Black Skeptics Receives Community Grant from the Black Freedom Fund!
In the midst of Trump administration backlash against and attacks on racial, social and educational justice in K-12 and higher education, support for African American and PoC students is paramount. Black Skeptics Los Angeles’ six $5000 First in the Family Humanist Forward Freethought Scholarship awardees for 2026 were selected from a highly competitive crop of over one hundred and fifty applicants. This year’s cohort were engaged in LGBTQ+ advocacy, STEM advocacy, community service and social work. Awardees Heather Buckner (UC Berkeley), Blessings Coly (North Carolina A&T), Kelan Speed (UT @ San Antonio), Mariah Slade (North Carolina A&T), Daniel Sierra (UC Berkeley) and Kallyn DaCosta (UMass Boston) exemplified outstanding achievement, community service and dedication to humanist social justice practice in their high school careers. The awards were made possible by generous multi-year contributions from the late freethinker advocate Lance Bredvold via the Freedom From Religion Foundation. In addition to their winning essays, each student was required to submit a brief video overview discussing what the award means to them as a Black/PoC secular youth. Special thanks to our scholarship review committee, Sikivu Hutchinson, Eclasia Wesley, Jasmine Kelley and Jessica Robinson.
Heather Buckner (UC Berkeley, Bioengineering)
I identify as secular and as a freethinker because I believe morality is something we are
responsible for practicing, not something we can outsource. To me, being secular does not
mean being without values. It means choosing values deliberately: compassion, reason,
fairness, curiosity, and responsibility to other people. My deepest sense of purpose has always come from human effort. People solve problems. People build systems. People choose whether to include or exclude others. People decide whether a classroom, team, or community becomes more humane. That is why secular humanism makes sense to me. It asks us to look honestly at the world, use evidence and empathy, and then do the work ourselves.” Heather’s Video
Blessings Coly (North Carolina A&T, Political Science)
“For me, being secular has meant being comfortable asking questions, thinking for myself and figuring out what I believe based on my own experiences and values. Being a good person isn’t limited to a religious label. To me, kindness, empathy and accountability and how we treat people matters. As a young Black woman and a first gen student there is space for people like me to explore our identities and beliefs without feeling like we have to fit in a certain box.” Blessing’s Video
Kaylla DaCosta (UMass Boston, Criminal Justice/Criminology)
“The humanist issues I care most deeply about come directly from my own experiences: immigrant rights, language equity, and community support built on compassion rather than religion.” Kaylla’s Video
Daniel Sierra (UC Berkeley, Film/Sociology)
“I sometimes feel oppressed in my own home for my agnostic beliefs. This scholarship makes me feel seen.I am a humanist both in text and in action. From Palestine to Los Angeles, my fight has always
been for liberation from oppressive systems and governments. I carry both the vocalization of
my humanism and the experience. Notably, I show this through my efforts for civil rights and
equity through the public education system in Los Angeles. With my work, alongside student-led
organizations such as Students Deserve, I have been able to mobilize hundreds of students
through walkouts, public comments at Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board, sit-ins at the LAUSD Headquarters, helping labor unions, and direct actions.” Daniel’s Video
Mariah Slade (North Carolina A&T, Mechanical Engineering)
“Being selected as a Forward Freethought/First in the Family Humanist Scholar also reminds me why organizations like Black Skeptics Los Angeles matter. You are creating space for Black secular young people to think independently, pursue an education and build lives around their own values. I hope that one day I am in a position to give back to organizations like yours so another student can experience the encouragement and opportunity you have given me. I want your investment in me to reach further than my own education. If I can use what I learn to remove a barrier for someone, encourage another Black student to pursue STEM or eventually help another young person afford college, then I will have carried the purpose of this scholarship forward. That is what this award means to me.” Mariah’s Video
Kelan Speed (University of Texas @ San Antonio, Cybersecurity)
“What appeals to me about secular humanism is not certainty, but responsibility. It asks us to confront problems directly. It refuses to assume that justice, equality, or progress will simply arrive on their own. Instead, it places those responsibilities in human hands, and that conviction is the core of my belief.
I do not, and will not, pretend to have solved the questions that first led me toward philosophy. In many ways, I have accumulated more questions than answers. But I have come to believe that a meaningful life is measured less by what we claim to believe and more by what we choose to do for others.” Kelan’s Video
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