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Christian Nationalist Rep. Ogles Loses Tenn. Primary After FFRF Called for Resignation
MADISON, Wisconsin, Aug. 8 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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Christian nationalist Rep. Ogles loses Tenn. primary after FFRF called for resignation
One of Congress' most outspoken Christian nationalism proponents has lost his bid for re-election months after the Freedom From Religion Foundation called on him to resign for declaring that Muslims do not belong in American society.
Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., was defeated on Thursday by former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, a more traditional conservative Republican backed by the
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MADISON, Wisconsin, Aug. 8 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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Christian nationalist Rep. Ogles loses Tenn. primary after FFRF called for resignation
One of Congress' most outspoken Christian nationalism proponents has lost his bid for re-election months after the Freedom From Religion Foundation called on him to resign for declaring that Muslims do not belong in American society.
Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., was defeated on Thursday by former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, a more traditional conservative Republican backed by thestate's party establishment, in the GOP primary for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District. The two-term incumbent lost despite receiving President Trump's "complete and total endorsement" hours before polls closed.
Ogles' defeat follows his congressional tenure marked by repeated efforts to portray the United States as a fundamentally Christian nation and to cast Americans of other faiths as outsiders. In one particularly striking social media post, Ogles shared a video depicting himself, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as medieval crusader knights emblazoned with crosses and marching in front of the U.S. Capitol.
"This is a battle of good vs evil," Ogles wrote. "We must reaffirm that our nation was built on Christian principles."
The imagery encapsulated the Christian nationalist ideology that FFRF has spent decades opposing: the false notion that the United States belongs especially to Christians and that the government should privilege Christianity over other religions and nonreligion.
"The United States is not a Christian nation -- and members of Congress are not Christian crusaders," says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "Our Constitution created a secular government belonging equally to Christians, Muslims, Jews, atheists, agnostics and every other American. Rep. Ogles repeatedly used his position to promote precisely the kind of religious division our Constitution was designed to prevent."
That rhetoric took an especially disturbing turn earlier this year.
FFRF called on Ogles to resign in March after he publicly declared that "Muslims don't belong in American society" and that "pluralism is a lie." In a letter to Ogles, FFRF Legal Counsel Chris Line condemned the statements as "profoundly bigoted, fundamentally un-American, and incompatible with the oath" of a U.S. representative.
"Members of Congress take an oath not to a religion, ideology, or political movement, but to the Constitution of the United States," Line wrote. "If you cannot accept the basic constitutional principle that Americans of all religions -- including Muslims -- and no religion belong fully and equally in this nation, then you cannot faithfully discharge the duties of your office."
Ogles' comments at that time were not isolated. He additionally announced plans during his during his time in office for legislation barring immigration from certain Muslim-majority countries, proclaimed that "diversity is our weakness" and called for the deportation of Muslims, including U.S. citizens. He also joined the congressional "Sharia Free America Caucus," which was launched in December 2025 and promoted alarmist claims about Islamic law in the United States. FFRF has pointed out the obvious constitutional flaw in this fearmongering: The First Amendment already prevents the government from imposing any religion's laws on Americans.
The First Amendment's Establishment Clause bars the government from imposing Islamic doctrine just as surely as it prevents the government from imposing Christian doctrine. At the same time, its Free Exercise Clause protects Muslims, Christians and members of other faiths from government discrimination because of their religious beliefs. And Article VI of the U.S. Constitution expressly prohibits religious tests for public office.
Ogles' defeat is an encouraging development in the broader fight against Christian nationalism. His rhetoric represented an especially stark version of an ideology that seeks to merge Christian identity with American citizenship and governmental power. The rejection of that rhetoric by voters in his own party is a welcome reminder that Christian nationalism is neither inevitable nor synonymous with American values.
"Christian nationalism may be loud, but it does not speak for America," adds Gaylor. "Our nation's promise is far better than the divisive vision promoted by politicians like Andy Ogles. America belongs equally to Christians, Muslims, Jews, atheists, agnostics -- and everyone else. Any setback for the effort to turn our secular republic into a Christian nation is a victory for the constitutional principles that protect us all."
FFRF will continue challenging Christian nationalism wherever it appears in government and defending the foundational principle that public officials swear an oath to the Constitution, not to Christianity. Ogles' upcoming departure from Congress marks a welcome victory in that ongoing fight.
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The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with about 41,000 members and several chapters nationwide, including more than 400 members and a local chapter in Tennessee. FFRF's purposes are to defend the constitutional principle of separation between church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
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Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/christian-nationalist-rep-ogles-loses-tenn-primary-after-ffrf-called-for-resignation/
[Category: Religion]
Southeastern Legal Foundation Releases Statement on Department of Ed's Call to Action for American Universities
ROSWELL, Georgia, Aug. 7 -- The Southeastern Legal Foundation issued the following statement:
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Southeastern Legal Foundation releases statement on Department of Ed's call to action for American universities
SLF released the following statement after the Department of Education called on university presidents to reaffirm colleges as places of excellence:
"Now is the time for America's universities to finally pull away from woke indoctrination and focus on education. SLF has taken on multiple cases involving universities imposing political views and/or restricting views of students. These
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ROSWELL, Georgia, Aug. 7 -- The Southeastern Legal Foundation issued the following statement:
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Southeastern Legal Foundation releases statement on Department of Ed's call to action for American universities
SLF released the following statement after the Department of Education called on university presidents to reaffirm colleges as places of excellence:
"Now is the time for America's universities to finally pull away from woke indoctrination and focus on education. SLF has taken on multiple cases involving universities imposing political views and/or restricting views of students. Thesecases are just some examples indicating the trust that our schools have lost with the public.
The American people deserve universities that they can trust where students are allowed to participate in a free marketplace of ideas.
The Department of Education is calling on Universities to work to restore that public trust. While there is a lot of work to do, SLF agrees that now is the time for our Universities to reaffirm their status and work to educate, not indoctrinate."
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Original text here: https://slfliberty.org/southeastern-legal-foundation-releases-statement-on-department-of-eds-call-to-action-for-american-universities/
Researchers at the Royal Marsden Receive Academic Promotion
LONDON, England, Aug. 7 -- The Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust issued the following news:
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Researchers at The Royal Marsden receive academic promotion
A quartet of consultants at The Royal Marsden have received academic promotions from The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)
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Dr Kate Newbold, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Dr Alison Tree, Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Dr Julia Chisholm, Consultant Paediatric Oncologist have been awarded the title of Professor.
Dr Anna Minchom, Consultant Medical Oncologist, has been awarded the title of Reader.
The new
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LONDON, England, Aug. 7 -- The Royal Marsden National Health Service Foundation Trust issued the following news:
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Researchers at The Royal Marsden receive academic promotion
A quartet of consultants at The Royal Marsden have received academic promotions from The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)
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Dr Kate Newbold, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Dr Alison Tree, Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Dr Julia Chisholm, Consultant Paediatric Oncologist have been awarded the title of Professor.
Dr Anna Minchom, Consultant Medical Oncologist, has been awarded the title of Reader.
The newtitles became effective from 1 August 2026.
Professor Kate Newbold
Professor Newbold is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist specialising in the treatment of head and neck cancers and thyroid cancer.
Her research focuses on improving outcomes and quality of life for patients through treatment deescalation in early-stage thyroid cancer, optimising the delivery of radioisotopes, developing novel systemic therapies for advanced thyroid cancer, and applying functional imaging to the management of head and neck cancer.
She has served as UK Principal Investigator for multiple phase II and III clinical trials that have helped shape the treatment of both early and advanced thyroid cancer.
Professor Newbold said: ""It is a tremendous honour to receive a professorship from the ICR. This recognition reflects the dedication and achievements of the many researchers and clinicians across the ICR and The Royal Marsden who work in head and neck and thyroid cancer. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together and look forward to continuing to drive exciting and innovative developments that will benefit patients in the years ahead.
Professor Alison Tree
Professor Tree was appointed Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden in 2014, specialising in urological malignancies. Her role is part-funded by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Cancer.
Professor Tree's current research interests focus on technical radiotherapy developments in prostate cancer, aiming to make radiotherapy more effective and reduce side effects.
She has led trials in MR-guided prostate radiotherapy, in boosting treatment of dominant intraprostatic lesions (a tumour nodule in prostate cancer) and in ablating oligoprogressing metastases (additional cancer growths following treatment of metastases) in advanced prostate cancer.
She said: "Thanks to the incredible support I have received from The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and NIHR, I look forward to supporting our next generation of clinical researchers, so that we remain at the forefront of radiotherapy research for decades to come. I am delighted to have been awarded the title of Professor, which reflects the excellent mentorship and encouragement I have received from The Royal Marsden and ICR over the last 15 years."
Professor Julia Chisholm
Professor Chisholm is an internationally recognised, clinical academic researcher in paediatric and adolescent soft tissue sarcomas, with particular expertise in rhabdomyosarcoma. She is one of the consultant leads for The Royal Marsden's Paediatric Drug Development Unit, funded by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, and has led numerous early and late phase trials locally and nationally. Her research has changed international standards of care across Europe and beyond.
She said: "This professorship is a reflection of the excellence of the children and young people's (CYP) service at The Royal Marsden, and particularly our early- and late-phase clinical trials work, as well as our national and international standing in research.
"More than this, it is a positive reflection on the entire team and the vital role they play in creating an environment of research excellence at The Royal Marsden. I would like to thank all my clinical and academic colleagues who have provided their support along the way, as well as the patients and families who participate in clinical trials and support the work carried out by the CYP unit."
Dr Anna Minchom
Dr Minchom is a Consultant Medical Oncologist and Biomedical Research Centre Clinical Scientist in the Oak Foundation Drug Development Unit at The Royal Marsden. She is also lead in the Lung Research Unit. Her role is part funded by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Cancer.
Her main research focus is using a biomarker-driven and translational approach to develop novel drugs and drug combinations for the treatment of patients with lung cancer and mesothelioma. She is Chief Investigator and Principal Investigator for Phase I, II and III trials including first in-human studies with novel agents including signalling molecule inhibitors, antibody-drug conjugates and immunotherapy.
She said: "I am delighted to be appointed as Reader. Thank you to my collaborators and colleagues who work with me on this research, including The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, and NIHR as the funding and support from them continues to be integral to our work. I am looking forward to further progressing research in drug treatments for patients with thoracic cancers."
Dame Cally Palmer, Chief Executive at The Royal Marsden, said: "These academic achievements are a testament to their contribution to the collaborative partnership of The Royal Marsden and the ICR. Together, we pioneer new cancer therapies through complex studies and clinical trials which influence how cancer patients are treated and cared for around the world."
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Original text here: https://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/news-and-events/news/researchers-royal-marsden-receive-academic-promotion
Freedom From Religion Foundation: Real Threat Isn't Muslims - It's Government Religious Favoritism
MADISON, Wisconsin, Aug. 7 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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The real threat isn't Muslims -- it's government religious favoritism
The Freedom From Religion Foundation chastises a Senate hearing yesterday for promoting anti-Muslim fearmongering and undermining the First Amendment.
The Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee hearing was aptly and ominously titled: "Hidden in Plain Sight: Confronting the Muslim Brotherhood Network in America,"
"Hidden in plain sight is the fact that Sen. Ted Cruz and others are engaged in a latter-day witch hunt to
... Show Full Article
MADISON, Wisconsin, Aug. 7 -- The Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following news release:
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The real threat isn't Muslims -- it's government religious favoritism
The Freedom From Religion Foundation chastises a Senate hearing yesterday for promoting anti-Muslim fearmongering and undermining the First Amendment.
The Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee hearing was aptly and ominously titled: "Hidden in Plain Sight: Confronting the Muslim Brotherhood Network in America,"
"Hidden in plain sight is the fact that Sen. Ted Cruz and others are engaged in a latter-day witch hunt todemonize a religious minority while at the same time seeking to use our federal government to promote Christian nationalism," says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.
The hearing repeatedly blurred the distinction between violent extremists and lawful Muslim religious and civic organizations, portraying constitutionally protected advocacy, litigation, coalition-building and civic engagement as evidence of a broader religious threat. Such rhetoric runs counter to the First Amendment's twin guarantees of religious liberty: the Establishment Clause, which bars the government from favoring one religion over another, and the Free Exercise Clause, which protects every person's right to practice their faith free from government discrimination.
Showing the dangers of such governmental disfavor toward a religious minority is the fact that the hearing was delayed from its originally scheduled date of May 20, after three people were killed two days earlier in a targeted attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Cruz suggested that Muslim organizations must be viewed with suspicion because they file lawsuits, challenge government policies, organize on college campuses and engage in public advocacy. Those are ordinary First Amendment activities routinely exercised by religious and secular organizations across the ideological spectrum, including conservative Christian legal groups that frequently litigate against state/church protections and seek to influence public policy.
"When advocacy by one religious community is portrayed as evidence of extremism while similar advocacy by politically favored religious groups is celebrated, the government abandons the religious neutrality required by the Constitution," adds FFRF Co-President Dan Barker. "The First Amendment protects every American's right to petition the government, speak freely and participate in civic life regardless of their religious beliefs."
The hearing reflects a broader trend to portray Christianity as uniquely compatible with American government while treating minority faiths as inherently suspect or less authentically American. The Framers of the Constitution were first in history to prohibit religious tests for public office and adopted the First Amendment in part to assure that our government would not elevate one faith while marginalizing others.
As Thomas Jefferson wrote of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the model for the First Amendment's Religion Clauses, its protections extend equally to "the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo, and infidel of every denomination." The Constitution's promise of religious liberty has always rested on equal treatment -- not religious favoritism.
FFRF's affiliated advocacy organization, the FFRF Action Fund, joined a broad coalition of religious liberty, civil rights and faith-based organizations warning that the hearing's premise "is among the latest in a long line of attacks that are designed to sow fear and conspiracy theories about an entire religion and a diverse community for political gain." The coalition cautioned that such attacks undermine the nation's commitment to religious freedom for all.
Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee announced that they would boycott the hearing, calling it a "political creepshow" that scapegoats Muslims for political gain amid rising violence targeting houses of worship.
The government has a compelling interest in investigating and prosecuting terrorism wherever credible evidence exists. But congressional oversight must target unlawful conduct supported by evidence, not cast a cloud over millions of peaceful Americans because they belong to a disfavored faith. History has repeatedly demonstrated that when the government singles out one religion for suspicion, the religious liberty of all Americans is weakened.
"When elected officials exploit religious prejudice for political gain, they don't just harm one faith community," Gaylor says. "They erode the constitutional principle of separation between religion and government that protects everyone's religious liberty. The government has no business deciding which religions are truly 'American' and which should be viewed with suspicion."
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The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With about 41,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
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Original text here: https://ffrf.org/news/releases/the-real-threat-isnt-muslims-its-government-religious-favoritism/
[Category: Religion]
Foundation for Economic Education Posts Commentary: Hawaii's "Blood Quantum" Rule Deepens the State's Housing Crisis
DETROIT, Michigan, Aug. 7 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary by Yale law student Rachel Chiu:
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Hawaii's "Blood Quantum" Rule Deepens the State's Housing Crisis
State officials use a "blood quantum" requirement to kick residents out of their homes.
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Hawaiian residents are challenging ancestry-based housing restrictions in federal court. A pair of lawsuits filed in June and July takes aim at the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, a state agency that reserves long-term homestead leases to individuals who meet the state's "blood quantum" requirement.
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DETROIT, Michigan, Aug. 7 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary by Yale law student Rachel Chiu:
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Hawaii's "Blood Quantum" Rule Deepens the State's Housing Crisis
State officials use a "blood quantum" requirement to kick residents out of their homes.
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Hawaiian residents are challenging ancestry-based housing restrictions in federal court. A pair of lawsuits filed in June and July takes aim at the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, a state agency that reserves long-term homestead leases to individuals who meet the state's "blood quantum" requirement.To be eligible for a homestead lease--long-term, affordable leases for residential, agricultural, and pastoral purposes--an applicant must prove that he or she has 50% Native Hawaiian ancestry. In any other context, this type of requirement would be instantly illegal. No ordinary government agency or housing authority can deny your application or evict you because of your ancestry. Yet, these controversial rules are very common for determining benefits for indigenous populations, and continue to give the state inordinate power to withhold opportunities and take property from citizens according to overtly discriminatory justifications.
The lead plaintiff in the first lawsuit is Eric Ryan, a lifelong Hawaiian resident whose application for a homestead lease was immediately denied because he was not, as the pre-qualification form required, "at least 50 percent Native Hawaiian." The legal definition of a Native Hawaiian is a "descendant of not less than one-half part of the blood of the races inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands previous to 1778." With this narrow construction, the state is empowered to reject thousands of applicants. Meanwhile, many others are left on hold. According to the complaint, the waiting list for new leases exceeds 30,000 applicants, and some have been waiting for more than 40 years.
The Department has sought to expand its efforts to meet the high demand. Last year, it purchased an 82-unit private housing complex in Kauai for a state-run rent-to-own program. But, yet again, the program was reserved for residents who were at least 50% Native Hawaiian. This meant that applicants like Ryan would be ineligible and, even worse, existing homeowners would be evicted because of their ancestry. In July, two residents initiated a second lawsuit against the Department. Linda Twitchell, who is not Native Hawaiian, will soon be forced to leave the apartment she has lived in for seven years. Another resident, David Kalahiki, who is 25% Native Hawaiian, will not be able to continue living in his home since it will go to someone on the waitlist who meets the strict ancestry cutoff. These evicted residents were forced back into a tumultuous housing market where renters struggle to find affordable homes, and a majority must spend more than 30% of their monthly income on rent.
The dispossession of residents through these discriminatory rules unnecessarily exacerbates the housing insecurity within the state. This situation stems from an antiquated and controversial policy: the Department is empowered by the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, a federal law that mandates the blood quantum requirement. It was enacted during Hawaii's territorial period between annexation and statehood. According to a 1920 House report, lawmakers were concerned about too much social assimilation and native population decline. However, some scholars and commentators have called the requirement a tool of dispossession that was designed to reduce individual autonomy under the guise of protection.
Still, state officials claim that the Act is beneficial rather than harmful. In a statement, Hawaii Governor Josh Green vowed to defend the statute rigorously, and Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez claimed that the program has "provided opportunities, stability, and hope to generations of Native Hawaiian beneficiaries." But the plaintiffs contend that the ancestral requirement is constitutionally impermissible and violates the guarantee of equal protection under the law.
The Kauai evictions are particularly suspect because they involve the displacement of residents, while Governor Green paradoxically claims that the Act is designed to remedy dispossession. As the complaint alleges: "The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act does not expressly authorize [the Department] to purchase private real property and convert that property into Hawaiian home lands. Rather, the purpose of the Act was to specifically preserve the Hawaiian home lands--real property previously held by the Hawaiian monarchy--for homesteading purposes." Even if the law has conceptual merit, it is uncertain whether it still accomplishes its intended goals or works against them.
Ultimately, the courts will need to clarify whether these ancestry-based requirements can persist and, separately, whether they justify the ousting of residents from their homes. But as it stands, Hawaii can tell residents that they are insufficiently Native Hawaiian and evict them based on its rigid, government-imposed standard.
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Rachel Chiu is a J.D. candidate at Yale Law School and a Young Voices contributor focused on online speech and technology policy.
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Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/hawaiis-blood-quantum-rule-deepens-the-states-housing-crisis/
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Statement on Bay Cleanup Progress
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, Aug. 7 -- The Chesapeake Bay Foundation posted the following news release:
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Chesapeake Bay Foundation Statement on Bay Cleanup Progress
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The Chesapeake Bay Program this week released its latest modeling on clean-up efforts, which showed significant declines in pollutants entering the Bay between 2009 and 2025.
Model results indicated that as of 2025, jurisdictions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed had met their goals for sediment reduction, hit 90% of their goal for phosphorus reduction, and met 57% of their goal for nitrogen reduction.
Wastewater treatment plant
... Show Full Article
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, Aug. 7 -- The Chesapeake Bay Foundation posted the following news release:
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Chesapeake Bay Foundation Statement on Bay Cleanup Progress
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The Chesapeake Bay Program this week released its latest modeling on clean-up efforts, which showed significant declines in pollutants entering the Bay between 2009 and 2025.
Model results indicated that as of 2025, jurisdictions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed had met their goals for sediment reduction, hit 90% of their goal for phosphorus reduction, and met 57% of their goal for nitrogen reduction.
Wastewater treatment plantupgrades contributed to most of the gains in nitrogen and phosphorus reductions, and the agricultural sector was one of the largest contributors for sediment reduction, according to the models.
Excess nitrogen and phosphorus are harmful to Bay ecology, fueling algal blooms that cloud the water and use up oxygen when they die and decompose.
These numbers only tell part of the story. Monitored, real-world results and measurements-combined with rigorous modeling and other research-can ultimately provide a more complete picture.
Today, pollution is still fouling Baltimore Harbor, rivers like the Choptank are showing troubling signs, climate change is increasingly flooding communities like Norfolk as algal blooms surface in Virginia waters, and tens of thousands of miles of Pennsylvania's rivers and streams remain impaired. Broad-based, continued efforts will be necessary to truly restore and save the Bay.
Cutting sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus from flowing into the Bay are critical parts of the revised Bay Agreement, agreed upon last year, which has a uniform deadline of 2040 for meeting Bay restoration goals. States should put the investments and policies in place to meet those goals before 2040.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation President & CEO Hilary Harp Falk issued the following statement:
"There is real progress in these numbers, and it is worth celebrating. But modeled pollution reductions are only part of the story. What ultimately matters is what we see and measure in our rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay itself-which indicates there is still significant work to be done.
"We need more monitoring to understand how the system is responding: where investments are improving water quality, where to best target resources toward the places and practices that deliver the greatest returns, and how to maximize accountability for measurable results.
"As we combat ever-shifting conditions from climate change, we need the courage to change course when the evidence tells us something isn't working as expected.
"When it comes to the Bay, accountability matters most. Meeting the revised Bay Agreement's 2040 deadline will require sustained investment, decisions driven by science, and accountability at every level of government."
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Original text here: https://www.cbf.org/news/chesapeake-bay-foundation-statement-on-bay-cleanup-progress/
AIDS Run & Walk CommunityDirect Profile: Legal Council for Health Justice's Emily Decker on the Importance of Shared Fundraising and Community Care
CHICAGO, Illinois, Aug. 7 -- The AIDS Foundation of Chicago issued the following news:
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AIDS Run & Walk CommunityDirect Profile: Legal Council for Health Justice's Emily Decker on the importance of shared fundraising and community care
On Sept. 26, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) will hold its 25th annual AIDS Run & Walk Chicago at Soldier Field. Thousands of people are expected to participate and raise funds to support AFC and HIV sector organizations across Chicagoland.
Some community groups fundraise at AIDS Run & Walk Chicago (ARWC) through a unique model called CommunityDirect. Each
... Show Full Article
CHICAGO, Illinois, Aug. 7 -- The AIDS Foundation of Chicago issued the following news:
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AIDS Run & Walk CommunityDirect Profile: Legal Council for Health Justice's Emily Decker on the importance of shared fundraising and community care
On Sept. 26, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) will hold its 25th annual AIDS Run & Walk Chicago at Soldier Field. Thousands of people are expected to participate and raise funds to support AFC and HIV sector organizations across Chicagoland.
Some community groups fundraise at AIDS Run & Walk Chicago (ARWC) through a unique model called CommunityDirect. Eachyear at ARWC, HIV and housing organizations beyond AFC raise funds that support their own programs and services. CommunityDirect partners are able to bring the vast majority of funds they raise, around 90%, home to support their agency. Since 2005, AFC has granted more than $6 million back to participating HIV/AIDS and housing agencies through AIDS Run Walk Chicago.
Participating agencies are given one-on-one coaching and capacity-building assistance to support meeting their fundraising and participation minimum. Teams that meet participation minimums AND surpass fundraising minimums by more than 10% receive an additional 2% of all funds raised. Approximately 25 long-standing CommunityDirect members participate each year, and as many as 30 have participated in recent years. Prospective new CommunityDirect partners are encouraged to connect with AFC for future events.
AFC's Senior Manager of Development Strategy & Communications Michael Keating manages the CommunityDirect program. Of their hopes for the future of the program, Keating said, "We have to be working together to solve citywide problems. I would love more people to do fundraisers like this. I'd like to see more people open their doors and say, 'It's not just about me--it's about us."
'Grateful to be a part of it'
One of the longtime CommunityDirect beneficiaries is the Legal Council for Health Justice (LCHJ). Development and Communications Manager Emily Decker (she/her) shed some light on the organization.
"Legal Council is a civil legal-aid firm, and we use the law to secure dignity, opportunity and well-being for people who are facing barriers to their health," Decker stated. "We look at the social determinants of health--things like access to care, access to income, neighborhood safety, housing quality, access to good food and water, and a solid education--and we use legal means to situations involving those issues.
Speaking about the genesis of LCHJ's connection to CommunityDirect, Decker went back to her organization's origin: "Legal Council founded in 1987, at the height of the AIDS crisis. Our founder was James Monroe Smith--a young gay attorney living in Chicago who made [LCHJ] a small firm that was dedicated to HIV/AIDS legal advocacy.
"The organization got in contact with AIDS Foundation Chicago, and we've been participating in the AIDS Run/Walk since 2001--the event's inception. I think that what's beautiful about the program is that it doesn't really matter what size organization you are, so long as you're serving people living with HIV/AIDS. And it's nice to see how many organizations of different shapes, sizes and purposes come together for this [event]. We are just really, really grateful to be a part of it."
Reflecting on LCHJ's own CommunityDirect evolution, Decker said, "I do feel like--at least, in my time of being team captain--there's been an increasingly deeper connection to the program, which is a really smart one. I feel it grow."
"I would love for CommunityDirect to be open to even more organizations, including small groups that might not know about it. It would be nice to spread the wealth,"
Resist, Restore, Renew
The event's theme, "Resist, Restore, Renew," is resonating with the community. AFC debuted the theme last year with the intention to create an intentional space that celebrated strength and invited care and joy. In a time where our communities and institutions are under attack, event organizers wanted to emphasize the importance of solidarity and community connection in sustaining the movement.
To Decker, this kind of community care is essential to powering the fight. "I think a lot of times--or, at least in this political climate--it feels like we're just fighting, fighting, fighting, and that's tiring. But we can't stop fighting. We do need to continue fighting, but we also need to of take the time to listen to ourselves and each other, check in with how we're doing, and take some time for ourselves and our communities to recalibrate."
While organizations like AFC, Legal Council for Health Justice, and other CommunityDirect partners focus on improving individual and community health for people living with and vulnerable to HIV, AIDS Run & Walk Chicago can additionally improve the health of the overall HIV sector and HIV movement, through fundraising, community-building, and the presence of thousands of allies working toward shared goals in a shared space.
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Original text here: https://www.aidschicago.org/aids-run-walk-communitydirect-profile-legal-council-for-health-justices-emily-decker-on-the-importance-of-shared-fundraising-and-community-care/
