Freethinkers Association of Central Texas

Zoey is an activist and student at the University of Texas at Austin. She’s a member of Students for International Labor Solidarity (SILS), as well as part of UT’s Polish Society and the Texas Writing Society. She hopes to make a difference in international labor and gender standards through advocacy, journalism, and storytelling. Her secular identity came into focus as she saw how religious doctrine was used to limit women’s choices about their bodies, education, and work. She turned to a humanist worldview, feeling it better accepted and empowered the individuals organized religion seemed to demean.

Zoey has seen firsthand how barriers to equality can keep women from safe workplaces, fair pay, and control over their own lives. She has worked to raise awareness of labor rights abuses and build community support for workers, especially women, whose voices are too often left out.  She hopes to build a career in international labor and human rights advocacy, pushing for policies that protect workers and women everywhere. She believes secularism is key because laws grounded in evidence and human rights, rather than any single faith, protect everyone.