Secular Day at the Capitol 2025

Please join us at the Arizona State Capitol on March 6 from 9:30 to 2:00 pm for a day of activism, advocacy and inspiration. Lunch included; RSVP required.

Click here to RSVP and save your seat

Click here to sponsor Secular Day at the Capitol 2025

**THANK YOU** Event Sponsors:

• Roxanne Ereth
• Whit & Janet Johnson
• Debra Neill
• Alex Zygmunt

Event Details:

We’ll get started at 9:30am and meet at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, located at 1700 W Washington St in Phoenix. There are two adjacent parking areas; you can also find parking behind the AZ Capitol Museum in the Capitol Parking Lot at 19th and Jefferson. (get directions)

When you arrive, please check in, grab a pastry and coffee, and then we’ll head to the House for an introduction of our group by Rep. Quantá Crews and/or the Senate for an introduction by Sen. Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton.

If you have a Secular AZ shirt or other clothing proclaiming your support for church:state separation, today’s the day to wear it proudly! (Don’t have a shirt? We’ll have some available at the event!)

Today’s Speakers:

Seth Andrews is a broadcaster, storyteller, author, activist, and public speaker best known as host of the popular website, podcast, and online community, The Thinking Atheist. Originally the product of Christian fundamentalism, today Seth is an advocate, not for religion, but for people, and while he – as a storyteller – loves the distraction of supernatural fiction, he ultimately encourages everyone to root their pursuit of the truth in reason and evidence, and to pursue a Personal Relationship With Reality.

Seth lives in Oklahoma with his wife Natalie and his unofficial mascots, Linus, Gracie, and Kat. He enjoys movies, sushi (no tentacles), tennis, referencing “Hitchhiker’s Guide,” casual gaming, 80s music, piano by ear, and constantly flipping his pillow to the cool side.

Rep. Quantá Crews (L-26) is a community advocate and an associate minister at The Historic Tanner Chapel A.M.E. Church in Phoenix, AZ, where she serves as coordinator of the No Limits Special Needs Ministry. Rev. Crews is a graduate of Grand Canyon University with a Bachelor’s of Arts in History. A real and personal property appraiser, she is passionate about the property tax profession and advocates for high quality ethics standards. She has seen first hand how inequitable legislation and policies have been weaponized to create stumbling boulders for marginalized communities.

Quantá is an equity advocate and is sounding the alarm on the need for the public’s intimate understanding of our government agencies. It is through intimate knowledge that opportunities are recognized and targeted for revolutionary change. Quantá enjoys hanging out with her amazing sons, and is an aspiring lyricist, writing poetry in her spare time. As state representative, she is dedicated to expanding  affordable housing, fighting for reproductive rights, and protecting Arizona’s water for the future.

Sydney Gonzales (she/her) is a dedicated advocate for equality and justice, and a beloved member of the Rim Country community. As a wife, mother, daughter and proud trans woman, Sydney has overcome adversity and emerged as a powerful voice for change. She is a 2025 Secular Star Award recipient.

As co-founder and current president of Rim Country Pride, Sydney has tirelessly worked to build and supportive and inclusive community in Payson and surrounding areas. Her unwavering commitment to helping others has been instrumental in providing essential resources and fostering a sense of belonging for LGBTQ+ individuals. Sydney’s passion for equality extends beyond her local community. She has dedicated herself to advocating for justice and love on a national level, inspiring countless individuals with her courage and compassion.

Will Humble is the Executive Director for the Arizona Public Health Association. His 35 years in public health included more than 2 decades at the Arizona Department of Health Services, where he was Agency Director from 2009 to 2015. He served as a health policy director at the University of Arizona before  becoming the Executive Director of the Arizona Public Health Association in 2017 and continues his academic affiliation as Adjunct Faculty with The University of Arizona’s Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

Will has a Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from The University of Arizona in 2015 for his career commitment to engaging partnerships between academic and executive public health. Will is a big believer in using evidence-based health policy as a means to improve health outcomes and in leading and managing with emotional intelligence.

Rev. Sandy Johnson is an ordained minister with The United Methodist Church, serving in East Mesa. Prior to being clergy, she had a career as a behavior therapist working with emotionally disturbed children in residential treatment centers and a 20 yr career in sales.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Oregon State University and a Masters of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology.

Sandy is passionate about justice concerns and specifically works to support LGBTQIA rights.  Her youngest is a beautiful transgender woman and she is a fierce advocate for the trans community.  She is married to JJ and mother to three grown children and grandmother to Izabel.

Schedule (subject to change):

• 9:30: Check in, grab a pastry, and head to the House for an introduction of our group by Rep. Quantá Crews
• 10-10:30: House Session
• 10:30-11:00: Seth Andrews
• 11:15-11:30: Rev. Sandy Johnson
• 11:30-12: Lunch
• 12-12:30: Will Humble
• 12:30-1: Rep. Quantá Crews
• 1-2: Jeanne Casteen and Eddie Chavez Calderon