Building a Political Voice: Ron Millar on Humanism and Advocacy

Ron Millar is our guest. He is the political action committee (PAC) manager for the Center for Freethought Equality, which operates under the American Humanist Association. With over 40 years of experience in nonprofit education and advocacy, including a significant tenure at the Secular Coalition for America, Millar shares his insights into the intersection of politics and humanist values. We discuss the structure and purpose of the Center for Freethought Equality, explaining its dual role: as an advocacy group (C4) that engages in lobbying and running a political action committee that can donate funds to candidates. Millar elaborates on the importance of having a visible humanist constituency within the political landscape, indicating that social and political biases against atheists and humanists persist, though they are diminishing. The conversation also reveals the importance of networking and community-building among secular elected officials. Millar highlights the establishment of the Association of Secular Elected Officials, which aims to create a support network for elected representatives who identify with humanist and atheist values. He speaks about recent activities, including their presence at the Democratic National Convention, where they engaged attendees and raised awareness for the secular community. We address the ongoing challenges posed by growing movements of white Christian nationalism, stressing the need for increased engagement from the humanist community in the political process. Millar encourages listeners to become active participants by volunteering for local campaigns, sharing their identities as humanists, and advocating for policies that align with their values, thus building recognition as a political constituency. Full show notes