Jessica Ahlquist | |
|---|---|
 Ahlquist in 2012 | |
| Born | June 21, 1995 |
| Nationality | American |
Jessica Ahlquist (born June 21, 1995) is an American activist and public speaker who filed a lawsuit in 2012 against Cranston High School West, where she was a student, to remove a religious prayer from its auditorium. The suit, Ahlquist v. Cranston, was filed with the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union, and was ultimately decided in Ahlquist's favor. During the lawsuit, Ahlquist received hate mail and was verbally attacked by her peers, media outlets, and online. She received death threats, and required police escorts to and from classes.[1] On the day following the ruling, Rhode Island State Representative Peter G. Palumbo spoke on a local radio show and referred to Ahlquist as "an evil little thing".[2]
Since the lawsuit, Ahlquist has received a variety of media attention, and she has been an invited speaker at a number of events, including the Reason Rally, the Texas Freethought Convention and Skepticon 5.[3]
Two high-school students from other states have described their objections to school prayer as inspired by her activism.[4] She has received a number of awards, including the 2011 Thomas Jefferson Youth Activist and the American Humanist Association's 2012 Humanist Pioneer Award.
- ^ Ng, Christina (January 18, 2012). "Rhode Island Teen's Battle Against Prayer Banner Has Gone 'Too Far,' Mayor Says". ABC News. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ Goodnough, Abby (January 26, 2012). "Student Faces Town's Wrath in Protest Against a Prayer". The New York Times. Jen McCaffery (contributing). ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ Kotraba&, Kellie. "Teen Activist Emerges as an Atheist Hero at Skepticon". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
- ^ Metcalf, Andrew (June 24, 2012). "Ahlquist Inspires Two Others To Contest Prayers At Their Schools". Cranston Patch. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012.