Greetings NOSHA Friends!

The time has rolled around (finally) when we can send out our annual thanks to all who have helped the New Orleans Secular Humanist Association over the years by supporting our unique position in this area with your interest, participation, and membership support.

We hope the health and well being of you, your family, and friends has not been adversely affected by the pandemic over the past couple of years, but we know that everyone has been impacted to some degree. Businesses, public institutions, and small non-profit educational organizations like ours have all paid a price for the necessary lockdowns, quarantining, and social distancing required to stop the spread of COVID-19 since March of 2020.

On June 1, NOSHA will be raising the membership dues slightly to $30 (currently $25) for individuals and to $50 (up from $40) for households. It has been over a decade since we last increased dues, and with the prospect of higher costs for meeting space and other essentials, this small increase is required. 

Take advantage of this grace period and become a member today!

Unfortunately, during the time of NOSHA’s 20th anniversary, we were confronted with our most serious existential crisis since Hurricane Katrina. Instead of floodwaters sending members to the four corners of the country, coronavirus had us sheltering in place until the storm of disease passed. Our monthly programs with engaging speakers, our public service projects, and our good-time social events like Solstice celebrations and various gatherings were put on hold or transferred to the virtual world of Zoom online.

We kept planning programs for our community and the virtual topics and presentations on this new format were representative of the quality that you have come to expect from NOSHA. In April and October 2020, John Martinez, a NASA community ambassador, spoke with us on the 30th Anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope Launch and the Mars Perseverance Rover Mission, providing some historical background and many new photos of our expanding universe. In May, we teamed up with the local Sierra Club Chapter and Nathaniel Rich, author of Losing Earth: A Recent History. In June, Matt Wright gave us an enjoyable (and hilarious) look in the world of a symphonic trombonist. In July, we heard from Winter Randall with Days for Girls and longtime NOSHA member Bart Everson gave a talk on For the Love of Mother Earth: Concepts of Gaia. In October, biologist Daniel Meden gave a talk on National Environmental Policy Act of 1970. In December, we heard from Daniel Howard about Using En-ROADs to Understand Climate Solutions.

In March 2021, author Emily Toth addressed Can Atheists Menstruate? In May, Dr. Joseph Billingsley presented on What is the Cultural Evolution of Religious Pro-sociality? In June, Dr. Rodney Shackleford, Assistant Professor of Pathology in Shreveport, spoke on Evolution, Animals, & Covid — Tying It Together. 

Beginning in August of last year, we started back with our in-person programs (held at First Unitarian Church) only to be thwarted by the Delta variant, but we are on our way and building back with our regular schedule now that we are passed the Omicron variant surge and Mardi Gras.

Please consider becoming a member in the region’s sole organization that shares your free-thinking outlook, where the persistent efforts of proselytizing by church leaders and their allies in government trying to level the wall of separation between church and state are met with our united voice in support of the Constitution’s First Amendment; and where the proliferation of conspiracy, medical quackery, and pseudoscience on social media and in tabloid journalism is challenged with cold, hard science.

We understand the current economic situation can leave some with little room for non essential spending, but your commitment and involvement are what is really important in keeping us together in times like these. Our Facebook group is growing with new members and new ideas— drop in a comment occasionally. You can also find out about all of our activities via our Meetup group. 

We hope to see you at one of our activities in the coming year!