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i did my final on black ahteist here it is In this course we reviewed the lives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
They were both Civil Rights Activists.
Martin was a Baptist Minister.
Malcolm was a member of the Nation of Islam.
There were also Civil Rights Activists who were non-religious.
We will review some of them here.

Black Nonbelievers was founded in 2011 by Mandisa Thomas.
Thomas was born in New York and was raised non religious.
Black Nonbelievers headquarters is located in Atlanta, Georgia.
Their purpose is to provide a safe haven for black atheists.
They have meetings to talk about being an atheist in the black community because religious blacks often tie being religious with being black.

Black Americans are the most religious demographic even though most Of is getting more non religious over time.
In a recent survey 25 percent of all Americans stated they are non religious, but only 13 percent of blacks are non religious, meaning 87 percent of blacks are still religious.

The reason the group, Black Nonbelievers came into existence is to provide a community for blacks who are nonreligious.
The organization has meetings and schedules social events, such as bowling nights and an annual convention.
It offers them a place to gather and talk and know that they are not alone in their non-beliefs.
There are many famous black atheists. Here are a few:

W.E.B. DuBois (2/23/1868 ? 8/27/1963)
An American sociologist, an historian, a civil rights activist, a Pan- Africanist, author, writer and editor. DuÿBois was known nationally as the leader of the Niagara Movement, a group of African-American activists who wanted equal rights for blacks.

one of his quotes was My 'morals' were sound, even a bit puritanic, but when a hidebound old deacon inveighed against dancing I rebelled. By the time of graduation I was still a 'believer' in orthodox religion, but had strong questions which were encouraged at Harvard. In Germany, I became a freethinker and when I came to teach at an orthodox Methodist Negro school, I was soon regarded with suspicion, especially when I refused to lead the students in public prayer. When I became head of a department at Atlanta, the engagement was held up because again I balked at leading in prayer. ... I flatly refused again to join any church or sign any church creed. From my 30th year on I have increasingly regarded the church as an institution which defended such evils as slavery, color caste, exploitation of labor and war. I think the greatest gift of the Soviet Union to modern civilization was the dethronement of the clergy and the refusal to let religion be taught in the public schools.
A Philip Randolph
Asa Philip Randolph (April 15, 1889ÿ? May 16, 1979) was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, the American labor Movement, and socialist political parties.
In 1925, he organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first predominantly African-American labor union. In the early Civil Rights Movement and the Labor Movement, Randolph was a voice that would not be silenced.
Some notable quotes:
"No deity will save us; we must save ourselves.
We consider prayer as a fervent wish; consequently the merit and worth of a prayer depend on what that fervent wish is.

George S. Schuyler
In 1931, Schuyler published Black No More, which tells the story of a scientist who develops a process that turns black people to white, a book that has since been reprinted twice. Two of Schuyler's targets in the book were Christianity and organized religion, reflecting his innate skepticism of both. His mother had been religious but not a regular churchgoer. As Schuyler aged, he held both white andÿblack churchesÿin contempt. Both, in his mind, contained ignorant, conniving preachers who exploited their listeners for personal gain. White Christianity was viewed by Schuyler as pro-slavery and pro-racism.
Notable quote:
On the horizon loom a growing number of iconoclasts and Atheists, young black men an women who can read, think, and ask questions, and who impertinently demand to know why Negroes should revere a God who permits them to be lynched, jim-crowed and disenfranchised.

James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 ? December 1, 1987) was an American novelist, playwright, and activist.
Baldwin once visited Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam, who inquired about Baldwin's religious beliefs. He answered, "I left the church 20 years ago and haven't joined anything since." Elijah asked, "And what are you now?" Baldwin explained, "Now? Nothing. I'm a writer. I like doing things alone."

Butterfly McQueen
(January 7, 1911 to December 22, 1995) was an American actress. Originally a dancer, McQueen first appeared in film in 1939 as Prissy, Scarlett O Haras maid, in the film Gone with the Wind. She was unable to attend the movie's premiere because it was held at a whites-only theater.
In 1989, the Freedom From Religion Foundation honored her with its Freethought Heroine Award. "I'm an atheist," she had declared, "and Christianity appears to me to be the most absurd imposture of all the religions, and I'm puzzled that so many people can't see through a religion that encourages irresponsibility and bigotry." She told a reporter, "As my ancestors are free from slavery, I am free from the slavery of religion."
This quote was used by the Freedom From Religion Foundation in advertisements inside Madison, Wisconsin buses in 2009 and in an Atlanta market in 2010.

And finally, one of my favorites:
Chris Rock (Comedian)
Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director.
When you are black theres like no religion to turn to. Its like, Christianity? I don't think so. White people justified slavery and segregation through Christianity so a black Christian is like a black person with no bleeping memory.

Although the majority of Blacks consider themselves to be very religious, there is a growing trend across America for people to declare themselves as None or nonbelievers.
When famous Black people have the courage to speak up about their own nonbelief it provides support to those who do not believe, but are afraid to speak about it themselves
As a nonbeliever myself, I am glad to know these people exist and I support them.

         any questions
ChrisCampbell 5 Apr 30
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9 comments

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0

It helps to realize that most black Christians are victims of Colonialism. What they are guilty about, however, is loosing their ability to separate this fact from the persuasive emotional lie of Christianity.

0

wow, for a second there I thought you had written a book.

0

Good research! But I believe we atheists and agnostics are colorless...no dogma, no race, just us...

0

Lots of Meat in that Article. The Black People I admire or have read are Claude Brown, Franz Fanon, Malcolm most definitely and my favorite whom I listened to on the Radio every Sunday was Calvin Butts whom found me on the radio one morning and I stayed tuned in until I moved.
I think that the Musical Exploits of Black Americans has a more forceful impact about their History more so than Religion. Martin Luther and Erasamus were the Religious Revolutionists who brought us out of the Dark Ages. To get the American Fundamentalist to understand the tenets of Islam and how it is related to the teachings of Christianity would be a major ordeal in world peace and understanding.

1

The political/racist underfunding of Black schools surely contributes.

Perhaps the low probability of social advancement also provides an incentive to rely on existing spirituality for hope. Religion offers avenues for intra-racial support that aren't available from non-belief (so far).

Otherwise, the willingness of Blacks to remain attached to the religion that enslaved them seems bizarre.

7

When I try to think of a living Black atheist my mind turns to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

1

Thanks for sharing and the new knowlegde. I was unaware of almost all of it. Recognized the names. but unfamiliar with their contributions and honors.

3

I actually know a black atheist in person. He has a very religious family and is an expert at hiding it. He only told me because we belonged to an association and one of the members was attacking me for being an atheist. I wonder how many more are as good as hiding as he is.

personally, I believe that we have a long way to go to ensure that everyone has a place in America and the invisible chains of religion that bind the black people tie the rest of us as well. While the one side of the chain binds so many people of sub-Saharan decent (the only true genetic definition of "black" ) to act against their own best interest, the other side of the chain leads non sub-Saharan descendants to provide little or no actions in the interests of black people. Religion seems to add more links to those chains faster than we can break them.

I have worked with blacks in horrible factories and in decent factories. I have worked in factories in US, Mexico, and Denmark. Everyone is uneasy when someone of greatly different wealth and power in the company are eating together in a factory. (that is why there are often different lunchrooms) But, I remember being in a factory in Denmark where one day each year the president of the company eats with a random factory worker using the plant floor as a plate. Any employee of that factory was comfortable approaching me with questions or comments. I never felt more at ease at any other company working with their employees. ( I also really trust that their product is clean ). We are a long way from that feeling between races in America. But, that has to be the goal. To get there we need to break the religious chains that allow it to happen and the ones that cause it to happen. And, that starts with getting people to not follow the book that is used to make those chains.

1

Well done!!

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