Editor’s Note: This month, “The Wall of Separation” blog will feature Q&A-style interviews with the four first-place winners of the 2025 AU Student Contest, which asked high school and college students to reflect on this two-part prompt: How and why do religious and/or nonreligious groups, on their own or together, advocate for the separation of church and state? How have they been successful, and what does their example mean for present and future advocacy for the separation of church and state? You can find all of the winning essays and videos here. Submissions do not necessarily reflect the views of Americans United.
Today’s conversation is with Cole Richardson of San Diego, Calif., who wrote the first-place high school essay in the 2025 AU Student Contest.
Richardson: I come from a family of mostly mixed/secular values, participating in Jewish customs and becoming a Bar Mitzvah but also being given the freedom to explore a range of beliefs. My father grew up in a secular household and instilled the importance of education, understanding, and general kindness as principles that should preclude my engagement with religion. My elementary school hosted a variety of faiths, exposing me to the broad spectrum of personal beliefs one may hold.
As I grew older and developed an interest in politics and world affairs from my grandfather, who worked for the DoD [Department of Defense] and traveled extensively, detailing his experiences, I noticed the very religiously driven style of governance found in many nations and found this in opposition to the values I had been given in my American history courses.
I knew we had constitutional principles specifically to address this issue, and my belief in these principles was unquestioning (almost a faith of its own), yet I would see God referenced as exigence for much oppressive legislation in my own country. This led me to reexamine my trust in our First Amendment and the Establishment Clause, and I came to understand that we must constantly make use of our rights to prevent them from being stolen from us.
Richardson: Coalition building between groups representing various faiths who maintain a commitment to secular governance allows for communication about church-state separation to reach as many people as possible. The religious and nonreligious alike must recognize they have a vested interest in protecting church-state separation, and this is best done by organizations such as Americans United, who direct their interest from a common position: As Americans we must continuously strive to uphold constitutional principles, regardless of the personal beliefs that may divide us.
Richardson: I will continue to engage with those of various faiths and gain a better understanding of what their religious institutions wish to see in the broader public sector. I will stay open-minded and understanding in my approach towards religious beliefs. I will focus on finding the common ground of a shared American belief in the Constitution with any person or organization that is secular or faith based. I will stay vigilant and note the ways that some tie religious views and goals into legislation that is not explicitly religious, and I will do the same for secular legislation that subtly inhibits religious freedom. I will never lie down and yield my rights no matter the context.
In a more action-based manner, I will vote for representatives who (regardless of their personal beliefs) note a loyalty to the Constitution as their chief commitment in their capacity as a political actor, and I will loudly decry politicians who place their faith at the forefront of their policies, as this betrays the central governing document of our country.
You can read Cole’s AU Student Contest essay here.
