This blog post is republished from the February 2025 issue of The Separationist.
The Good News
by Tucker Lentz
The news is dark—so very, very dark. My mind keeps returning to the Night on Bald Mountain scene in Disney’s 1940 spectacle Fantasia. As night falls, the mountain’s peak transforms into a malevolent, winged titan, whose long talons cast a creeping shadow over the valley below. As the shadow engulfs the village, the buildings are contorted and ghosts and other specters are drawn from the earth, summoned to the mountain by evil will. The titan tears open a pit to hell and releasing demons that must supplicate themselves and dance for his amusement or be cast into the fire.
Since January 20th, the news has felt like that shadowy claw stretching out to choke the life from me. It hasn’t even been two weeks, yet our direst warnings about Project 2025 and Trump’s return seem to be bearing out. I desperately need a candle to stave off this darkness.
Gandhi never actually said, “Be the change you want to see in the world,” but the sentiment holds true. In that spirit, I am committing to finding and sharing good news in every issue of this newsletter for as long as this darkness persists. This doesn’t mean ignoring the horror show unfolding around us. We will remain dedicated to activism and resistance. But we also need to keep breathing—to seek out and celebrate the good that still exists. The depths of despair can drown out the light, so I will do my best to shine a spotlight on hope, joy, and inspiration to sustain us.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to look far for good news this month—it’s right here with SHL. Last month, the SHL Board held a retreat to plan for the year ahead, and there is plenty to be excited about.
A Stronger Board & Community
First, I want to express my gratitude for the SHL community, which brings so much to my life. I’m especially thankful for our dedicated board members—enthusiastic, engaged volunteers who invest their time and talents into developing programming that unites us and strengthens our ability to make a positive impact in the world.
Launching Activist Sunday
This month we are introducing Activist Sunday, a monthly gathering designed to foster collaboration with other progressive organizations and mobilize our community. One of the best ways to push back against encroaching darkness is to take action. Far from burying our heads in the sand, we will confront these challenges head-on—standing up for what’s right and defending constitutional democracy from those who seek to destroy it.
Expanding National Secular Engagement
One of our big initiatives this year is to increase our engagement with national secular organizations working to protect secular Americans and marginalized communities from religious extremism. These include:
- American Humanist Association
- American Atheists
- Freedom From Religion Foundation
- Americans United for Separation of Church and State
- Secular Coalition for America
To strengthen these connections, we have assigned board liaisons to specific organizations. Thanks to a generous donation, we have also established a fund to send SHL board members to national conferences, allowing us to bring valuable insights back to our members. This is a good place to note that the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s national conference will be held in Myrtle Beach this October, and we’ll be recruiting volunteers to help with the event.
A Revamped SHL Website
We’ve been hard at work redesigning the SHL website to include more content and serve as a better tool for communicating who we are and what we do. While it’s not quite ready yet, we’re getting close to launch, and I can’t wait for you to see it!
Expanding Our Newsletter Archive
Last month, we mentioned our efforts to build an archive of past newsletters. At the time, we had only 11 back issues. Thanks to Alex Kasman, that number has now grown to 188! These will be available on our new website once it launches. We’re still searching for missing issues—if you have any, or can help locate them, please email [email protected]. You can view our tracking sheet here.
Help Us Find the Light
I’ll close with a request: Good news isn’t always easy to find, especially now. If you come across a hopeful, joyful, or inspiring story worth sharing, please send it our way at [email protected].
Together, we can keep the light shining.