June 2014 was an incredible month for Secular Woman!
Three milestone events happened, only one of which has been made public to date. The first event is the two year anniversary of the launch of Secular Woman. We’ve accomplished so much that I thought surely it must be our third year anniversary. I remained under that misapprehension until I began receiving congratulatory notices on our SECOND year anniversary!
Over these past two years what has become abundantly clear is that Secular Woman is needed for so many women in the United States and across the globe. There are so many areas that need to be improved: our secular/atheist/humanist community, our feminist community, our right to bodily autonomy and to make health care decisions without governmental intervention (see @AbortTheocracy), our right to be safe online and offline, and our right to not be stoned, murdered, or have acid thrown on us. For all these reasons and so many more Secular Woman brings a fresh perspective to secularism.
The first announcement I am excited to make is about a long standing project that started almost the first day we launched. We were approached by someone who wanted to help us obtain our intellectual property rights, including trademarking. This June, the trademark for Secular Woman was approved!
And now for our biggest news. Almost a year sooner than anticipated the IRS has approved our 501c3 application! I was thrilled and surprised that it was approved so rapidly because the application process changed as we were applying, making the undertaking more time-consuming and difficult. We could not have done without the effort, time, and expertise of the people who volunteered to assist in its completion.
There are several people I would like to personally thank for their work on this and dedication to getting it filed: Mary Ellen Sikes, Renee Perry, Monette Richards, and our Treasurer. Without these four people, and their unparalleled attention to detail, Secular Woman might have just begun the question and answer period with the IRS; instead we have been APPROVED. Thank you simply does not fully encompass the personal or organization gratitude they have for all time.
In our last two years I’ve seen incredible growth both within Secular Woman and in our communities; in these next two year’s we’ll be striving for more change and progress in the form of progressive secular feminist action!
Sincerely,
Kim Rippere
President, Secular Woman