"Boom! Lawyered" Live: How the Supreme Court is Catapulting Us Toward TheocracyRewire News Group's Editor at Large Imani Gandy and Executive Editor Jessica Pieklo bring a live version of their award-winning podcast, Boom! Lawyered to audiences for the first time since the pandemic. Jess and Imani will highlight the current threats to religious freedom before the Court, explain how the Courts conservatives are using decisions like Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization to further erode the separation of church and state, and answer questions and respond to comments from the crowd.
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The (Gen) XYZ of Messaging: Communicating Church-State SeparationFrom traditional letters to the editor and op-eds, to emerging social media platforms, there are a myriad of ways to effectively communicate about church-state separation if you get the message right. AU’s Communications Team will offer guidance for crafting persuasive messages to build support for church-state separation, driven by public opinion research and tried-and-true best practices. This session will offer suggested talking points, tips for getting published in your local newspaper, a crash course on social media trends, and the opportunity to join AU’s Andrew L. Seidel in crafting an on-the-spot TikTok video.
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Public Schools, Vouchers, and the Wider "Parental Rights" MovementPublic schools are essential to our democracy, and they bring students of all faiths and backgrounds together. But in recent years, a network of extremist politicians and lobbyists have been emboldened in their push to dismantle public education. Bankrolled by billionaires like Betsy DeVos, the Kochs, and the Waltons, they are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on these campaigns to undermine trust in public schools. Our panelists will explain the many strategies these opponents are using: from private school voucher programs and plans to create public charter schools that teach religious education, to book bans, censorship, and attacks on LGBTQ students, families, and teachers. The panelists will also share how advocates are fighting back to preserve and support inclusive public education.
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Working Across (Non)Religious Boundaries: Religious Literacy 101Most of us do not have a background in the study of religion, but how can we work toward a future of religious freedom without a baseline understanding of the way religion functions in our society? This workshop will provide an introduction to religious literacy and offer concrete skills to talk about religion (and nonreligion) in nuanced, non-devotional ways. We will discuss the basic religious literacy frameworks, their relevance to church-state advocacy, and tips on how to start asking more thoughtful questions to move the conversation forward.
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How to Live and Die Out LoudReligious idealism in America is the reason many people suffering from serious health issues, or diagnosed with terminal diseases have to deal with unwanted religious intrusion in their healthcare experiences. Also, ideas like “you can't play God”, inform Christian’s notion of how and when someone with a terminal disease can die. As someone who lives with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, this affects me personally.
In this session, I will discuss the quality versus quantity of life, how life has meaning in the face of impending death, and the inhumane way we in America force people to remain alive long past their desire to do so. There will be an extensive Q&A session attached to this presentation. |
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Using a Womanist & Black Liberation Theological Approach to Advance Religious, Reproductive, and Sexual Autonomy to Achieve Reproductive JusticeAs early as 2010, anti-abortionists have targeted the Black Christian Church and Black male clergy to advance a Christian Extremist agenda. SisterReach, a bible-belt based, Womanist-led reproductive justice organization, has used a Black liberation and Womanist theological approach to educate, train, and organize Black clergy, laity, and advocates to advance religious, reproductive, and sexual autonomy using the reproductive justice lens.
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Protecting Religious Freedom in State LegislaturesEvery year, Americans United tracks more than 1,000 bills in state legislatures that touch on church-state separation issues. In this session, state policy experts will discuss how they work in state legislatures to protect religious freedom and some of the most troubling bills that have been heard this year.
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Legal Landscape of Church-State Separation & Religious FreedomThe legal landscape of religious freedom is rapidly evolving. In the last several years, the U.S. Supreme Court has dealt significant blows to the separation of church and state, encouraging conservative legislators and litigators to use religion to chip away at our civil rights in the areas of education, employment, healthcare, and social services. The Court has increasingly deployed specious historical analysis and shadow-docket decisions to radically reshape the way courts around the country interpret the First Amendment.
But how did we get here so quickly, what does the law actually mean, and where are we going next? In this session, Americans United’s Constitutional Litigation Fellows Catherine Feuille and Kalli Joslin will discuss the Court’s rightward drift in recent religion cases, the relationship between the First Amendment’s two Religion Clauses, and significant court decisions we expect to see in the coming months and years. |
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Youth Activism for Church-State SeparationHow is the next generation of church-state separation activists fighting for freedom without favor and equality without exception, and how can you join them? In this session, you’ll hear directly from youth activists about their perspectives on church-state separation and how they are advocating for change in their communities and online. We welcome people of all ages who want to learn about strategies and opportunities for youth activism.
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The Ministerial Exception: The Little-Known Doctrine that Threatens to Strip Millions of Workers of their RightsReligious employers—from schools, to hospitals, to nonprofits—employ nearly two million workers across the country. Like all other employers, they are prohibited by federal and state law from discriminating based on race, sex, sexual orientation, disability, and a host of other protected characteristics. But many employers have started to exploit a legal doctrine called the “ministerial exception” to justify unlawful discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
The ministerial exception allows religious institutions to avoid liability when they fire “ministers”—vital teachers and preachers of the faith. The doctrine is supposed to be confined to individuals who hold important leadership roles in the institution, but by incorporating ministerial language in form employment contracts, dishonest employers have sought to create a loophole that allows them to discriminate with impunity. Americans United fights in the courts to ensure workers are not mischaracterized as ministers and denied their day in court to challenge insidious discrimination. But workers can't rely on the courts alone—now is the time for collective action. Workers can come together to organize and pressure religious employers to stop exploiting the ministerial exception and stop using religion as an excuse to discriminate. This panel will break down the ministerial-exception doctrine, explain how it affects workers, forecast what is to come in the courts, and discuss opportunities for grassroots change. Learn more about this session here. |
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Religion and Reproductive Rights after DobbsWhile conservatives claim that religious and abortion rights are mutually exclusive, the majority of abortion patients are religious, and many faith traditions see reproductive autonomy as a core value. In this session, National Council of Jewish Women, Catholics for Choice, and the Law, Rights, and Religion Project will discuss the power of faith-based abortion advocacy and how religious rights might be used to safeguard and expand access to this essential health care.
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Christian Nationalism and Its Impact on U.S. DemocracyWhat is Christian Nationalism? Even as this term increasingly becomes part of our public awareness, there is not one clear, universally agreed-upon definition. This session will explore multiple approaches to understanding Christian Nationalism. We will then dive into how Christian Nationalism is affecting democracy in the United States today.
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© Americans United for Separation of Church and State 2023