly demonize demonize and otherwise bash Atheists. Freedom from religion is far from being accepted as a basic human or American right. It's virtually impossible to get elected without professing some mainstream faith. Kudos to Jessica for her bravery.
UPDATE: Whether you are religious or not, if you support Separation of Church and State, I believe you should consider supporting this act by Jessica in one way or another.
UPDATE: Found these pieces of information from the NYTthat preceded the school board's decision NOT to appeal:
---snip---
Three separate florists refused to deliver her roses sent from a national atheist group. The group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, has filed a complaint with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights.
“I was amazed,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the foundation, which is based in Wisconsin and has given Jessica $13,000 from support and scholarship funds. “We haven’t seen a case like this in a long time, with this level of revilement and ostracism and stigmatizing.”
---snip---
For Jessica, who was baptized in the Catholic Church but said she stopped believing in God at age 10, the prayer was an affront. “It seemed like it was saying, every time I saw it, ‘You don’t belong here,’ ” she said the other night during an interview at a Starbucks here.
---snip---
Does she empathize in any way with members of her community who want the prayer to stay?
“I’ve never been asked this before,” she said. A pause, and then: “It’s almost like making a child get a shot even though they don’t want to. It’s for their own good. I feel like they might see it as a very negative thing right now, but I’m defending their Constitution, too.”
---snip---
According to the NYT, an anonymous parent brought a complaint to the ACLU; an
ABC News report (1/18/12) credits Jessic with submitting the complaint in July, 2012. In any event, the complaint(s) prompted a series hearings by the Cransont School Board. Jessica spoke at every hearing. Ultimately, the board decided 4-3 last March to keep the 8' prayer banner. Jessica accepted an invitation from the ALCU to be a witness, which then filed the suit the next month. According to ABC:
The matter went before U.S. District Judge Ronald Lagueux who decided on Jan. 12 [2012] that, "No amount of debate can make the School Prayer anything other than a prayer." He ordered that it be taken down, but the mural is currently still up but covered with a tarp.
Parents up in arms pressed the School Board to appeal, but, upon an outside legal review, voted 5-2 against. Even before that the decision the Mayor spoke up about the case and the abuse heaped on Jessica, saying
"I think it's gone too far," Cranston Mayor Allan Fung told ABCNews.com. "Our country was built upon civil discourse, not hate for one person exercising their constitutional rights."
I'm not seeing anything as yet about police follow up to threats that were made to Jessica, who has a related Facebook page with 4,000 followers. I'll keep digging.