Dear NYC Atheists Inc.,
“We took the freedom of speech away,” said the President of the United States this week.
In another, simpler time, we might’ve dismissed that as a slip of the tongue or a silly gaffe. But these are not normal times, and our First Amendment freedoms are under attack.
The current regime is using the full force of government to indict perceived political enemies, target disfavored groups, and stifle dissent. Federal immigration and law enforcement agencies have descended on the city of Chicago, zip-tying U.S. citizens, separating families, and firing chemical agents at protesters. One Presbyterian pastor was praying when he was struck in the head with a forced compliance munition.
Despite video evidence to the contrary, the administration continues to characterize peaceful protesters as violent agitators and even domestic terrorists. Their mistreatment of clergy in Chicago and Portland is especially notable given official government social media accounts have repeatedly invoked the Bible to justify and promote mass deportation.
According to the Religion News Service, faith leaders “have been a visible presence” at recent protests. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV has intensified his criticism of the Trump Administration’s immigration policies. And clergy are increasingly warning their religious freedom is being violated — filing suit, and as of Thursday, winning.
That successful complaint, brought by the aforementioned pastor and similarly besieged Chicago-area journalists, read: “Never in modern times has the federal government undermined bedrock constitutional protections on this scale.”
In such a time, it’s understandable to feel anxious, afraid, angry, confused, sad, hopeless, or tired. (Heck, I’ve felt all of those just this week.) But that we can still feel — and speak — means we still have something important to fight for. It is precisely because the stakes of this moment are so high that we must allow ourselves to feel disheartened and still forge ahead.
American Atheists is not backing down. And while a few readers may respond to remind me immigration policy is not “in our lane,” I write because we believe in the inherent dignity of all people and because defending the freedom of expression and the separation of religion and government is very much our mission. These rights rose together, and they will fall together — if we let them.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
This administration’s actions threaten each and every one of those most fundamental freedoms, but in these United States, no leader can simply “take” them from us. Not if we refuse to yield.
So, one week from now, on Saturday, October 18, American Atheists is proudly and boldly partnering with hundreds of other organizations to declare: No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.
Millions will peacefully yet powerfully gather across the nation to exercise our hard-won rights and remind those in power that they must answer, in this life and in this moment, to We, the People. And we will show folks like Speaker Mike Johnson, who is preemptively calling the event an “outrageous… hate-America rally,” that dissent is patriotic.
To find the No Kings event nearest to you, please click here.
To support American Atheists’ work defending the First Amendment, please click here.
Today marks the conclusion of Banned Books Week, a national reminder that the freedoms to read, write, speak, and think without government control are not self-sustaining. Whether it’s a protester brutalized in the streets of Chicago or a book stripped from the shelves of a library, every effort to silence dissent and force compliance is an anti-American attack at the very core of our pluralistic and representative democracy.
This moment is frightening, but it can also be fortifying — making it clear to nonreligious Americans as well as those of faith that our Constitution only endures so long as we stand together and courageously refuse to surrender it. So, know your rights. Use them. And stay safe out there.
In solidarity,
Melina Cohen
Director of Strategic Communications & Policy Engagement
American Atheists is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, nonprofit educational organization that relies on the support of members like you. Contributions are tax-deductible. Our Federal Tax ID Number is 74-2466507 and our Combined Federal Campaign number is 52217.
American Atheists
225 Cristiani Street
Cranford, NJ 07016
United States