Anya Overmann on American Ethical Union Historic Election
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/01/12
Anya Overmann’s biographical sketch states: “My work as a writer is driven by human rights activism and progressive values. I work with people and businesses who care about ethics. To learn more about the work I do for clients, head over here. My professional and personal life are integrally woven together by this drive to help people. I was raised attending the Ethical Society of St. Louis, where I formed a deep secular belief in the inherent dignity and worth of all human beings. I’m a former President of Young Humanists International, a current Board member of the American Ethical Union, and a member of the American Humanist Association. I work with Atheists United in Los Angeles to produce The Nomadic Humanist.”
Here we talk about her election to the Board of the American Ethical Union with several others in a historic elections.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: The American Ethical Union is another pillar in the secular organizational landscape. There are a bunch, including internal superminorities like the non-theist Satanist group. You’ve been a part of a cohort who made some recent history. So, congratulations – first of all! How do you feel as the Secretary and part of this historic youth election into leadership?
Anya Overmann: I feel hopeful that this shift in leadership has the potential to shift the culture of the organization to be more collaborative and responsive to the needs of our communities rather than to the agendas of those with more money and influence in our movement.
Jacobsen: The focus on the news items has been the diversity of the election, whether by age, race, or gender. Why did this become an important point to highlight for the Ethical Culture movement?
Overmann: The American Ethical Union and the Ethical Culture movement at large have a history of prioritizing older, whiter, cisgender men. This history has also failed to create an inclusive space for younger people, BIPOC, transgender, and non-binary folks. As a result, a lot of folks that Ethical Culture values claim to support have felt excluded, not heard, and not represented in the Ethical Culture movement. It was not until the election this year that changed after 134 years. That sort of shift in representation in an organization with historically non-inclusive practice is a monumental moment to be celebrated.
Jacobsen: Why run for Secretary rather than other roles?
Overmann: I had already been serving as Acting Secretary for some months before, and I saw my continuation in that role in an official, democratically-elected capacity as important for helping facilitate the coming transition in the organization.
Jacobsen: What have some of the onboarding trainings and first tasks in the first few months for you?
Overmann: Because the Assembly also passed a bylaw amendment that turned our Board from elected to representative and doubled the size of our Board, we have focused on training and orienting our many new Directors. We have paused all committees but the Finance Committee and created temporary Teams to reevaluate past committee efforts and create new strategies for moving forward. We have also focused on building leadership skills, doing visioning work, and having outside consultants support us in doing that work.
Jacobsen: How is the AEU community taking this historic moment for itself?
Overmann: It has been fraught. There was some harmful commentary from within our own ranks about this historic moment, and we have been navigating a lot of tension. However, we’re hoping that we can work together through all of this to bring folks into a shared space and common ground.
Jacobsen: How have the current Board and the new board members – along with you – adapted to the new Board shuffle? In my experience, and I assume yours too, there has always a bit of an adjustment period getting used to everyone’s way of working, communicating, and orienting to the contingencies of the prior Board and its work.
Overmann: The switch from an elected Board to a representative Board has been the most challenging change in our new leadership. Our Board went from 11 Directors to 22 almost overnight, and the 11-director Board was already struggling to get anything done due to a severe breakdown in relationships. In my opinion, doubling the number of cooks in the already dysfunctional kitchen was a very poor decision. However, it was the decision the Assembly chose and our duty to carry it out. So we have done that, but it has made bringing everyone onto the same page a monumental task that we are tackling little by little.
Jacobsen: What are your hopes for this new moment for AEU?
Overmann: I am hoping that we can build trust in our leadership. It’s clear that we are working in a very anxious system and that people are worried about the future of this movement. The concern that we are looking at the end of the American Ethical Union is legitimate. My hope is that members support us and the collaborative work we are attempting to do to save this organization, rather than create any additional obstructions or resistance to this very difficult work. But I recognize that it’s a two-way street and that we have to be able to cultivate trust and safety to make this work.
Jacobsen: What are the targeted objectives of AEU’s Board in this set of terms?
Overmann: We want to (1) rebuild decision-making structures, (2) re-launch committees, and (3) build a new culture that resists past dysfunction and promotes future flourishing.
Jacobsen: How can people get involved with AEU or your work, reading or learning about activities?
Overmann: Go to aeu.org to learn more about us, or email me at aovermann@aeu.org if you have any questions.
Jacobsen: Anya, thank you for the opportunity and your time, today.
Overmann: Thanks, Scott, always a pleasure!
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In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.in-sightpublishing.com.
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