LOS ANGELES - Sept. 2, 2020 - Black Skeptics Los Angeles (BSLA), an African American humanist-atheist community-based organization, has partnered with the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) for its 2020 scholarship fund for youth non-believers of color. FFRF has granted the organization $20,000 for four awards to outstanding secular students of color through its Forward Freethought Scholarship fund. This year's winners are Justin Fajar (Dartmouth College), Kitty Anne Dubuisson (MCPHS University), India Quick (Fayetteville State University) and Jalyn Williams (Albright College). Each recipient will receive $5000 apiece to support their college education and expenses. According to BSLA founder Sikivu Hutchinson, "Secular African American youth disproportionately come from religious backgrounds and communities. These youth are often marginalized in K12 and higher education due to their non-conformity. This scholarship program provides a platform for their voices and experiences."

In 2013, BSLA spearheaded its First in the Family Humanist Scholarship initiative which focuses on undocumented, foster care, homeless, LGBTQI, system-involved and secular youth who are underrepresented in the college population. The organization was created to provide community-based resources and advocacy for Black and PoC secular humanists across the spectrum. Responding directly to the school-to-prison pipeline crisis in communities of color, BSLA is the first secular humanist atheist organization to specifically address college pipelining for youth of color through its ongoing scholarship, college and K-12 youth leadership partnerships.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation is a nonprofit organization that "works as an umbrella for those who are free from religion and are committed to the cherished principle of separation of state and church." The FFRF sponsors publications and competitions and conducts outreach and education on secularism worldwide.

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Stephen Kelley