MEDIA ADVISORY
June 25, 2014
Contact:
Merrill Miller, American Humanist Association, 202-238-9088 ext. 105, merrillmiller@americanhumanist.org
Han Hills, A Leap of Humanity, 910-297-0321, contact@leapofhumanity.com
On July 2, 2014, humanist celebrant Han Hills will offer a secular invocation before the North Carolina 4th of July Festival Veterans Recognition Ceremony.
WHO: Han Hills is a humanist celebrant based in Wilmington, North Carolina. He is fully certified by the Humanist Society, an adjunct of the American Humanist Association, to offer secular invocations as well as to officiate marriages and other life ceremonies.
Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, is also available for interviews about the Humanist Society’s secular invocation program, launched as a response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Town of Greece v. Galloway.
WHEN: July 2, 2014 at 6:00 pm ET.
WHERE: Southport Community Building, 223 E. Bay Street, Southport, NC 28461
WHY: In order to commemorate the sacrifices and service of our veterans, Mr. Hills will give a secular invocation, a short speech that affirms the audience’s common human values without appealing to a supernatural entity. Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that legislative prayer is permissable, a secular invocation is an inclusive way for atheists and humanists to participate in public ceremonies and demonstrate that they are good without a god.
MORE INFORMATION: More information about the American Humanist Association’s secular invocations program can be found here, and more information about Han Hills can be obtained on his website, A Leap of Humanity.
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Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Humanist Association works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists and other non-religious Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming philosophy of humanism, which—without beliefs in any gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.