Can you name a famous black atheist other than Neil deGrasse Tyson? There is a stereotype that all (or nearly all) African Americans believe in the existence of a god. Our April speaker will be pleased to dispel this notion.
Ayanna Watson, the founder and president of Black Atheists of America, headquartered in New York City, will educate us about “Famous Black Free-thinkers,” with a special emphasis on the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s-1930s. Even if you’re familiar with some of the leaders from that remarkable time period, you might still be surprised and delighted at how many of them had doubts about the existence of a god and criticized religion.
.We are also pleased that Ayanna will be our guest on Atheists Talk radio program at 9:00 a.m. on KTNF AM 950 that Sunday morning.
Black Atheists of America (BAAm) is a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the gap between atheism and the black community. Because religion is so deeply ingrained in the black community, black atheists often find themselves as a dual minority. BAAm hopes that its efforts will build a stronger overall atheist community by encouraging black atheists to be open about their stance on religion.
You can find BAAm on the web at BlackAtheistsOfAmerica.org and on Facebook at facebook.com/Black AtheistsofAmerica.
If You Go...
When:
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Where:
North Regional Library
1315 Lowry Avenue N.
(Lowry Ave and Freemont Ave)
Minneapolis, 55411
Schedule:
1:00-1:15 p.m. – Social time
1:15-1:45 p.m. – Business Meeting
1:45-2:00 p.m. – Break
2:00-3:30 p.m. – Presentation
4:00-whenever – Dinner (location to be determined)