Jessica Ahlquist



Jessica Ahlquist is an activist from Cranston, Rhode Island, known for successfully challenging a prayer posted in her high school's auditorium. Due to her, her father, and the ACLU suing Cranston, the school had to remove the banner. For her efforts, Ahlquist, who was sixteen at the time, was and is the victim of all kinds of harassment from a variety of community leaders, including being dubbed "Evil Little Thing" by Rhode Island State Representative Peter Palumbo, who the police arrested for embezzlement.

Awards

 * American Humanist Association Humanist Pioneer Award &mdash; 2012
 * Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award &mdash; 2013