A group of Texas high school and college students received the David Norr Youth Activist Award from Americans United for Separation of Church and State this year — recognizing a well-organized youth movement making a difference.
The award is named for the late father of Amy Norr, who serves as chair of the AU board of directors. David Norr was a staunch advocate for church-state separation.
Amy Norr presented the award to Cameron Samuels, Hayden Cohen, Kayla Madrid, Marshall Romero and Sumya Paruchuri representing Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, also known as SEAT. The nonprofit is run entirely by young leaders ages 25 and younger.
SEAT’s mission is to involve young people in policymaking and ensure they have a voice in government.
SEAT’s mission is to involve young people in policymaking and ensure they have a voice in government.
“They fight for a seat at the table,” explained Rachel Laser, president of Americans United. “I love their slogan: ‘Nothing about us without us.’ SEAT puts on an annual advocacy day and runs year-round fellowships. It trains and mobilizes students to use their voices and personal stories for social transformation. They publish op-eds, speak on panels, and testify before decision makers, and SEAT continues to be a crucial ally to Americans United and our allies in Texas in our very serious fight for religious freedom and church-state separation and inclusive public education there.”
For example, last year SEAT representatives Hayden Cohen, Cameron Samuels and Azeemah Sadiq waited 20 hours to testify against Texas Senate Bill 10 — the bill that later became a law mandating display of the Ten commandments in every classroom.
The young leaders have organized students to speak at Texas school board meetings to keep religious chaplains out of public schools and at Texas State Board of Education hearings to oppose religious texts in public school curriculum.
SEAT filed the only student-led friend of the court brief in last year’s U.S. Supreme Court case Mahmoud v. Taylor — a case brought by parents who wanted to opt their kids out of a reading curriculum that included LGBTQ characters and books.
“In their brief, SEAT argued students have a right to discover ideas and identities they are unfamiliar with, despite a parent’s religious objection to public school curriculum,” Laser said. “The young people involved in SEAT have repeatedly shown courage and commitment by advocating for church-state separation, religious freedom and public education in a very difficult political climate. They know the importance of organizing, telling personal stories and building communities, even when the win now isn’t guaranteed.”
Sumya Paruchuri speaking as other SEAT leaders stand by (AU photo)
Sumya Paruchuri spoke for the group in accepting the award, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd of 300 people.
“Students are not just the leaders of tomorrow, but the changemakers of today,” Paruchuri said. “There’s no other group of people as driven and fierce as the people I get to organize with every day. Our values are unshakable, and when we set our mind to something, we get it done.”
Yet, “we’re doing the work some adults do for full-time jobs while also being full-time students, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” the college student said. “Together, we have filed numerous lawsuits against the state of Texas and several amicus briefs, including one in Nathan v. Alamo Heights, where we joined AU in challenging the Ten Commandments in schools, and the only one written from the student voice, Mahmoud v. Taylor, where we defended our freedom to read. We have testified at every level of government, at dozens of local school boards, in countless late nights at the Texas Legislature and are being heard by the Supreme Court, all as an entirely student-led organization that is less than four years old.”
SEAT is not just a moment but a movement, Paruchuri said. “We are the only ones who acutely understand how the blurring of church and state is affecting young people in our schools today. … We will not stand idly by while decisions are made about us without us in mind.”