Note: The following statement of values by the Humanity Project was published in February 2025 as our response to new policies and executive actions in the United States and in Florida. It was written by Humanity Project Founder and President, Bob Knotts, and signed by all members of the Humanity Project Board of Directors.
Humanity Project Statement of Values in the New America
The Humanity Project is deeply disturbed by the severe social changes we see happening around us. Our 20-year-old nonprofit organization believes in the goodness and inherent value of every human being. But in the New America of 2025, provocative rhetoric and discriminatory policy are aimed squarely at undermining the worth of individuals whose social groups are targeted as undesirables by Washington and by our home state of Florida.
We reject those labels. And we speak out now as a reminder that all people deserve the respect due them as fellow members of humanity. No one is fundamentally defined by characteristics such as their race or religion, their gender or sexual orientation, their place of birth or their green card status. Science shows that each of us is unique and therefore uniquely valuable – a singular combination of genetics and experience with vast potential for good.
The Humanity Project also recognizes the importance of a diverse society where vulnerable minorities are treated fairly, with a robust understanding of the significant contributions made by their members. As such, we rise here in support of our friends within the transgender community as well as all other LGBTQ individuals today under broad political attack. We stand with wrongly demonized immigrant populations whose labors propel America’s economic engine. We see the worth of the disabled. And we hear the voices of all people, no matter their race or religion or gender, whenever they share their knowledge and talent to improve our society.
The Humanity Project believes the equal value of every individual must serve as a core concept for our nation and for our world, a guiding principle that allows us to welcome each human being to our shared endeavors. “Equality for each, respect for all” is the motto of our organization. We regard universal equality and unconditional respect as key tools to promote self-worth, the building block of every healthy and productive human psyche.
Policies and practices by government that seek to diminish any individual or any group are counterproductive to meaningful social development. So is the cascade of distortions and fabrications that spills daily from Washington and Tallahassee about our fellow citizens. In this New America, old ideas struggle to return – antiquated and disproven notions now celebrated for political gain. The Humanity Project urges more enlightened approaches to governance, with political leadership that recognizes the importance of uplifting its people and inspiring a hopeful future shared by everyone. In the end, the challenging project that is humanity must include us all.
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