January Public Meeting: Black Humanism: Past, Present, Future

NOTE: Our speaker will appear live, via Zoom from Texas, on the library screen or you may watch from home.

Over the past several decades, there has been increased attention to disbelief within African American communities. The growth in the percentage of the African American population labeled “nones” made this attention unavoidable.

However, while statistical information has made it easier to identify African American disbelief in general, and African American humanism in particular, what is captured by the label African American humanism – or more popularly Black humanism – has received less attention. Is it a political movement? A social movement?

Drawing on his new book – The Black Practice of Disbelief: An Introduction to the Principles, History, and Communities of Black Nonbelievers (2024) – Anthony Pinn explores what we might learn about the beliefs and practices of humanism in African American communities by examining it as a new religion.

Dr. Anthony B. Pinn is the Agnes Cullen Arnold Distinguished Professor of Humanities and professor of religion at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He has a Master of Divinity and PhD in the study of religion from Harvard University.

Interestingly, he began his teaching career at Macalester College in St. Paul, where his research and teaching earned him early tenure and promotion to full professor within the first eight years of his career.

His awards include, the U.S. President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service (2024); the Unitarian Universalist Humanist As- sociation Humanist of the Year (2017); and, the Harvard University Humanist Chaplaincy “Hu- manist of the Year” Award (2006).

He first came to the attention of most of us in the freethought community with his book Why, Lord?: Suffering and Evil in Black Theology (1999). He is the author of over 35 books, which also include: Varieties of African American Religious Experience (1998), The End of God-Talk: An African American Humanist Theology (2012), and Writing God’s Obituary: How a Good Methodist Became a Better Atheist (2014).

Sunday, January 19, 2025

Rondo Community Library
461 Dale St N
St Paul, MN 55104
(There is free underground parking off of University Ave.)

1:00 p.m.: Library and Underground Parking open. Zoom starts.
1:15-1:45 p.m.: Business Meeting
1:45-2:00 p.m.: Break, Presenter Set-Up, Social Time
2:00-3:30 p.m.: Program
3:30 p.m.: Leave for dinner

Dinner:
Los Ocampo
615 University Avenue
West St. Paul, MN 55103 (kitty-corner from the library)
https://www.losocampo.com