Press Releases and News WITCH WINS LAWSUIT IN DETROIT ·
Dateline: Detroit 22 March, 1999 Press Release from WADL
Contact Information for WADL Eddie Ortiz Midwest Regional
Director spiral42@concentric.net
The Witches Anti-Discrimination League is very pleased to
announce a settlement in the Crystal Seifferly Lawsuit against
The Lincoln Park School Board. Ms. Seifferly filed a lawsuit
against the Lincoln Park School board in February of this year
challenging the Lincoln Park School District's 4-month-old rule
against certain student uses of the pentacle, a five-pointed star
that's a symbol of her Wicca faith and common in jewelry.
As of today, U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen defined the terms
to a consent decress between the Lincoln Park School District and
Ms. Seifferly. This agreement states that all mentions of the
words "Pagan" and "witch" will be removed
from the dress code policy. The School Board also agreed to
republish the dress code policy within five school days.
Additonally, in this decree, all students will be permitted to
wear religious jewelry regardless of their denomination or
religious/spiritual backgrounds. The word "pentacle"
will not be removed from the school dress code however will be
allowed if the wearer declares it a profession of religion. As
per the agreement, there will be no need for any student to
contact the administration informing them of their religious
affiliation, however, if stopped by security or the
administation, a student will only need to state that the symbol
is a profession of their religion.
Ms. Seifferly waived her right to seek damages for religious
freedom violations in lieu of this consent decree and the Lincoln
Park School District agreed to pay all attorney fees. · Press
Release from The Witches Voice- http://witchvox.com
For Immediate Release: March 22, 1999 The Witches' Voice P.O. Box
4924 Clearwater, FL 33758-4924 http://www.witchvox.com contact:
Wren@witchvox.com
The Witches' Voice welcomes today's announcement by the ACLU of
Michigan that the case brought forward by Teen Witch Crystal
Seifferly against the Lincoln Park School District has been
satisfactorily settled.
U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen declared the terms of the
"consent judgment" as follows:
* The words "Pagans" and "Witches" will be
removed from the Lincoln Park policy.
* An exception is made for students wearing "jewelry or
other symbols in the profession of their religion."
* Students do not need to initiate the contact informing the
administration of their religious preference. If the student is
approached by the administration or a security officer, the
student simply needs to inform them the symbols are for the
professing of their religion.
* The school agrees to pay the ACLU attorneys fees.
* The school will republish the policy within five school days.
"This judgment should send the clear and concise message to
all public school districts that policies which single out any
religion, religious symbol or other mode of religious expression
for restriction will not go unchallenged," stated TWV
Chairperson, Rev. Wren Walker. "Religious freedom as
guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States applies to
all religions and religious beliefs equally. This right has once
again been verified and reinforced here today."
"Public school students who express an deep religious belief
quite simply are guaranteed their rights under a "higher
authority" than that allocated to the local school
board."
"The settlement terms announced today," added TWV
President Fritz Jung, "should aid in setting a new standard
on how similar types of school code policies will be implemented
in the future."
· The ACLU Press Statement FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 22, 1999
For more information contact: Kary L. Moss, Executive Director or
Tom Schram, Public Education Director 313-961-7728
Lincoln Park Changes Policy on Witch
As part of a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union,
Lincoln Park High School changed its policy prohibiting the
wearing of pentagrams Monday, allowing senior Crystal Seifferly
to outwardly wear the symbol of her religion for the first time
since October.
At a March 2 hearing before U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen, the
ACLU argued that the district's policy violated Seifferly's
religious rights. Seifferly, 17, is an honor student and a witch
- a member of the Wicca religion. Wiccans consider pentacles -
five-pointed stars enclosed in a circles - icons of their
religion.
On Monday, Lincoln Park High School agreed to make an exception
to its gang policy for students wearing religious jewelry or
other symbols as a profession of their religion. It did away with
the provision of its policy that stated that pagans and witches
are inappropriate in a school setting. And it agreed to pay
attorney's fees to the ACLU.
"I'm happy; I'm pleased; I'm glad it's over," Seifferly
said. "The longer it went on and the more I thought about
it, the more I realized that it wasn't just about me and just
about Wicca. It was about a lot of other people and
religions," she said.
ACLU Michigan Executive Director Kary L. Moss applauded the
school district for amending the policy and Seifferly for
bringing the issue to the forefront.
"We are pleased that Lincoln Park High School recognizes the
importance of religious freedom for its students. Ms. Siefferly
should be applauded for her courage in standing up for what she
believes is right."
The Wicca religion has been recognized in United States courts
and by the United States Army Chaplain's Handbook. It stresses
individual enlightenment and celebrates the seasons and the four
elements: earth, wind, fire and water. Proselytization is
forbidden.
Founded in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union is the
nation's foremost advocate of individual rights -- litigating,
legislating, and educating the public on a broad array of issues
affecting individual freedom in the United States. Brightest
Blessings from the WADL Staff and Officers LINCOLN PARK, Mich.,
Feb. 9 (UP)
The American Civil Liberties Union is representing a 17-year-old
witch in a lawsuit against a Michigan school district for
allegedly trampling her right to worship and free speech.
Crystal Seifferly filed the suit challenging the Lincoln Park
School District's 4-month-old rule against certain student uses
of the pentacle, a five-pointed star that's a symbol of her Wicca
faith and common in jewelry.
Seifferly claims she's been a witch since age 13, and that the
school district rules discriminate against her by lumping Wicca
together with the Ku Klux Klan and hate groups.
At an ACLU-sponsored news conference today with her mother,
Seifferly said she "will not be forced into shame" by
opponents of her religion. Lincoln Park Schools Superintendent
Randall Kite says he can't comment on the charges because he has
not seen the lawsuit. But Kite also says, "Our aim is not to
discriminate."
Kite says the dress-code rule that triggered the suit passed in
October as an amendment to a longstanding ban on gang-related
clothes and symbols. Kite says the pentagram another name for the
pentacle was added to the list of banned symbols "if it's
worn in connection with other things and causes a
disruption."
Seifferly's mother says she and her husband are Christian but
support their daughter's lawsuit as well as her freedom to choose
a religion.
TWV/WADL PLAN JOINT PRESS RELEASE
From: Lowell McFarland (lowell@nassau.cv.net)
WADL Senior Media Advisors
President Steve Foster, Witches Anti-Discrimination League (WADL)
has just informed me that a joint press conference was conducted
this morning, Tuesday February 9, 1999, in Detroit, Michigan,
USA., with The Witches Voice (TWV) and the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU), in which the ACLU announced that it has
filed a lawsuit against the Lincoln Park High School, Lincoln
Park, Michigan, USA., on behalf of Pagan students relative to
their right to peacefully display their religious beliefs by way
of appropriate jewelry, pentacles, etc., in school and during
school time.
The above is a voice report and I am awaiting the actual ACLU
filing. As the press covering this press conference included
CBS-TV News, there is the possibility that a CBS report on this
press conference may appear on this evening's CBS News.
Wren Walker (TWV) has just informed me that some local and
national new media are already carrying this story.
"Religious freedom is for everyone, including Wiccans. As
more pagan children enter the public school system, it is
imperative that educators and administrators alike become better
informed on the practices and beliefs of all earth-based
religions," Walker said.
Additionally, Steve Foster indicated that WADL and TWV are
working on joint press releases, to be soon released on the
Internet, to inform Pagan leaders, groups, covens, groves,
circles, solitaires, etc., and others, of this important
anti-discrimination effort by WADL/TWV/ACLU.
Steve Foster has indicated that this lawsuit by the ACLU may go a
long way to establish proper respect and religious rights for all
Pagan students in America.
U.S. Army Chaplain's Handbook
Wicca is nicely summed up in the U.S. Army Chaplain's Handbook:
Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups.
It can be ordered from the following address or downloaded as a
zip file from this link U.S. Army Chaplain's Handbook. USAF
Chaplain's Service Institute, Resource Division, 525 Chenault
Circle, Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL 36112-6429.
| From:
MoonBaby, Friends, Ever since the election has been over I have been thinking about the best way to move forward and go about making sure that our voices are heard. I think the greatest obstacle is that there is this general idea that we are a small, ineffective group. We have pagan pride days, rallys, interviews, and such, however we have trouble coming together as one cohesive unit. I think that there is a need at this point to make it known just how large the pagan community really is. We need our political leaders to take notice and realize that we will not continue to stand for the discrimination and ridicule that is our daily lives. I think we need to do this by starting at the top. When President elect Bush takes office he needs to hear from the Pagan community. We are far greater in numbers than the number of votes it took to win him this election. I am suggesting that every Pagan write a letter to Mr. Bush and send it to the White House postmarked January 20th 2001. I suggest that the letter be handwritten if possible, typed if necessary, and polite, short and to the point. Have your children write, have pagan friends write, spouses write individually. I have reproduced the letter that I am sending here and if necessary you are invited to print out or copy my letter, change it as you wish and mail it. Too busy to write? Mail a postcard that says "I am Pagan and my vote counts too". Even better how about "I am a Pagan "teacher" (insert your profession here) and my vote counts too". If you are in the closet...send it annonymously. If you are public then use your name. We need to reach as many people as we can with this. All Pagans do not have email. Print this out and pass it along to your circles, post it on bulletin boards and give it to your friends. Are you a shop owner? Have a supply at your register for people to take. Put it in your Pagan newsletters. Send it to your local media. Let's ensure our voices are heard this time. My sample letter is below. Ami Grimes NC Director WARD www.ward-hq.org January 20, 2001 President George W. Bush 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Bush, I am writing to you today with the confidence that as our newly elected President you will hear and understand my concerns. I am extremely proud that our country is a place in which our legal system works to be sure that every individual may exercise their Constitutional rights. As I am sure you know, our country was founded so that every individual has the right to Freedom of Religion. Our founding fathers recognized the need to ensure that when each of us sit down to our dinner tables that we may choose to say whatever prayer we wish to whatever diety we saw fit. It was the reason that America became the melting pot that it is today. The responsibility to ensure this same basic right has now been passed to you. In your campaign speeches you continually expressed your own faith to be Christian. I think it admirable that you have such strong faith as this is a noteworthy quality in a leader. I was deeply concerned, however, that you made (on more than one occasion) a statement which implied that you felt that Witchcraft was not a religion and did not support this practice in the US Military. I wish to inform you today that while Witchcraft in and of itself is not a religion, it's practice is included in many Pagan religions which have been recognized by the Supreme Court since 1985. Your comment seems to suggest that your own personal feelings should dictate what others can and cannot believe and I find this troubling. Perhaps, like many others, you are simply misinformed about what it means to be Pagan. I can assure you, however, that our basic rights are no different than anyone else's that live in this country and we should be treated with the same respect and dignity as any other citizen. I am a registered voter. My family votes. I pay taxes and hold a respectable job. The men and women who serve our country do so to ensure our basic rights. It is only fair that we should allow them theirs as well. I trust, Mr. President, that ,while you are in office, you will respect our rights to freedom of religion. It interested me greatly that in your acceptance speech you likened yourself to Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was a staunch supporter of religious freedom in this country. He recognized the fact that our country was not founded on the Christian religion, but instead on the right to worship whatever God or Goddess we choose. I offer to you this quote by Mr. Jefferson himself. "I do not believe it is for the interest of religion to invite the civil magistrate to direct its exercises, its discipline, or its doctrines; nor of the religious societies, that the General Government should be invested with the power of effecting any uniformity of time or matter among them. Fasting and prayer are religious exercises. The enjoining them, an act of discipline. Every religious society has a right to determine for itself the times for these exercises and the objects proper for them according to their own particular tenets; and this right can never be safer than in their own hands where the Constitution has deposited it... Everyone must act according to the dictates of his own reason, and mine tells me that civil powers alone have been given to the President of the United States, and no authority to direct the religious exercises of his constituents." --Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Miller, 1808. ME 11:429 There are thousand upon thousands of Pagans who live in this country. They too pay taxes, are consumers and vote in Presidential elections. I can assure you that this number of people is too vast for you to ignore. I urge you to consider this as you make decisions which may affect our lives and the lives of our families. I will certainly consider it the next time I am in the voting booth. Blessed Be, Ami Grimes NC Director WARD |
