It was a busy summer at Americans United.
In early August, Americans United released a new video featuring President and CEO Rachel Laser. The video, which is under two minutes long, is designed to be shared on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and aims to briefly explain AU’s work. To see the video, visit: www.au.org/get-involved/we-are-americans-united/form.
Laser delivered the sermon at Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church in Adelphi, Md., July 8. She addressed the topic “Separation of Church and State and Racial Justice: A Critical Nexus.” Laser’s talk was very well received, and she spent time afterward visiting with members of the congregation and answering questions.
Bill Mefford, faith outreach specialist, spoke at Central Christian Church in Lexington, Ky., July 8. He also addressed AU’s Louisville Chapter. Earlier in the summer, Mefford was in Nashville to celebrate the 90th birthday of Charles Sumner, a longtime AU activist and chapter leader.
Legislative Director Maggie Garrett and State Legislative Counsel Nik Nartowicz exhibited at the National Conference of State Legislatures July 30-Aug. 2 in Los Angeles where they met with state legislators, distributed material about Americans United and answered questions about AU’s work.
Prior to that event, Garrett and Nartowicz attended the Equality Federation Leadership Conference in New Orleans July 25-28.
Several AU staffers exhibited at Netroots Nation, a large progressive conference, which this year took place in New Orleans Aug. 2-4. Sam Sokol, legislative assistant, and Nartowicz represented Americans United along with Amy Fallow and Nicole You, who were interns in AU’s Field Department this summer.
While at Netroots, Sokol, You and Fallow appeared in a BBC video about what it’s like to be a young activist during the Trump presidency.
Fallow and AU summer interns Emily Midyette, Mackenzie Price and Alexandra Willingham made short videos explaining why Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is a threat to church-state separation. To see the videos, visit AU’s Instagram or Facebook pages.
The New Mexico Chapter of Americans United sponsored an event featuring Steve Allen, director of public policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico July 5.
Jeffrey Selman, co-president of AU’s Georgia Chapter, addressed the Columbus, Ga., chapter of Indivisible Aug. 5 at an event held at the Columbus Main Library. Selman discussed his involvement as a plaintiff in two successful cases in Cobb County, Ga., involving separation of church and state.
AU’s Orange County, Calif., Chapter hosted an event Aug. 18 featuring the Rev. Nancy Brink, a member of AU’s Board of Trustees and director of church relations at Chapman University. Brink’s talk was titled “Progressive Christianity and the Separation of Church and State.”
Members of AU’s Board of Trustees met at the national office in Washington, D.C., Aug. 4-6. During the meeting, several members visited the offices of their senators to urge them to vote against Kavanaugh.
