Black Atheists of America

{{atheism|1}}
'''Black Atheists of America''' is an organization that focuses on highlighting the lives of prominent [[African-American]] [[Atheism|atheists]], bringing awareness of [[atheism]] to the black community, and providing a community to atheists who happen to be black. Ayanna Watson founded the group.
{{cquote|Because religion is so deeply ingrained in the black community, black atheists often find themselves as a dual minority in the overall atheist community. BAA hopes that its efforts will build a stronger overall atheist community by encouraging black atheists to be open about their stance on religion.<ref>[http://diversity.dfwcor.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11:ayanna-watson&catid=1:profiles&Itemid=12 DFWCOR: Ayanna Watson]</ref>}}

Their [[Facebook]] community is actively building the connections they desired in their mission statements.

==Programs of note, funded by BAA==

* '''Science Cubed<sup>3</sup>''':  Focuses on the importance of [[science]] to highschool students, and equal access for all students.  They donate texts and science equipment to schools after meeting with the teachers regarding what's crucial for schools.
* '''After School Cubed <sup>3</sup>''':  Works to enhance critical thinking skills for kids in afterschool programs.  They recognize a need in that the poorest or inner-city parents are not equipped (due to education) or available to help students think, question, and explore.

==Highlighted personalities==
* A. Philip Randolph (April 15, 1889 – May 16, 1979) - Civil rights and 'community leader'.
* Thelma "Butterfly" McQueen (January 7, 1911 – December 22, 1995) - Dancer, actress, an activist against 'black stereotype' in film and TV.
* Hubert Harrison (April 27, 1883 - December 17, 1927) - West Indian-American writer, educator, scholar.
* Alton Lemon - Lemon is best known for winning one of the first "Freedom from religion" cases, [[Lemon v. Kurtzman]], 1971.  The case invalidated the "right" of the government to fund so-called 'secular' aspects of private religious education.

==Similar groups==
* [http://theblackatheist.blogspot.com The Black Atheist] -Blogger giving a minority voice in the atheist blogosphere.
*[http://www.atheists.org/No_More_Ham_--_A_look_at_several_Black_Atheist_Leaders American Atheist] discussion on ''Black Atheists.''
*[http://freethoughtblogs.com/blackskeptics/ Black Skeptics] – a black blog covering skepticism and atheism.

==External links==
*[http://www.facebook.com/BlackAtheistsofAmerica Black Atheists of America on Facebook]
*[https://www.readex.com/readex-report/issues/volume-13-issue-2/black-freethought-slavery-civil-rights-atheism-and Black Freethought from Slavery to Civil Rights: Atheism and Agnosticism in African American Cultural and Intellectual Life]: An article that details the history of [[Freethought]] and secularism in the black community, its role and benefit, and how it applied and helped in the dismantling of white-supremacist social norms, and the eventual foundations of organizations such as the Black Atheists of America, and their importance.

==References==
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[[Category:Race]]

Categories: Race