November, 2021
NEWSLETTER
A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
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Dear Humanist,

First off, thank you for being a valued Chicago Humanists newsletter subscriber!

We recently have gone through some changes including adding a new board and voting in a new President. We are working hard to create new events and also ensure we expand our reach within the community of Chicago.

Our mission is to promote Humanism within Chicago and ensure all secular Humanists can live without discrimination for religious reasons. Now more than ever do we need to unite our secular society in order to protect human rights and civil liberties.

This newsletter was created to promote Humanism and provide monthly feedback regarding the organizations events and direction. Our most important goal is to inform all our members about local, state and national news that impact all of our secular society.

"A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny."
~Thomas Jefferson

We hope you enjoy the newsletter and if you would like to contribute to the newsletter and be a guest contributor please reach out to us through our website page. If you want to become a member just scroll down and sign up.
Become a New Member!
A $20 annual membership will help support grassroots humanist advocacy in Chicago, events and community outreach as well as volunteer opportunities and increase humanist visibility.
COVID RESOURCES
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Find a COVID-19 Vaccine
COVID-19 vaccines are free and available to anyone who wants one. The United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CD), and VaccineFinder from Boston Children's Hospital have provided an accurate and up-to-date information about vaccination services in your area.
Find help with rent and utilities
If you’re looking for help with housing costs, you’re not alone.
State and local organizations are distributing federal rental assistance in their communities. The money can help landlords and renters who are struggling to keep up with rent and other bills.

Many programs take applications from both landlords and renters.
LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS
Chicago Day of Prayer
The walls of Church and State are being challenged everyday and it seems you can add they City of Chicago as one of those violators. This Saturday November 6th, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot will join faith leaders in a moment of prayer. This type of event is clearly an infringement on the establishment clause. Reach out to the City Mayor and make your voice heard.
Humanist Election Results Demonstrate Need for Atheist and Humanist Community to Do More for 2022
Increasing the political engagement of the atheist and humanist community—both as a voting bloc and as elected officials—is vital in protecting our democracy and countering the dangerous White Christian Nationalist agenda. The participation of atheist, agnostic, and religiously unaffiliated voters has doubled since 2014. In the 2020 election, our community comprised 25% of all voters, up from just 12% in 2014. We need to continue to organize, make our values known at the ballot box, and to run for public office.
AHA Joins Brief Arguing Public Funds Cannot Support Religious Instruction
On October 29th, the American Humanist Association (AHA) joined a brief filed in the Supreme Court of the United States in Carson v. Makin, regarding whether Maine’s tuition-assistance program supported by public funds must support religious schools under the First Amendment. The amicus brief was authored by Americans United for Separation of Church and State and co-signed by the AHA and a number of other prominent religious and civil rights organizations.
Humanist Latinx Nonreligious Americans on the Rise
Amid increased calls for diversity and representation, the reality continues to be that the media leans heavily on stereotypes and tropes, making necessary a serious focus on the lack of intersectionality. Take into account some examples from pop culture. Jane the Virgin, a popular TV series first aired on the CW, was praised for its predominantly Latinx cast, however, its strong Catholic influences (which include the title of the show itself) present issues for its ability to truly represent the whole community.
Humanist Texans vote in favor of prohibiting governments from limiting religious services
Texas voters on Tuesday (Nov. 2) overwhelmingly supported a measure barring governments from taking any kind of action that limits religious services, such as the public health orders that shut down houses of worship and businesses earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's time to freak out about methane emissions
n the public conversation about climate change, methane has gotten too little attention for too long. Many people may be unaware that humans have been spewing a greenhouse gas that’s even more potent than carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at a rate not seen in at least 800,000 years. It harms air quality and comes from sources as varied as oil and gas pipelines to landfills and cows. But methane and other greenhouse gases, including hydrofluorocarbons, ozone, nitrous oxides, and sulfur oxides, are finally getting the attention they deserve — thanks largely to advances in the science.
CARTOON OF THE MONTH
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