At the Connecticut Coalition of Reason’s (CT CoR) annual meeting on January 27th Carol Siddall, President of the Humanist Association of Connecticut (HAC) and resident of Southbury was re-elected co-chair; Ken Spencer, President of the Atheist Humanist Society of Connecticut and Rhode Island (AHSCTRI) and resident of Baltic was elected co-chair, and Chris Kullstroem, member of the Hartford Area Humanists (HAH) and resident of Lyme, was elected secretary.
CT CoR is off to another great start in 2019. Beginning this weeken Connecticut becomes the center of the Darwin Day Universe again! For starters CT Congressman Himes and CT Senator Blumenthal have agreed to once again issue national resolutions in their respective chambers of Congress. We’ve asked Governor Lamont to issue a state-wide proclamation. So members of the CT CoR are gearing up the celebrations. The 11th Annual Southern Connecticut Darwin Day dinner will again be an amazing gala and we expect Senator Blumenthal and Representative Himes to make appearances like last year.
The second big celebration, Darwin Day North, will be held at the Roaring Brook Nature Center with family friendly activities that will include touring the Roaring Brook Nature Center, a talk by Charles Darwin, who will also have a “bag of stories”, scavenger hunts, coloring handouts, and a birthday cake to celebrate Darwin Day.
Dr. Abby Hafer will join the The Humanist Association of Connecticut on February 17th to discuss “Darwin’s Apostles. Dr. Hafer is the author of “The Not-So-Intelligent Designer—Why Evolution Explains the Human Body and Intelligent Design Does Not.” She has a doctorate in zoology from Oxford University and teaches human anatomy and physiology at Curry College.
You won’t be able to swing a finch in Connecticut without hitting a Darwin Day Celebration. Shoutout to our friends at the American Humanist Association for helping to get the national resolutions as well as providing some financial support for our partnership with the Connecticut Science Center.
The Connecticut Coalition of Reason is a group of eight atheist, free-thought, and humanist groups based in CT with a goal of fostering a sense of community. Additionally the group aims to “raise public awareness that people who don’t believe in a god or gods can be decent citizens who contribute to the larger society.”
CT CoR 2019 board
CT COR board members pictured from left to right: Front Row Seated – Dennis Paul Himes, Carol Siddall, Chris Kullstroem, and Ken Spencer. Standing – Luther Weeks, Anita Peters, Cary Shaw, Dan Blinn, Richard Siddall, Pat McCann, Richard Lutz, Tom Krattenmaker, Klaus Kingstorf, and George Unser.
The imaginary War on Christmas seems to come to Connecticut every year. This year Bethel resident, James Naddeo, wanted to put up a Holiday Display in response to the solitary creche displayed on the town green. Details aside, Residents of Bethel got their hackles up when they realized the display would say, “…from your friendly atheist neighbors.” The horror! How dare atheists wish anyone anything! The residents of Bethel were fine with a display going up and message it represented, however the word “atheist” threw them into a tizzy. But tell them that their response smacks of bigotry and they will become even more defensive.
Anyway, the Bethel display went up on the town green this morning and no shots were fired, no MIA, no KIA, no war. In attendance were 20-25 folks as young as 5 to as old as 75 from Bethel to as far away as Manchester in a show of support.
Last weekend the Connecticut Valley Atheists celebrated its 10th year of putting up their display on the Vernon green and the Yale Humanist Community dedicated their interactive lighthouse on the New Haven green. So today Bethel completes the Connecticut War on Christmas trifecta!
If you live in Connecticut and are an atheist, humanist, freethinker, secularist, or any other non-believer label but don’t know Dan Blinn, you should. Dan is a tireless activist for humanism and the separation of state and church in Connecticut. Among Dan’s many accomplishments are:
Upon learning that he was the recipient of the 2018 President’s Award from the American Humanist Association Dan said, “During a time when the values of the Enlightenment are being openly challenged, it is more important than ever for citizens to speak out and demand policies that benefit all humanity and that are soundly based upon reason and facts. As Bertrand Russell said, the good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. Trying to follow that path is rewarding enough, but receiving this recognition makes it extra special. I am very grateful to the many other activists in Connecticut and elsewhere who have worked with and supported me over the years. They deserve this recognition at least as much as I do.”
Ever the Humanist Dan. Well we think nobody deserves it more than you. Congratulations and very well deserved!
Score one for Governor Dannel P. Malloy! After four years of failed requests for a Darwin Day proclamation, the Governor finally issued one this February after meeting with our friends at the Secular Coalition for Connecticut last year where they requested he issue one. Although, the original wording was changed from what we submitted (i.e., the exact wording that Senator Blumenthal and Representative Himes used in their Darwin Day resolutions at the national level), it nonetheless does an excellent job of focusing on the importance of science to society.
Unfortunately, the Governor also issued his fifth National Day of Prayer proclamation again this year even though he told our friends at the Secular Coalition for Connecticut that he would not. It is clear to us that this was probably an oversight. The Governor issues approximately 2,100 proclamations each year. However, what stings is that he asked the Secular Coalition for Connecticut not to request a National Day of Reason proclamation in return for not issuing a National Day of Prayer proclamation. When we found out that he had issued the National Day of Prayer proclamation in the week prior to May 3rd, we requested a National Day of Reason proclamation and asked that the 30 day advanced noticed be waived due to the circumstances. Crickets.
The problem with the National Day of Prayer is that it is very divisive and excludes the 42% of Connecticut residents that do not pray. Here is a blurb from the National Day of Prayer taskforce’s web site: “[The National Day of Prayer] exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families. The Task Force represents a Judeo-Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.” Sound inclusive? Maybe if you are a Christian fundamentalist.
Minus one for the Governor.
Anyway, this is all moot since Governor Malloy is not seeking re-election in November. So we’ll be starting from scratch with the new Governor next year. And our friends over at the Secular Coalition for Connecticut are looking forward to briefing the new Governor on the large and thriving atheist/humanist community in Connecticut, requesting a Darwin Day proclamation, and discussing how divisive the National Day of Prayer is.
Connecticut is known for it’s celebrations of Darwin Day. Representative Himes and Senator Blumenthal have been sponsoring resolutions at the national level for years now; and the Southern Connecticut Darwin Day committee celebrated the tenth year of it amazing event. This year, the American Humanist Association generously sponsored our first annual Darwin Day North event at the Connecticut Science Center located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut’s State Capitol.
Darwin Day is an inclusive celebration of science and reason focusing on the betterment of humanity. We’ll let the pictures do the talking…
DARWIN DAY NORTH The CT Science Center schedule of events
UConn Professor Kenneth Noll, impersonating Darwin, interacts with one of dozens of youngsters at the CT Science Center
Birthday cake for Darwin!
Darwin and fans in front of the Art Truck’s craft table where youngsters made finches.
Darwin and his fans in the lecture hall where we heard Darwin himself talk about “What is a species?”
DARWIN DAY SOUTH Senator Blumenthal addresses the crowd
Pat McCann talks about Connecticut’s first state-wide Darwin Day proclamation!
Thanks to the hard work of our friends at the American Humanist Association, Connecticut Senator Blumenthal and Connecticut Congressman Himes have sponsored resolutions in the House and Senate calling for the recognition of February 12th as Darwin Day again this year. In addition, the Secular Coalition for Connecticut met with Connecticut Governor Malloy this past May where he promised to issue a statewide proclamation for Darwin Day this year. Darwin Day is an annual event celebrating Charles Darwin’s birthday on February 12 to inspire people throughout the world to reflect and act on the principles of intellectual bravery, perpetual curiosity, scientific thinking, and the hunger for truth as embodied in Charles Darwin. There will also be multiple celebrations around the state on February 10th in honor of Darwin Day.
The Connecticut Science Center event will be held on Saturday February 10th between the hours of 11:00am and 2:00pm but some events may run longer. Admission to the Science Center for the event is the standard admission price (see their website for details). The event will consist of a number of activities:
Professor Kenneth Noll of UConn will be on hand to present on the topic “What is a Species?” Professor Noll is also a Darwin impersonator and will be on hand all day to take selfies with attendees and answer questions.
The Art Truck will also be on hand to help youngsters make a tree of life craft or finch drawing or the like
There will be a birthday cake for Darwin around noon and we’ll all sing “Happy Birthday.”
The British nature documentary series, Galapagos 3D, will be the movie playing throughout the day in the theater.
There will be rotating Darwin “fun facts” on the Jumbotron all day
There will be ongoing mini-talks on animal adaptations in Science Alley
There is a story time circle for toddlers where they will listen to a volunteer read from a children’s book on evolution
Governor Malloy, Senator Blumenthal, and Congressman Himes have all been invited
Later that evening the 10th annual Southern Connecticut Darwin Day dinner kicks off at the Waters Edge at Giovanni’s with a cocktail hour at 6:00pm. The cost this year is only $64 per person ($69 if you respond after February 3rd). After the cocktail hour, attendees will enjoy a full sit down dinner, cash bar, a science quiz (with fabulous prizes!), a presentation by Yale University lecturer and post-doctoral associate Mark Sheskin on “What, if anything, makes humans unique?”, and, if last year is any indication, brief talks by Senator Blumenthal and Representative Himes.
Also each year the Southern CT Darwin Day Dinner Committee invites local high school and junior college students who are passionate about science to join the celebration (and to help their tables with the Science Quiz!). Their attendance is paid for by attendees and committee benefactors so please consider making a donation of any amount to facilitate this effort when you purchase your tickets. Better: bring your own high school students!
At the Connecticut Coalition of Reason’s (CT CoR) annual meeting on January 21st Dennis Paul Himes, Connecticut State Director for American Atheists and resident of Vernon was re-elected co-chair; Carol Siddall, President of the Humanist Association of Connecticut (HAC) and resident of Southbury was elected co-chair; and Rebecca Williams, secretary of the Hartford Area Humanists (HAH) and resident of Meriden, was re-elected secretary.
CT CoR is off to a great start in an already busy 2018. In a little more than three weeks, Connecticut becomes the center of the Darwin Day Universe! For starters CT Congressman Himes and CT Senator Blumenthal have once again issued national resolutions in their respective chambers of Congress. In addition, Governor Malloy has promised to issue a state-wide proclamation. So members of the CT CoR are gearing up the celebrations. The 10th Annual Souther Connecticut Darwin Day dinner will again be an amazing gala and we expect Senator Blumenthal and Representative Himes to make appearances like last year. The second big celebration, Darwin Day North, will be held at the Connecticut Science Center where we are planning to have seminars, circle time for toddlers, a birthday cake for Darwin, arts and crafts for youngsters and so much more all related to Darwin and Evolution. Stay tuned for details. The Yale Humanist Community is also hosting a Darwin Day celebration as is the Humanist Association of Connecticut (details on both TBD). You won’t be able to swing a finch in Connecticut without hitting a Darwin Day Celebration. Shoutout to our friends at the American Humanist Association for helping to get the national resolutions as well as providing some financial support for our partnership with the Connecticut Science Center.
The Connecticut Coalition of Reason is a group of eight atheist, free-thought, and humanist groups based in CT with a goal of fostering a sense of community. Additionally the group aims to “raise public awareness that people who don’t believe in a god or gods can be decent citizens who contribute to the larger society.”
CT COR board members pictured from left to right: Dan Blinn, Richard Siddall, Carol Siddall, Tom Krattenmaker, Rebecca Williams, Richard lutz, Shanna Bokoff, Behind Shanna is Klaus Kingstorf and behind Klaus is a well camouflaged Dennis Paul Himes, to the right of Klaus is Pat McCann, Elisabeth Brown (non-board member, member Hartford Area Humanists), and Kathleen Green (non-board member, Executive Director of the Yale Humanist Community)
by Pat McCann
Chair: Secular Coalition for Connecticut;
Assistant State Director: American Atheists;
Cooperating Groups in the Connecticut Coalition of Reason
On December 19, I was doing my usual social media updates and fact-checking to stay abreast of secular-minded news, when I stumbled upon an article entitled “Fans of ‘The Man Who Can’: Honoring Pat McCann in Connecticut”, posted on the United Coalition of Reason’s news feed. The article was embarrassingly lavish with its praise…even from John Levin in his own singular style. Then, a few days later, Susann’s article appeared on TheHumanist.com! I felt humbled, grateful, proud, honored, and misty all at the same time.
Although I truly appreciate this recognition from my friends and people whom I respect and love, I’m sure all the activists out there will know that none of us work in isolation. Connecticut is home to many talented secular activists who helped lay the foundation for where Connecticut is today, and they also serve as role models and mentors to me. Knowing that we “Stand on the Shoulders of Giants,” it seems only fair to me to take the spotlight that has been shining on me and to focus it on many other people who are also well-deserving of recognition! I’d like to take a moment and recognize as many of them as I can:
Adam Arrowsmith was the President of the Connecticut Valley Atheists (@CVAtheists on Twitter) when I first met him. I was impressed at how calm and centered he was in his dealings with his duties as President and at times with unruly characters at some meetings. Adam is a top-notch leader, through and through. A bonus for Connecticut Coalition of Reason (Connecticut CoR, or CT CoR as we call it locally) is that that Adam is also an amazing artist, and designs much of the secular artwork you’ll see on our social media pages. In fact, our two conference logos are Adam’s work, as are the Connecticut Valley Atheists’ and Hartford Area Humanists’. The signs at events like our protests, the Willimantic Boombox Parade, Science March, etc., are all Adam’s.
Tanya Barrett on Adam Arrowsmith’s shoulders—staunch advocates and friends of LGBTQ+ and secular constituents in Connecticut
Tanya Barrett was the 2013 recipient of the Connecticut Activist of the Year award from American Atheists. She was the driving force behind our two very successful conferences held in 2013 and 2016. 2013 was also the year our Coalition of Reason coalesced into being and was heralded with two billboards in the state sponsored by the United Coalition of Reason. Tanya was the secretary of CT CoR that year, and then served as co-Chair in the following two years. I followed Tanya as secretary when she took the co-Chair spot. I also followed right behind her in the subsequent two years as co-chair. Needless to say, I considered Tanya to be my primary mentor. She’s an amazing person: intelligent, articulate, professional, and driven. And that’s not all…Tanya was also very active in the Connecticut Valley Atheists’ organization throughout her tenure in CT CoR. She’s still a driving force in secular CT to this day.
Dan Blinn was one of the founding co-chairs of the CT CoR in 2013 and founding President of the Hartford Area Humanists (“HAH”; @HAHumanists on Twitter) a year later. Dan is a Humanist Society-endorsed and registered celebrant, and in 2015 he graduated from the Humanist Institute. Dan saw a need for Humanist groups in the northern part of the state and has delivered on his vision of building a thriving group in the Hartford Area. The HAH has over 725 MeetUp members and many active participants.
Dan Blinn
Dan is the driving force in providing unique and interesting programming that keeps folks coming back for more. I think one of Dan’s most impressive accomplishments was organizing Humanists in New England and the Mid-Atlantic to march in the 2014 People’s Climate March in New York City (you can read Dan’s article in TheHumanist.com!).
Shanna Bokoff was the 2016 secretary for CT CoR and along with her husband, Dan, are the driving force behind the Atheist Humanist Society of Connecticut and Rhode Island (AHSCTRI’s also on Twitter: @AHSCTRI) our group that serves the southeastern part of the state. Shanna is an amazing organizer and can always be counted on to keep things moving.
Elisabeth Brown (left), Chris Stedman (center), and Pat McCann (right)
Elisabeth Brown eschews the spotlight, but she is the brains to my brawn. I often discuss some of the challenges I face with her and she always has insightful and—most importantly—actionable feedback. Elisabeth is also the organizer of the Hartford Area Humanists’ annual Winter Solstice/HumanLight celebration, which just celebrated its 5th year. In 2013, it was Elisabeth’s idea to include a food drive as part of the festivities, and then in 2015, she also had a silent auction to support our 2016 conference at the event. She is an amazing kind, caring, empathetic, and consummate Humanist. She is the love of my life and the reason I keep going. Chris Stedman: Although Chris stepped-down as Executive Director of the Yale Humanist Community earlier this year and moved to Minnesota (apparently Connecticut wasn’t cold enough!!??), his legacy of a strong and vibrant Humanist community in New Haven lives on. Chris was a board member of CT CoR and emcee at our 2016 conference. His vision for a holiday display on the New Haven town green finally came to fruition in December 2017. Chris was always a role model Humanist for the folks in CT.
George Unser (left), Sarah Hambrick (center), and Stan Greenberg (right)
George Unser: CT CoR board member and Secular Coalition for Connecticut member, is a tireless advocate for our Patient’s Right to Know Act as well as all healthcare-related issues in CT. George is leading our alliance with NARAL (Pro-Choice) -CT.
Stan Greenberg, current President of the Hartford Area Humanists and Legislative co-lead for our Aid in Dying support as a member of the Secular Coalition for Connecticut, has been a tireless advocate for this important piece of legislation that two-thirds of Connecticut’s voting population supports. He’s worked hard as a close ally to Compassion and Choices to get the word out and implement new strategies to support the efforts.
Sarah Hambrick is the other half of our Aid in Dying legislative team and has been a passionate voice for the passage of this piece of legislation. She’s always looking for ways to get the word out and move the bill forward.
Richard Lutz (left) and Klaus Kingstorf (right)
Richard Lutz is never at a loss for ideas. I can always depend on Richard to think of new ways to engage the general population, or protest the “religious right”. Richard’s the current VP of the Connecticut Valley Atheists and on the board of the Hartford Area Humanists.
John Levin—pictured in a rare suit and tie—is a board member of the Secular Coalition for America, and was also an early board member of CT CoR. John is one of the founders of the Southern Connecticut Darwin Day Dinner which is an amazing gala: a cocktail hour, a sit down dinner, a guest speaker (usually a professor of evolution or biology from Yale University), a science quiz with fabulous prizes, and often visits from Representative Jim Himes and Senator Blumenthal—both sponsors for the Congressional Darwin Day resolutions.
Cary Shaw is the current President of the Humanists and Freethinkers of Fairfield County (@HFFCT), and is a board member of CT CoR. Cary’s also very active in the Secular Coalition for Connecticut and was Legislative co-lead for our Patient’s Right to Know Act which garnered a lot of attention and support from the general public. Cary is a huge asset to have on the team—always working to support atheism and humanism in CT. He’s super-active in HFFC as well coming up with great programming ideas and lineup of speakers. Along with John Levin, Cary is one of the primary organizers of Connecticut’s premier Darwin Day event.
Cary Shaw (left) with Dennis Paul Himes (right)
Dennis Paul Himes has been a fixture of secular activism in Connecticut since becoming State Director for the American Atheists in 2003. At their 2017 convention, American Atheists also named Dennis as their State Director of the Year! Dennis can always be seen at any number of events sponsored by the CT CoR groups. There’s not enough space to write all the things that Dennis has done for the movement in CT, so I will talk about just two, as he’s one of the current co-chairs of CT CoR and helps drive the success of the group. One of Dennis’ most impressive accomplishments for me was the success of the National Day of Prayer protests in Middletown, CT.
Richard Siddall (left), Elisabeth Brown (center), Carol Siddall (right)
Carol and Richard Siddall have been mainstays of the Humanist movement in Connecticut for many years. They’ve both been Presidents and filled other officer positions at the Humanist Association of Connecticut (@CTHumanist). Carol is the editor of HAC’s newsletter, and Richard is currently CT CoR co-chair and the IT guru for our conference web sites and the Hartford Area Humanists’ web site. Carol and Richard support The Yale Humanist Community and Hartford Area Humanists with as much time, energy, and passion as they do HAC. On top of all they do, they also run one of Connecticut’s SMART Recovery chapters.
Luther Weeks (left) with the Honourable Governor of Connect—Dannel P Malloy (right)
Luther Weeks is our legislative guru. Luther is the Secular Coalition for Connecticut’s legislative co-lead for our Standardization of Oaths efforts. He’s a whiz at the state house, and was my co-organizer for our first ever Lobby day. Luther went door-to-door to help schedule meetings with constituents and legislators that I couldn’t get by phone. Luther is key to all of our legislative efforts and we’ve all learned so much from him this past year.
Rebecca Williams is the current secretary for CT CoR and serves on the board of the Hartford Area Humanists, Connecticut Valley Atheists, and Humanist Association of Connecticut. If there was a major cross-pollinator of the groups in CT, Rebecca is our queen bee. But it wasn’t always that way: when Rebecca first joined, she was fairly shy and kept to herself. Now, nobody and I mean nobody gets in her way. You want something done?…pass the Rebecca!
Rebecca Williams
I’ll admit….I’ve only scratched the surface on the accomplishments of all of these great folks and there are so many others who deserve to be called out: Daisy and Todd Milano from AHSCTRI; Tom Krattenmaker and Kathleen Green from the Yale Humanist Community; Kevin Gough and Paula Jones of the Hartford Area Humanists; Moe Provencher from Connecticut Valley Atheists; Lisa DiCandido from the Humanist Association of Connecticut; Anita Peters from the Humanists and Freethinkers of Fairfield County; and folks always willing to lend a hand: Mark Heil, Tom and Deidre Kennedy, Beatrice Maslowski…and so many others! When I sit down and think about it long enough, I recognize that there is just not enough time, plus I am sure I forgot many more. However, I would be remiss if I did not mention the original Connecticut secular activists, David and June Schafer—they were tireless advocates of equal rights and social justice going back to the middle of the last century; David was also a signer of Humanist Manifesto III.
It is the legacy of all of these people that we carry on in Connecticut, and I am honored to have all of these folks in my life and to be part of a movement that serves humanity. Thank you for your kind words in UnitedCoR’s article: my successes have come about because of all the support I’ve received from my friends!
Pat’s activism within Connecticut is well-known and highly respected. Pat is the immediate past President of the Hartford Area Humanists, the Former co-chair of the Connecticut Coalition of Reason, the current chair of the Secular Coalition for Connecticut, and has also recently volunteered to serve as the Assistant State Director (Connecticut) for American Atheists. Knowing that Pat has been highly active and influential with his commitment to volunteering and activism with secular communities across the entire state of Connecticut, I wrote to some of Pat’s family and friends to learn more about what he’s done that has made a difference to grassroots secular groups.
Pat (L) receives his award from Dennis Paul Himes (R).
Tanya Barrett of the Connecticut Valley Atheists said, “Pat has been a huge part of the atheist movement in Connecticut, and he is one of the main reasons that the Connecticut CoR profile has risen in with our state legislature and government. He is certainly a religious activist’s worst nightmare: he’s smart, well-spoken, never gets mad, and he never gives up. His creativity and professionalism shine through in every project he undertakes, from organizing conferences and lobby days to working on a state Darwin Day proclamation. Pat and Elisabeth are also some of the most gracious hosts, making new and long-term members feel welcome at every event they attend. It is an honor to work with him in the atheist movement, and he is incredibly deserving of the Connecticut Activist of the Year award from American Atheists.”
Pat (C) with other members of the Hartford Area Humanists.
Members of the Connecticut Valley Atheists brave the snow to erect their “Keep America Secular” winter display next to a crèche on public property in Vernon, CT.
John Levin, whose work with the Secular Coalition for Connecticut brings him in contact with elected officials across the state, complimented Pat’s support for secular values political activism. “Pat has been completely indefatigable as our leader in Connecticut. He shows up at our annual Darwin Day dinners, kicks ass on the science quizzes, asks the best questions of the Yale professor speakers, films the entire event, then, with Elisabeth, drives the 500 miles back to his home in northern Connecticut (so I overestimated it “just a bit…”), and still makes it to church the next morning (just a joke, Pat…)! Or is it Sunday morning Dojo? Whatever. Yes, Pat McCann—he is both the tusks and the testicles of the mighty elephant that is the secular movement in Connecticut.”
John Levin (R) provided a warm introduction of U.S. Senator, the Honourable Richard Blumenthal to the attendees of Connecticut CoR’s 2017 Darwin Day dinner and reception.
Of all the people in Connecticut, the one who knows Pat best is his partner and the love of his life—Elisabeth Brown. Elisabeth recalled some of Pat’s achievements:
“When Pat found out that Professor Richard Dawkins was coming to the Bushnell in Hartford this November, he reached out to Robyn Blumner (CEO of Center for Inquiry/Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science) to see if they needed volunteers for the event. Eight of us from Connecticut CoR volunteered to host a table for the Center for Inquiry and were allowed to include information for both Connecticut CoR and the Secular Coalition for Connecticut.
Connecticut CoR volunteers at CFI’s table.
In March of 2017, Pat organized the Connecticut Secular Advocacy Day at the State Capitol and spent an extraordinary amount of his time and personal money on this event. This was a Lobby Day event for the three key pieces of legislation that our organizations are trying to get passed in CT. Amanda Knief (former National Legal and Public Policy Director of American Atheists) came to train our citizen lobbyists.
In May of 2017, Pat was able to secure a face-to-face meeting with our Governor—the Honourable Dannel P. Malloy—to introduce him to members of Connecticut’s vast secular communities, to familiarize him with the legislation we are trying to get passed, and to ask him to sign a Darwin Day Proclamation. Pat drafted a Secular Briefing Document for this meeting, which the Secular Coalition for America is going to use as a model document for similar such meetings throughout the country.
Connecticut Governor Dannel P Malloy (C) met with members of the Secular Coalition for Connecticut.
In the Fall of 2016 when Pat found out that the Bushnell Theater was hosting an event called Religion in America hosted by The CT Forum and they did not have a non-religious person on the panel, he contacted them immediately and gave them facts and numbers about the secular community and suggested that they include a non-religious person as part of the panel discussion…which they did! Not only that, but we were also allowed to table at the event on behalf of the Connecticut CoR and SCCT. Over two thousand people attended this event…it might have been the first time for some of the attendees to sit and listen respectfully to atheist viewpoints in this kind of forum. Just a couple of months previously, Pat also organized a protest against Franklin Graham’s visit to Hartford, CT, and we remember that people from UnitedCoR also came up from Washington, DC to join us with our protest.
Not everyone rolled-out the red carpet when Franklin Graham came to town…
Pat and I recently met a woman who is trying to get a MeetUp group started. She is a burn victim (and she is courageously working to overcome some severe disabilities due to her physical condition) who is unable to get out to attend events/meetings. After meeting her, Pat and I began to brainstorm how we could help her connect with others in Connecticut’s secular communities. We came up with the brilliant idea of contacting Jase in UnitedCoR for help with this. Pat will be doing an interview with her early next year (after she has a risky surgical procedure) and will be trying to help her set up a virtual atheist group for those who are handicapped, shut-in, agoraphobic, or otherwise isolated: we don’t want anyone to feel as if they are alone, regardless of physical challenges.
Winter Solstice/Human Light celebration
Pat also likes to see like-minded people make connections and develop stronger ties together. For the past five years, we’ve hosted a Winter Solstice/HumanLight Open House in our home to bring secular members of the various Connecticut CoR cooperating groups together to socialize, celebrate and collect well-needed donations for the Connecticut Food Bank. Pat was an organizer for two CT secular conferences: SANE in 2013 and CARE (Connecticut Assembly for Reason and Ethics) in 2016. Every year, Pat also donates generously to local, state and nation secular charities.”
Pat McCann
Knowing how much Pat McCann has done for so many secular communities across Connecticut, it’s no wonder that his friends and family have held him in such high regard. UnitedCoR wishes to extend special congratulations to Pat for his recent award and recognition and we’re looking forward to receiving great news of secular outreach and achievement there in Connecticut.
If there are local leaders and high-achievers in your area that you would like for us to highlight and celebrate in our upcoming global newsletters, please email me and we’ll help you write an article similar to this, so that your local activists, volunteers and organizations are recognized for their commitment and hard work.
The CT Science Center schedule of events
UConn Professor Kenneth Noll, impersonating Darwin, interacts with one of dozens of youngsters at the CT Science Center
Birthday cake for Darwin!
Darwin and fans in front of the Art Truck’s craft table where youngsters made finches. 
Darwin and his fans in the lecture hall where we heard Darwin himself talk about “What is a species?”
Senator Blumenthal addresses the crowd
Pat McCann talks about Connecticut’s first state-wide Darwin Day proclamation!
Representative Himes addresses the crowd
The crowd
Our Sponsors
Adam Arrowsmith
Pat also likes to see like-minded people make connections and develop stronger ties together. For the past five years, we’ve hosted a Winter Solstice/HumanLight Open House in our home to bring secular members of the various Connecticut CoR cooperating groups together to socialize, celebrate and collect well-needed donations for the Connecticut Food Bank. Pat was an organizer for two CT secular conferences: SANE in 2013 and 