Freedom From Religion Foundation's SF Bay Chapter Endorses “Emperor Norton Tunnel” Naming Proposal
Advocates for Freethought and Church-State Separation Recognize the Emperor as a San Francisco Visionary
THE EMPEROR NORTON TRUST is pleased to announce that the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the national Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has issued a statement in support of the Trust's proposal that the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge tunnel through Yerba Buena Island, S.F., be named the
EMPEROR NORTON TUNNEL
Here is the statement (pdf):
Emperor Norton attended different churches and synagogues from week to week, on a rotating basis. But, he had a particular affinity for the First Unitarian Church and its minister Horatio Stebbins (successor to Thomas Starr King) — especially around Stebbins's public-spirited message of reform and inclusion; his aversion to doctrinal certitude; and of course his staunch defense of church-state separation. A sturdy motif of anti-sectarianism courses through many of the Emperor's own Proclamations.
Too: Emperor Norton was an habitué and regular participant at the weekly forums of reform-minded, freethinking associations like the Lyceum of [or "for"] Self-Culture and the Radical Club — which can be seen as forerunners of the slightly later Chautauqua and Ethical Culture movements.
FFRF San Francisco Bay Chapter president Walt Bilofsky writes:
Our chapter honors Emperor Norton as one of San Francisco’s most visionary citizens. We celebrate his ethic of freethought, pluralism, anti-sectarianism, and church-state separation.
Emperor Norton was a religious humanist and pluralist who warned against the dangers of puritanism and sectarianism, refusing to give his imprimatur to any one church or synagogue but, rather, attending them all. In one of his proclamations, he prohibited the enforcement of state Sunday Laws, which discriminated against Germans and Jews.
He was perhaps the most freely thinking of citizens in a city known then and now for tolerance and freedom of thought.
The Emperor Norton Trust is honored by the support of the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s San Francisco Bay Chapter for our “Emperor Norton Tunnel” naming proposal.
This endorsement follows recent endorsements from the San Francisco Historical Society; the Imperial Council of San Francisco; the Chinese Historical Society of America; and California Lodge No. 1 of Free and Accepted Masons.
The Trust looks forward to working with Freedom From Religion Foundation SF to make the Emperor Norton Tunnel a reality — and is grateful for opportunity to partner with the Chapter to forge a deeper public understanding of how the Emperor and his story connects to the history and identity of San Francisco and the Bay Area.
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