Freethinker of the Year

1996 - Michael Bristor

At the age of six, Michael Bristor was harassed and ridiculed by his Minnesota first-grade teacher for not participating in illegal classroom prayer. The complaints of his parents, Mary Lue Bristor and Carl Larson, were never acknowledged, and the school board did nothing about the daily harassment: "She gave me time outs for not praying. Kids were calling me a devil worshipper." At the end of the school year, Michael sat with all of the honor roll students during the awards ceremony, but his name was never called. His name had been deliberately left off the list because he was not religious. Three years after a legal complaint was lodged, with the help of the ACLU and Minnesota Atheists, Michael finally received his award. The "mini-Freethinker of the Year" award was presented to Michael when he was 12.

"Now I just tell people I'm an atheist, and they say, 'Okay,' and I really like that. Most kids that I tell say they're an atheist too."

Photos: Brent Nicastro

1996 - Jennifer Essak, Sam Essak, Michael Hakeem, and Richard Uttke

The Essaks, Prof. Michael Hakeem, and Richard Uttke were four State of Wisconsin employees who signed on as significant plaintiffs in the Freedom From Religion Foundation's winning federal lawsuit challenging a longtime Wisconsin statute mandating worship on Good Friday and declaring it a state holiday. The statute was declared unconstitutional by federal Judge John C. Shabaz on Feb. 23, 1996. Numerous government buildings and services, including public libraries, now remain open for business throughout Wisconsin on "Good Friday."

Michael Hakeem: "It was a delight to win this lawsuit, but even loss is not entire loss. Loss is educational. It tells people out there that there are other voices, that there is opposition to church/state entanglement."

Jennifer & Sam Essak: "We were very excited to be part of a bigger battle, to be a part of something to make a bigger impact. There are still battles to be fought against Good Friday here in Wisconsin and in other states."

For full speech click here.