FFRF chapter updates (August 2026)
San Francisco Bay Chapter
San Francisco’s best known and widely loved 19th-century eccentric, Emperor Norton, was a delightful freethinker. The San Francisco Bay chapter of FFRF has joined other local groups to support placing his name on a tunnel in the middle of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge — a bridge that he decreed be built.
Joshua Abraham Norton (1818–1880) proclaimed himself “Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.” During his “reign,” he issued hundreds of proclamations which local newspapers happily printed. He held no office and was poor, but was generally enjoyed and treated respectfully by Bay Area residents.
Norton was a religious humanist and pluralist who defended the separation of church and state and stood against sectarianism. He was a voice for fair treatment for immigrants and other marginalized groups, including Chinese, African Americans and Native Americans. He supported women and women’s suffrage. He attacked corruption and fraud of all kinds, and defended the people’s right to fair taxes and basic services. He was perhaps the most freely thinking of citizens in a city known then and now for tolerance and freedom of thought.
In 1872, Norton issued three proclamations decreeing a bridge from Oakland to San Francisco via Yerba Buena Island. Six decades later, the California Legislature followed suit, and in 1936 the Bay Bridge opened, including the tunnel through the island.
You can join the SF Bay chapter in supporting this project by signing the petition at change.org/EmperorNortonTunnel.
Ozarks Chapter of FFRF
The Ozarks Chapter made huge strides in June, collecting over 100 unique email addresses and growing our database by nearly 15 percent. Citizens of the Ozarks are getting tired of the unyielding Christian nationalism and we’ve seen a tremendous response. At the recent NWA Pride Festival, our chapter was revered for the work of FFRF, including the judgment from Stinson v. Fayetteville School District.
We now turn our attention to the 2026 Secular Speaker Series, which kicks off on July 18 with FFRF Senior Counsel Sam Grover, and continues on Aug. 22 with “The Friendly Atheist” Hemant Mehta. Visit OzarksFFRF.org for more information and tickets.
Upstate New York Freethinkers
Upstate New York Freethinkers hosted Freethought Trail visitors and leaders from the Humanist Society of Santa Barbara, the Freethought Society and the Thomas Paine Memorial Association (our chapter participants serve on the board) to view Frederick Douglass art inside Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery vaults. (See resources at unyft.org/rochester-freethought-trail-visit). Local action continues with the annual Ingersoll Birthplace Museum cleanup in the Finger Lakes and a new Meetup organizer in the Western New York region.
Our big event is September’s 3rd Annual Freethinkers Gathering weekend in Albany. All nationwide guests are welcome for Saturday dinner and Sunday keynotes by FFRF Director of Governmental Affairs Mark Dann and David Hoffman. A discounted Hilton Albany room block ($149/night) is available. Register at unyft.org/go. Contribute or connect at unyft.org/donate, info@unyft.org, or 585-454-9921.
Greater Sacramento chapter
The Greater Sacramento Chapter of FFRF was proud to be at our third Pride event! We had two volunteers who were new to the Pride event. Not only did they have a blast handing out swag and trinkets, but they also helped us get 40 new chapter sign-ups!
Here in blue California, Pride events are where we are able to reach people who aren’t familiar with FFRF, but who do have great concerns with the separation of state and church. Christian nationalists in our state find our LGBTQ youth the easiest to target, particularly through the school boards and local governments.
