FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 28th, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT:
Logan Bayroff, lbayroff@westendstrategy.com
Interfaith Alliance Celebrates 30th Anniversary With Convening in Washington, DC
Leading Advocate for Religious Freedom and Civil Rights to Honor Movement Leaders, Top Allies
WASHINGTON, DC – Interfaith Alliance, a national leader in defending civil rights and religious freedom and countering anti-democratic extremism, is marking its 30th anniversary with a major Convening in Washington, DC this week, May 28-30.
First founded in 1994 amidst the rise of the Christian Coalition, the group has played a pivotal role for decades promoting tolerant, multi-faith democracy and countering attempts by the religious right to impose one narrow religious viewpoint on the entire country. Today, Interfaith Alliance mobilizes people of diverse faiths and beliefs across the country to defend LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive freedoms and voting rights, and to uphold healthy boundaries between religion and government.
At a time when Christian Nationalism represents a growing threat, Interfaith Alliance activists, partners and affiliate leaders from states across the country will gather in Washington for several days of intensive training and strategizing, culminating in advocacy meetings on Capitol Hill.
At 6 pm on Wednesday, May 29th, the group will hold a Celebration at Washington DC’s Planet Word Museum where they will present the “Achieving Democracy Together Award” to five honorees who have made important contributions to Interfaith Alliance’s mission:
- Rep. Jamie Raskin, Maryland’s 8th District (delivering remarks by video)
- Connie Ryan, Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance of Iowa
- Maggie Siddiqi, Director, Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, U.S. Department of Education.
- Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia (delivering remarks by video)
- Chely Wright, country music artist and LGBTQ+ activist (giving a live musical performance)
“Amidst the growing threat of extremist bigotry and attacks on our democratic freedoms, this is a moment for vigilance, determination – and hope,” said Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance. “Our movement has done so much over the past three decades to make progress, achieve democracy and counter hate, giving powerful voice to Americans of diverse faiths and beliefs. I’m thrilled that so many great leaders and activists from across the country are coming together in Washington this week to celebrate those achievements and prepare ourselves for the critical work ahead of us.”
Interfaith Alliance was led for 17 years by the late Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, a prominent Baptist leader and early opponent of rising conservatism in the Southern Baptist Convention, and later by Rabbi Jack Moline. Legendary journalist Walter Cronkite was a long-time supporter of the group and served as its honorary chair from 1997 until his death in 2009.
Rev. Raushenbush, an ordained Baptist minister who previously served as senior vice president of the Auburn Seminary and the founding and executive editor of HuffPost Religion, took on leadership of Interfaith Alliance in 2022.
Members of the media interested in attending the Celebration on the evening of May 29th should RSVP to Logan Bayroff, lbayroff@westendstrategy.com
Interfaith Alliance is a network of people of diverse faiths and beliefs from across the country working together to build a resilient democracy and fulfill America’s promise of religious freedom and civil rights not just for some, but for all. We mobilize powerful coalitions to challenge Christian nationalism and religious extremism, while fostering a better understanding of the healthy boundaries between religion and government. We advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America where the freedoms of belief and religious practice are protected, and where all persons are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to thrive. For more information visit interfaithalliance.org.