On September 15, 2026, Michigan Humanists hosted Fish Stark, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association, for our monthly lecture, “Democracy Is My Religion.”
Fish is an organizer, educator, social entrepreneur, and lifelong humanist. His father, Pete Stark, was the first openly humanist member of Congress. He has spent his career working toward belonging, flourishing, and social justice for all people.
The lecture took its title from an idea at the start of organized humanism. Curtis Reese, a co-founder of the AHA, called humanism “the religion of democracy.” That’s because humanists believe truth, morality, and power don’t come from an outside authority. They come from us. Fish drew on history, philosophy, psychology, and a good dose of humor to show how humanists can stand up to authoritarianism and religious nationalism. He also made the case for humanism as a hopeful picture of what we do believe, not just a list of what we don’t. His message was that we aren’t just subjects of history. We are its authors.
Thank you to Fish Stark, everyone who came, and the volunteers who made the evening possible.
You can watch the full lecture (1 hr 23 min) here.
