Jessica Ahlquist

Jessica Ahlquist
Ahlquist, speaking at the Reason Rally in 2012
Born	(1995-06-21) June 21, 1995 (age 21)
Nationality	American

Jessica Ahlquist (born June 21, 1995) is an activist and public speaker who filed a lawsuit in 2012 against Cranston High School West, where she was a student, to remove a religious prayer from its auditorium. The suit, Ahlquist v. Cranston, was filed with the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union, and was ultimately decided in Ahlquist's favor. During the lawsuit, Ahlquist received hate mail and was verbally attacked by her peers, media outlets, and online. She received death threats, and required police escorts to and from classes. On the day following the ruling, Rhode Island State Representative Peter G. Palumbo spoke on a local radio show and referred to Ahlquist as "an evil little thing".

Since the lawsuit, Ahlquist has received a variety of media attention, and she has been an invited speaker at a number of events, including the Reason Rally, the Texas Freethought Convention and Skepticon 5.

Two high school students from other states have described their objections to school prayer as inspired by her activism. She has received a number of awards, including the 2011 Thomas Jefferson Youth Activist and the American Humanist Association's 2012 Humanist Pioneer Award.

Jessica Ahlquist was born in 1995, and lives in Cranston, Rhode Island. She is the oldest of four children and the daughter of a firefighter and nurse. Ahlquist had been raised religious, but after her mother fell ill, she began to identify as an atheist. She describes herself as "a nerd" who loves Harry Potter and Facebook. When asked if the court case inspired her to get into law, she responded that law might be her future.

Ahlquist is the niece of writer, artist and humanist Steve Ahlquist.