At the Summit for Religious Freedom earlier this month, we announced that the 2025 David Norr Youth Activist Award winner is Tatiana Chance! Named in honor of the late David Norr, a staunch advocate and supporter of Americans United and church-state separation for over 35 years, this award goes to an individual or group who goes above and beyond to advocate for the separation of church and state.
Tatiana is a reproductive justice advocate in South Dakota for whom the fight for abortion access and religious freedom are deeply intertwined. Tatiana led a multi-year project in collaboration with South Dakota Faith in Public Life to mobilize an interfaith voice for abortion access. She surveyed 1,412 congregations about their beliefs around abortion and religious freedom and built a database detailing groups’ positions on reproductive freedom. She helped organize a seminar about Christian Nationalism and has put on art exhibits that challenge religious-based abortion stigma. And she worked with religious leaders to secure signatures from 60 organizations on a letter in support of Amendment G, which would have enshrined abortion access in the South Dakota constitution.
She has been an advocate for reproductive justice since she was a teenager, when she founded Help 4 Huhas, a non-profit organization that provides free menstrual products, and now co-leads the Pasque Project, a community-based initiative focused on understanding the needs and preferences of populations facing structural barriers due to religiously motivated abortion bans, including youth—especially Native youth—immigrants, and rural communities. Click here to learn more about Tatiana and watch her acceptance speech from the Summit for Religious Freedom.
We are also thrilled to recognize Students Engaged in Advancing Texas with an honorable mention for their notable accomplishments as activists for church-state separation and inclusive religious freedom in their community. Click here to read more.
If you know a young person who, like these incredible activists, is a passionate advocate for church-state separation and wants to get even more involved as a leader and advocate in their community, please spread the word about another opportunity: AU’s Youth Organizing Fellowship – applications are open until June 30.
Photo by Chris Line
