Exciting new storytelling projects and a temporary pause from my column

Editor’s note: This blog post by AU President and CEO Rachel Laser originally appeared in the January/February 2026 issue of AU’s Church & State magazine. 

This February marks my eighth anniversary leading Americans United. Back in late 2017, when I was interviewing for this job, the U.S. Supreme Court was hearing the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. As I dug into the case, I remember coming across many pictures of the baker Jack Phillips (whose bakery violated Colorado’s anti-discrimination law in turning away the gay couple Charlie Craig and David Mullins), but relatively few pictures of Charlie and David.

Phillips was telling his side of the story all over the place, but people didn’t have the same opportunity to hear from this gay couple about what it was like to be turned away because of who they loved, how this made them feel in their community, and what other stores and services they worried about being denied — all because an individual claimed a religious exemption to a state law put in place to protect people exactly like them.

Storytelling helps people connect with church-state separation

When I arrived at Americans United that February, I remember feeling humbled by all I had to learn, but certain that we needed to show more human faces and tell more human stories to help others connect with church-state separation more viscerally.

Over the past eight years, AU has leaned into humanizing the issue of church-state separation in many ways. When we rebranded and redesigned our website, we decided to feature many more human faces. From our lawsuits to the speeches we give around the country, AU has put the spotlight on our plaintiffs’ stories, vividly connecting the dots between our freedom to live as ourselves and believe as we choose and the principle of church-state separation.

Whether I’m speaking with a group of heads of secular organizations or to hundreds of people in the pews of a church, I encourage every one of us to get in touch with our own personal connection to church-state separation, or to tell a compelling story about someone else and what a difference it makes in their lives.

I’ve learned firsthand that sharing personal stories always takes vulnerability, and sometimes even invites backlash. When I have spoken about what church-state separation means to me as a Jew, I have received hate emails, some of them even threatening. By far worse, some of our plaintiffs have endured attacks on their pets and homes, and even physical assaults.

But when people decide to tell their stories, the impact can be extraordinary because other people connect to it as fellow humans. As Christian Nationalists intensify their crusade to force Americans to adhere to their politicized version of Christianity, the talented staff of Americans United has done a tremendous job of holding the church-state line in the courts, in Congress, and across state legislatures. We owe part of that success to collaboration among AU’s legal, public policy, communications, and outreach departments to lift up stories that amplify the connection between our issue and the freedoms that religious extremists want to take away.

Appointment to U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom

AU’s good work and increased storytelling, with your steadfast, generous support, have brought attention to Americans United and helped church-state separation make a comeback at one of the most important moments in our history. One of the reasons I was so proud when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer recently appointed me to serve as a U.S. Commissioner for International Religious Freedom (which I will perform in my personal capacity) is because it demonstrated that even the highest-ranking members of the U.S. Congress understand the importance of church-state separation to religious freedom.

Looking ahead, I have exciting plans this year to launch two projects, on top of my other existing duties, highlighting human stories related to church-state separation. I know that is vague, but I promise to tell you more in the coming months about these projects! So, I’m going to take a pause from writing this column and give you a chance to get to know Bruce Gourley, our not-so-new-anymore editor-in-chief of Church & State, a little better as he temporarily takes over this space. Bruce has done a fabulous and seamless job of running the magazine — no small feat filling the shoes of Rob Boston.

Here’s to a 2026 filled with happiness, health, and a recommitment to sharing stories that personalize the role church-state separation plays in our lives. Thank you for your partnership in this work.