Hear ye, hear ye! It’s time to celebrate the birth of Thomas Paine! The Zoom celebration will take place on Sunday, January 29, 2023 at Noon (PST)/3:00 PM (EST). Registration at the below link:
The 2023 Thomas Paine birthdate celebration is sponsored by the Thomas Paine Memorial Association (TPMA), Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), Secular Student Alliance, Center For Inquiry (CFI), and The Freethought Society.
The theme of the 2023 event is “Thomas Paine Birthdate Proclamation Celebration.” TPMA board members will each read a Thomas Paine Day proclamation as an example of how a proclamation can be written to honor the life of our freethought hero. Thomas Paine Day is celebrated on June 8th every year. In Europe his date of death is used as an official time to reflect upon and honor his life accomplishments. Paine died on June 8, 1809.
Actor Ian Ruskin will be reading a New Rochelle, New York proclamation. Author, comedian, and monologist Julia Sweeney will be reading a City of Philadelphia proclamation signed by former Mayor Edward G. Rendell. Another City of Philadelphia proclamation, signed by former mayor Michael A. Nutter, will be read by author and educator Christopher Cameron. Actor John de Lancie and his wife Marnie Mosiman de Lancie will be reading proclamations from the cities of Lancaster and York, Pennsylvania. Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of FFRF will be reading the Urbana, Illinois proclamation. President and CEO of CFI, Robyn Blumner, will be reading the Bordentown, New Jersey proclamation. Author and educator Frances Chiu will read the Cherry Hill, New Jersey proclamation. Author, producer, and director Ann Druyan will read a Pennsylvania House of Representatives Thomas Paine Day Resolution.
The 2023 June 8th Thomas Paine Day will be enhanced when more proclamations are written and approved by mayors, governors, and city councils. Instructions on how to write a Thomas Paine Day proclamation will be provided by Margaret Downey, the president of TPMA.
Representative Jamie Raskin will share updates on the Congressional front along with a heartfelt welcome.
In September 2022, Representative Victoria Spartz became a co-lead of House Bill 6720 (a Congressional Bill to endorse a Washington, D.C. monument to honor Thomas Paine). She will also deliver a welcome address and convey why she supports a monument to Thomas Paine.
The keynote speaker is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of London Greg Claeys. His speech “Thomas Paine’s Collected Works: A New Edition,” will provide an update about efforts to uncover previously unattributed Paine writings.
Providing the celebratory music are selections from a new musical The Crossing. The play places Thomas Paine and his American Crisis front and center. The Crossing was written by Jason Huza and John Allen Watts. Three songs from the play will be featured: “These Are The Days” is a song that opens and closes The Crossing; “On The Wheel of Time” is a duet sung by the characters Elizabeth and Abigail; and “Rights Intrinsic” showcases Thomas Paine’s vision for a new world.
On Saturday, January 29, 2022, at 1:00 PM (PST)/4:00 PM (EST), hundreds of people willgather on Zoom to celebrate the birthdate of an often-forgotten Founding Father, Thomas Paine. Hailed as “Freethought Hero,” and great patriot, the January 29th event will be, as far as we know, the very first Zoom celebration of his birth. Zoom connections will be made from all over the world and everyone will be invited to deliver a toast in celebration of the life and work of this amazing champion of reason, independent thought, and revolutionary ideas.
The event is presented by the newly-formed Thomas Paine Memorial Association (TPMA), a 501(c)3 organization, with the purpose of educating the public and installing statues of Thomas Paine in Washington, DC and other places of significance to the life of Thomas Paine.
The American Humanist Association, Center for Inquiry, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Freethought Society, the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, and the Thomas Paine National Historical Association are cosponsors.
During the Thomas Paine Birthdate Celebration, the Stiefel Freethought Foundation (SFF) is pleased to offer an opportunity to TRIPLE any donation that is received. A $17.76 donation will be matched to become $53.28, and a $1,776 donation becomes $5,328! An opportunity such as this should not be missed. To triple your money, donate at: https://thomaspainememorial.org/donation/
Todd Stiefel will open the program with a few words about his triple-match offer and why the statue project is important.
TPMA board members, including John de Lancie, Julia Sweeney, Gary Berton, Ann Druyan, Marnie Mosiman de Lancie, Christopher Cameron, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Tom Legg, and Robyn Blumner will welcome everyone to the event.
Actor Ian Ruskin will speak about his experiences portraying Thomas Paine. He will share photos of appearances and will include an overview of his “Walk in the Footsteps of Thomas Paine” tour that took place in England.
TPMA president Margaret Downey will be talking about the many Thomas Paine-themed activities she has sponsored, including her “Walk in the Footsteps of Thomas Paine” that took place in Paris, France.
Sculptor Zenos Frudakis will join the festivities from his studio in Glenside, Pennsylvania.
Closing remarks will be delivered by Congressman Jamie Raskin.
Educator, songwriter, and recording artist James Klueh will perform two Thomas Paine-themed songs prior to the interactive social hour.
Please visit the link below to register for this exciting international event:
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We hope that you will remain or become an active supporter of the great work FS is doing. Please donate to the general fund or select a project you want to help sponsor. All donations to FS are tax-deductible!
If the Ezine inspires you to become more actively involved with FS, please provide us with your contact information, including your phone number and mailing address.
Special events are being planned in your area so don’t miss an opportunity to participate further. All personal information is confidential and will not be shared with other organizations.
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Donation and Information Page
We hope that you will remain or become an active supporter of the great work FS is doing. Please donate to the general fund or select a project you want to help sponsor. All donations to FS are tax-deductible!
If the Ezine inspires you to become more actively involved with FS, please provide us with your contact information, including your phone number and mailing address.
Special events are being planned in your area so don’t miss an opportunity to participate further. All personal information is confidential and will not be shared with other organizations.
On Thursday, May 6, 2021, please join the Freethought Society, Recovering From Religion, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Secular Student Alliance and the Secular Coalition for America as we celebrate The National Day of Reason by hosting a Zoom entertainment extravaganza entitled “Mayday for Humanity.” The event will begin at 4:00 PM PST/7:00 PM EST.
Comedians Leighann Lord and Ian Harris will co-host this 3-hour event. They will usher in an array of comedians, poets, and musical performers. All funds donated during the event will benefit homeless shelters and food banks selected by the co-sponsors. Beneficiary organizations operate in a nondiscriminatory and secular manner.
This entertaining and enlightening program will interweave messages from co-sponsors, celebrity supporters, and people who are conducting grassroots community service projects during the 2021 Secular Week of Action (April 30-May 9).
An online auction will also take place with items donated by renowned-sculptor Zenos Frudakis, award-winning science writer Ann Druyan, illusionist Curt Anderson, the Humanists Society of Santa Barbara and many others.
