From late 2000 through early 2003, I worked as a secretary/receptionist at a small office in the Philadelphia suburbs. The office focused on agriculture and horticulture in the county, and I was the only “city kid” who worked there. In contrast, my coworkers were current and former farmers, evangelical and conservative Christians, white, homophobic, active Republicans from rural PA who weren’t used to anyone different. (I’m pretty sure I was an Affirmative Action hire.)
The job coincided with me discovering and volunteering in the freethought movement. Besides getting involved with groups in my region, I volunteered as the Publications Director for the Campus Freethought Alliance (now CFI On Campus) in 2001 and drove down to DC for the Godless Americans March on Washington in 2002. I didn’t talk to my coworkers about these activities, but my activism was motivated partly by that stiflingly conservative, overwhelmingly religious, homophobic, and somewhat racist work environment.
I dealt with pent-up frustration during the workday by engaging in secular activism on my lunch breaks. Although I didn’t have much experience and my efforts weren’t well-planned, they felt very rewarding. I contacted student groups, made dozens of phone calls, and wrote letters, which is how I ended up with the reply below. Continue reading “Hillary Clinton in 2002: “Expressing Support for the Pledge of Allegiance””
