FFRF has awarded $30,000 in First in the Family Humanist Forward Freethought scholarships to seven students, thanks to the incredible generosity of FFRF benefactor Lance Bredvold. The students were selected by Black Skeptics Los Angeles (BSLA), an African American humanist/atheist-based organization.

Aviana Anderson, Tuskegee University, $5,000

My mother, a single parent, is one of the most dedicated people I have ever met, but it was not prayer alone that has raised me and my siblings. It was her working late at night to prepare dinner and care for my paralyzed aunt, her walking to work when we couldn’t even afford gas, and her sharing what little we had with neighbors who had even less. I saw her and learned that you don’t need divine mandate to act with kindness. You just need love. You just need people who believe in each other. I identify as a freethinker and humanist not because I’m anti-religion, but because I hold faith in another kind of faith, a faith in humans, in our ability to convert pain into progress, and in the power of showing up for one another with no strings attached.  Humanism is a faith that says we don’t have to wait until the afterlife to start changing this one. It’s action in the present moment, justice in the present moment, healing in the present moment.

BSLA is the first secular humanist/atheist organization to specifically address college pipelining for youth of color through its ongoing scholarship, college and K-12 youth leadership partnerships. FFRF has proudly partnered with BSLA for 12 years to provide tuition grants, gradually increasing the funding and number of scholarships.

Those who would like to donate toward the Forward Freethought Fund, a needs-based scholarship dedicated to helping freethinking students who might otherwise be unable to attend college, may designate “tuition scholarships” in the ffrf.org/donate dropdown or earmark checks for “Forward Freethought Fund” or “tuition scholarships.” All donations to FFRF remain deductible for income-tax purposes.

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