One of the most rewarding parts of my job at the Freedom From Religion Foundation is to be there on behalf of our organization at events across the country.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to represent FFRF at CrookedCon in Washington, D.C., a gathering of progressive activists, journalists, political commentators and organizational leaders hosted by Crooked Media, the company behind the popular “Pod Save America” podcast. It was an incredible experience, but more importantly, a valuable opportunity to make sure the separation of church and state, religious freedom and the rights of nonreligious Americans remain part of the broader conversation about defending our democracy.

Bringing FFRF into the conversation
CrookedCon brought together an impressive lineup of influential voices in progressive politics, from elected officials and journalists to legal experts and advocates working to protect voting rights, defend democratic institutions and advance other pressing causes. The participants included Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, former Attorney General Eric Holder, commentators David Pakman, Jennifer Welch, Charles Blow and Jamelle Bouie and constitutional law expert Norm Eisen. Notably, several members of the Congressional Freethought Caucus also participated, including Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Robert Garcia, D-Calif., Sarah McBride, D-Del., and Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., underscoring the presence of secular voices in these broader political conversations.

For FFRF, being part of these conversations is especially important. Christian nationalism isn’t some isolated issue that only affects atheists and agnostics. It’s deeply intertwined with many of the biggest challenges facing our country — from attacks on public education and reproductive freedom to LGBTQ+ rights and the erosion of our constitutional system of checks and balances.

And yet, the separation of church and state doesn’t always receive the attention it deserves in broader political discussions. That’s why I was so glad to be there representing FFRF.

We want the people fighting for democracy to recognize that defending the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause is an essential part of that work. We also want them to know that FFRF is a resource and an ally in confronting Christian nationalism. The weekend provided plenty of opportunities to make those connections.

FFRF Attorney Chris Line, Andrew Seidel from Americans United and Shay Leonia from American Humanist Association

I began the day by attending with friends and colleagues from the American Humanist Association and Americans United for Separation of Church and State a panel featuring Jamelle Bouie, a columnist for the New York Times and a speaker at last year’s FFRF convention. It was a welcome reminder that our organizations are working toward many of the same goals, and that collaboration makes all of us more effective.

Throughout the conference, I attended discussions examining the authoritarian threats facing our country, the future of the U.S. Supreme Court and the challenges and opportunities ahead following the midterm elections.

One particularly interesting panel on reforming the Supreme Court featured Rep. Jamie Raskin (another FFRF honoree), Bouie and Janai Nelson of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, among others. These conversations are directly relevant to FFRF’s work, especially as the federal judiciary continues to reshape the constitutional protections that have historically safeguarded religious liberty and church-state separation.

Of course, one of my favorite parts of the weekend was spending time at FFRF’s table.

I had the chance to speak with attendees from across the country, including longtime supporters, people familiar with our legal victories and others learning about FFRF for the first time. People shared their concerns about Christian nationalism, asked about the cases we’re working on and wanted to know how the election results might affect our efforts moving forward. Others expressed how relieved they were to know that an organization like FFRF is challenging government-sponsored religion, fighting religious privilege and defending the rights of nonreligious Americans. Those conversations were incredibly encouraging.

When you’re immersed in this work every day, it’s easy to focus on the next complaint, the next legal battle or the next troubling development. Hearing directly from people who appreciate what we do is a powerful reminder that our work matters far beyond the individual cases we handle.

It also reinforced something I wish every FFRF member could experience firsthand: There are a tremendous number of people out there who share our concerns, appreciate our work and want to see us succeed. And many of them aren’t necessarily atheists or agnostics. They’re people of faith, people without religion and people who simply understand that the government should not impose religious beliefs on anyone.

That’s exactly the kind of broad support we need to protect the separation of church and state.

Building relationships that strengthen our work
Another major benefit of attending events such as CrookedCon is the opportunity to build relationships with journalists, commentators, advocates and other organizations. Over the weekend, I met and spoke with people involved in shaping the national conversation, including figures from Crooked Media and other prominent voices in progressive journalism and advocacy.

Alex Wagner, host of “Runaway Country” on Crooked Media and senior political analyst at MSNOW

Brian Tyler Cohen, journalist, progressive podcast host, political commentator and YouTuber

I also enjoyed meeting Brian Tyler Cohen, whose political commentary reaches an enormous audience, and having him sign my copy of his book. I had the opportunity to connect with several other commentators and advocates whose work I’ve followed and appreciated for years.

The more people who know about our organization and the work we’re doing, the more opportunities we have to bring attention to church-state violations, highlight our legal victories, collaborate on shared priorities and reach audiences who might not otherwise hear about us.

Jon Favreau, co-founder of Crooked Media

FFRF has spent decades building a reputation as a leading defender of the constitutional separation between church and state. But we can’t assume everyone working on related issues knows the full scope of what we do. Sometimes, a conversation at a conference is the beginning of a relationship that leads to future collaboration, media coverage or an opportunity to reach thousands of new people.

That’s why I view these events as an important extension of our advocacy. We’re not just waiting for people to discover FFRF. We’re actively going out and introducing our work to people who can help amplify it.

A particularly encouraging time for secular Americans
The timing of CrookedCon couldn’t have been better. The conference took place just days after the 2026 midterm elections, which provided some encouraging news for those of us fighting Christian nationalism and working to elevate the political influence of nonreligious Americans.

Preliminary exit polling showed that religiously unaffiliated voters made up 27 percent of the electorate, substantially outnumbering white evangelical or born-again Christian voters, who accounted for 17 percent.

We also saw historic breakthroughs for openly nonreligious candidates and important victories for candidates committed to defending secular government. These results were a frequent topic of conversation throughout the weekend.

For far too long, politicians have treated conservative Christian voters as an indispensable political constituency while largely ignoring the growing number of Americans who identify with no religion. That approach is becoming increasingly difficult to justify. Nonreligious Americans are a major part of the electorate, and our concerns deserve to be taken seriously.

FFRF has an important role in making sure that happens, both by defending our constitutional rights and by ensuring secular Americans’ perspectives are represented in national conversations. CrookedCon was another opportunity to do exactly that.

Making sure our members have a seat at the table
One thing I hope many CrookedCon attendees become aware of is that FFRF’s work extends well beyond the legal complaints, lawsuits and public statements you see from us.

I was very pleased to be at CrookedCon to speak for our 40,000 members and the millions of Americans who believe the government should remain neutral toward religion. We’re there to make sure your concerns are heard. We’re there to explain why Christian nationalism threatens everyone’s rights, not just those of nonbelievers. And we’re there to remind people that FFRF is doing the hard work of challenging these violations every single day. The enthusiasm I encountered throughout the weekend left me feeling optimistic about the opportunities ahead.

There’s no question that we face serious challenges. Christian nationalists remain well organized, well funded and determined to impose their religious beliefs through government.

But we have something powerful on our side, too: a growing secular population, dedicated advocates, supportive allies and an increasing number of Americans who recognize the danger of mixing religion and government. Our job is to turn that support into meaningful action.

I’m grateful to FFRF for having me represent our organization at CrookedCon — and I’m especially grateful to the members who make this work possible. Your support allows us to do more than respond to church-state violations as they arise. It allows us to be proactive, to build relationships, to reach new audiences and to make sure secular voices are part of the conversations that will determine our country’s future.

After a weekend surrounded by so many people committed to defending democracy, I returned home energized and more convinced than ever that FFRF has an essential role to play in that fight. We’re showing up. We’re making connections. And we’re making sure the voices of nonreligious Americans are heard.

That’s what our members deserve — and that’s what we’ll keep doing.

Disclaimer: The views in this column are of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.