Congratulations to the 2024 Lorraine Hansberry Humanist Scholarship Awardees!
This year’s eight First in the Family Humanist FFT scholarship awardees are outstanding Black and BIPOC secular humanist youth leaders who have spearheaded school-community activism and organizing around racial justice, disability justice, LGBTQ+ youth rights, and anti-bullying intervention. Six students received $5000 awards and two students received $2500 awards. Since 2013, Black Skeptics has awarded scholarships to visionary secular youth of color who are from the foster care, undocumented, LGBTQ+, unhoused, justice-involved and disabled communities. The scholarship was originally intended to redress the disproportionate impact of the school to prison pipeline on Black and BIPOC youth, as well as the dearth of targeted college funding and support for secular youth of color, who are often marginalized in academia.
The awards were made possible with the generous support of the Bredvold Fund and the Freedom from Religion Foundation. Thanks to scholarship reviewers Tomorrie Cook, Sikivu Hutchinson and Jessica Robinson.
Rubi Alvarez, UCLA (King-Drew Magnet HS) $2500
Check out Rubi’s award video here
This scholarship supports not just my education, but my identity and values as a BIPOC secular youth. Growing up as an agnostic, I often felt misunderstood. Religion was frequently used to discriminate against queer individuals like me, as well as immigrants. This scholarship represents recognition of my belief that we must be guided by empathy, reason, and a commitment to justice. As I work towards becoming a nurse, I know that these values are crucial in health care.
The question I often pose to those who wonder how I can be moral without a belief in God is this: If the fear of hell is the only thing motivating your goodness, then is your goodness truly genuine? Being a good person should come from a place of empathy and understanding, not fear.
Secular humanism encourages us to take action based on reason and compassion rather than dogma. It calls for us to recognize our shared humanity and to work together to create a more just and equitable world. In addressing issues like transphobia, homophobia, classism, racism, and many others, it is crucial to engage with the underlying social and cultural factors that perpetuate discrimination. This means not only advocating for policy changes but also working to shift societal attitudes and beliefs. In my community, this has involved challenging harmful narratives and providing alternative perspectives that celebrate diversity and inclusivity. By fostering understanding and empathy, we can build a stronger, more cohesive society that values each individual for who they are.
Denim Fisher, Spelman College $2500
Check out Denim’s award video here
“I aim to contribute to a society where every individual is treated justly, regardless of their race, gender, or sexual orientation. Secular humanism posits that human beings, not deities, are responsible for creating social change.
Marginalized human beings can make a difference in promoting meaningful social change by realizing that we are the bearers of our freedom. When advocating for a cause, passion and education are significant. An advocate is present, listens to learn and not to respond, and asks questions. Being an advocate requires an ego adjustment. Many of us enter a space and assume that we can speak to something because we are emotionally invested and charged, but the work of an advocate/activist is to train the mind by educating oneself on not just feelings, but facts. Education is a lifelong task. To ensure that history does not repeat, we must revisit the past.”
Jahliyah Johnson, UC Riverside $5000
Check out Jahliyah’s video here
“Secular humanism can make a difference in creating social change by promoting that being kind and equal to one another as humans is something we should do not because of a moral code created by a god, but simply because we are all human. Theism often relates morality to belief, and I’ve heard many theists argue something to the effect of ‘if you don’t follow a god, how do you know right from wrong?’ This line of thinking is flawed because it assumes that humans are naturally amoral and cruel, and that assumption is fundamentally negative toward social growth and change because of the fact that it discourages kindness and understanding to others who do not subscribe to a certain belief system. Their humanity comes after their theism. Secular humanism focuses instead on a person’s humanity, no matter their religion, race, orientation, etc. This focus allows for meaningful change to be made because the mistreatment of our fellow human is condemned purely because it’s mistreatment of another human being.”
Xavier Johnson, Florida State University $5000
Check out Xavier’s video here
“‘Yo momma’ jokes, a staple of school humor, weren’t my style. But one day, facing bullying because I was ‘different,’ I retaliated with a ‘Yo momma’ joke. ‘Well, yo momma’s so slow, she thought a hard drive was a rough road,’ I quipped, surprising them. This small victory made me feel empowered. Up until then, I found solace in my academic pursuits, but, in a moment of desperation, I was determined to stand up and confront my bullies. Surprisingly, the joke sparked their interest in my coding skills despite them initially shunning me due to my ‘difference.’ This led to the formation of Together We Build, a diverse group of individuals from all backgrounds, sexual orientations and beliefs, focused on Lego robotics, breaking down social barriers. Our camaraderie birthed the school’s first Lego robotics club. The club extended beyond STEM, serving as a platform for discussing topics like bullying prevention and academic success. It evolved into a supportive community, prioritizing personal growth alongside robotics. Empowered by this experience, I honed my wit, using humor to foster connections and advocate for myself. This shift in approach propelled my acceptance and growth and paved the way for a future enriched with innovation.”
Gabrielle LaCourse, University of Southern Maine $5000
Check out Gabrielle’s video here
“I’m an African American deaf woman who was adopted into a white Christian family. My family has allowed me to not participate in their beliefs and have allowed me to pursue my own, which I have appreciated. The bullying and misunderstanding of deafness have made me aware that society in my local area is not as educated as one would hope. I have multiple opportunities around me to spread awareness and I do it with compassion.
The bullying in middle school was by exclusion, which brought on depression, self-harm and thoughts of suicide. My mother and I decided to spend a lot of time at a barn riding horses. This really helped me realize that this time in my life didn’t mean it was the end of my world. I used it as a learning experience. As a result, I learned to befriend the so-called outcasts and become a safe place for them. I’ve learned not to judge people by their looks. I get to know them and find out that they are truly human.”
Alvaro Molina, University of Kentucky $5000
Check out Alvaro’s award video here
“After several years of analyzing why I am not religious, I have found that it is primarily because I do not believe that God, or any god in general, is responsible for everything that happens around me. I think concepts like the bible and Christianity, specifically, are based on self-contradictory arguments. The use of the existence of hell and heaven and the belief that God is watching our every action is nothing more than a tactic to control the masses through fear and suffering.
As a member of the LGBTQ-plus community and an undocumented immigrant in the United States, I have succeeded, graduating with honors from my high school despite the difficulties with English, and I am now a fluent speaker of the language. However, I can also speak to how ugly it feels to be judged by someone who is not like you and does not know your story. I have received racist comments and ridicule upon arriving in the United States, as well as whispers and mockery for being part of the LGBTQ-plus community. If we were more mindful of how our words hurt others, we could have a healthier and better-functioning society, all striving for equity.”
Pierce Smallwood, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo $5000
Check out Pierce’s award video here
During my time growing up in various religious institutions such as Baptist schools, Catholic churches, and missionary programs, there was one factor of Christianity that led me to abandon my belief entirely: the self-righteous yet inconsistent attitudes and behaviors that many of its believers possess. Humans understandably have a self-serving bias—the psychological need to preserve their self-esteem by positively viewing their attitudes and behaviors. Despite the Bible being written thousands of years ago and translated into many different languages, over time, Christians across the globe have conflicting beliefs and attitudes. The most apparent example of this is Western Christianity, where Jesus is often depicted as a man with fair skin and Eurocentric features, despite his origin in the Middle East. Another blatant instance of this is the hostile and negative attitudes Christians have against those in the LGBTQIA+ community despite Jesus’s goodwill toward those in the Bible who have committed evil and blasphemous acts, in which he does good upon them in the name of loving thy neighbor as thyself.
This isn’t to say that Christians and other non-secular individuals simply decide to not to follow their religious disciplines perfectly, but especially in the West, modern Christianity has fueled some followers to deem others inferior and treat them as such, a completely backward attitude from what is taught in the Bible. These mindsets played a strong role in building the United States and have imposed morally unjust and unfair treatment on its citizens, who are only now receiving the breadcrumbs of what they deserve. Being born and raised in Hawai’i, this is fairly apparent, as many indigenous Hawaiians face poverty and homelessness as a direct result of the annexation of the islands, in which missionaries were a factor in shaping the political landscape of Hawai’i before the overthrow of the monarchy. Despite there being no clear-cut way to reparate natives, what should be available to people from all walks of life is opportunity. Secular humanism could bring about a positive change in the United States through the separation of church and state, as policy should be created upon ethics instead of being produced from a religious foundation that produces inequitable treatment.
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Dulcinea Villareal, University of Washington $5000
Check out Dulcinea’s video here
“The main thing I try to do to instill these morals is accept everyone. But beyond that, I try to tell other people to accept everyone. In my town, there are a lot of conservatives with some very not nice things to say about queer people and those who aren’t Christian. It is a human right to belong, be loved, and not be alone. I always remind them that God said ‘love thy neighbor.’ I tie these values back to their religious texts because I want to remind them that they don’t get to just pick and choose what ideas they follow and what ones they don’t. I’ve always seen a lot of hypocrisy when it comes to choosing what is right and wrong based on words in a book rather than what you feel is the right thing to do as a human being.
I’ve always followed the idea that you can control your own life based on your religion, but you cannot control my life based on your religion. I live by the notion that under all the layers of what makes us individuals, there is a base — human.”
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