
Freedom of Thought Report 2024 Launch Event
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Register to attend
The American Humanist Association is pleased to invite you to the virtual launch of Humanist International’s 2024 Freedom of Thought Report. The Freedom of Thought Report assesses every country in the world on the basis of human rights and the legal status with regard to humanists, atheists, and the non-religious.
Event details are as follows:
Thursday, 30 January 2025 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. ET via Zoom webinar
Confirmed speakers:
Tune in and join us: register to watch online here.
To check the event time in your time zone, click here.
To find out more about the Freedom of Thought Report, visit: https://fot.humanists.international/
Fish Stark is an organizer, educator, social entrepreneur, and lifelong humanist. Fish has spent his career turning big ideas into bold action in service of belonging, flourishing, and social justice for all people.
Prior to joining the AHA as Executive Director, Fish was the Head of Program + Curriculum at Legends, an educational technology startup, where he led research and implementation teams to create products that helped children build self-confidence, positive mental health, and critical thinking skills.
Previously, Fish served as the Director of Programs at Peace First, a global nonprofit that provides training and funding to youth social justice activists, where he led a global team of organizers who empowered thousands of youth grantees in 140+ countries to make lasting change in their communities, and worked with organizations such as the Red Cross and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation to develop youth leadership programs.
Fish’s other professional experiences include managing progressive political campaigns, leading a mentorship program in the West Virginia coalfields with the American Friends Service Committee, building a nationally recognized peer-to-peer bullying prevention program, and teaching students from pre-school to high school.
A self-proclaimed developmental psychology nerd who is passionate about giving everyone the tools to live lives of meaning, service, and self-determination, Fish holds a Master’s in Education with a concentration in child development and psychology from Harvard University, and a Bachelor’s from Yale University with a certificate in Education Studies. While at Yale, Fish served as a student board member of the Yale Humanist Community and received a Dean’s Prize for his work to build a stronger relationship between Yale and New Haven.
Fish lives in Annapolis, Maryland, where he is President of the Speaker Mike Busch District 30 Democratic Club, is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, and serves on several nonprofit boards. He moonlights as an award-winning stand-up comedian and has performed in 13 states.
Emma joined Humanists International as its first Casework & Campaigns Manager in April 2020. She is responsible for managing and coordinating Humanists International’s activities on behalf of humanists at risk, working in coordination with the rest of the team, and our members and partners. She also serves as principle editor of the Freedom of Thought Report.
Before joining Humanists International, Emma gained more than seven years’ experience in casework and campaigning at PEN International, where she advocated for freedom of expression and devised strategies to support writers at risk across Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East.
She holds an MA in Psychology and Spanish, an MSc in Comparative Politics (Latin America), and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Rights.
Mohamed Elsanousi serves as the Executive Director of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, a global network that builds bridges between grassroots peacemakers and global players to strengthen the work done for sustainable peace. He previously served as Interfaith and Government Relations Director at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). Elsanousi also served on the Taskforce for the U.S. Department of State’s working group on Religion and Foreign Policy, where he contributed recommendations to the Secretary of State and the Federal Advisory Commission to enhance engagement between the U.S. government, civil society, and religious actors. He frequently participated in the State Department’s speakers’ program, visiting U.S. embassies worldwide.
Elsanousi was the principal coordinator for developing the standards and protocols for safeguarding the rights of Christian, Jewish, and other religious minorities in Muslim-majority communities. This effort resulted in the adoption of the Marrakech Declaration, the most recognized Islamic theological document advocating religious freedom.
Elsanousi Founded Faiths4Vaccines, a pivotal campaign with prominent faith leaders and actors in the U.S. to support the Biden-Harris Administration´s goal of advancing equitable vaccine distribution and combating vaccine hesitancy.
Elsanousi is the founding executive committee member of the Shoulder to Shoulder campaign, most recently selected to join the NGO Working Group on the U.N. Security Council, and co-chair of the Multi-Faith Advisory Council to the United Nations Interagency Taskforce on Religion and Development. He also serves on the board of directors, advisors, and trustees for numerous interfaith organizations, including but not limited to The Religious Leadership and Civic Engagement Project at New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the Center for Interreligious Dialogue at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, and the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies.
Elsanousi holds a bachelor’s degree in Law, a Master´s in Law, and a Doctorate in Law and Society from the Indiana University School of Law.
Ria Chakrabarty is the Senior Policy Director at Hindus for Human Rights, where she works on advocacy efforts in collaboration with government actors. She has led efforts in support of Indian democracy and the release of political prisoners, among other human rights-focused initiatives.
Throughout her career, Ria has focused on understanding the effects of US foreign policy on communities worldwide. Ria has also worked in various positions in the United States Senate and the World Health Organization. She graduated from the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas with a Masters of Global Policy Studies.
Maggie Ardiente is President of the Secular Coalition for America, a group of 20 diverse organizations representing atheists, agnostics, humanists, and other nonreligious Americans, whose mission is to advocate for equal rights and defend the separation of religion and government in the United States. She previously served for 12 years as Director of Development and Communications at the American Humanist Association, and is currently Vice President of Development at PFLAG National, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.
She has over 15 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and communications, has appeared in national media such as NPR, Fox News, Washington Post, and Huffington Post, and has spoken at dozens of conferences, universities, government institutions, and local organizations on humanism in the United States. She lives in Washington, DC, with her spouse, Roy Speckhardt.