Blacks say atheists were unseen civil rights heroes

[wavesofeuphoria]

The title of this article is a bit sketchy, but a cool read. My kiddo is writing an EngComp essay on her atheism and shared this article she found while researching online ...

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2012-02-22/black-atheists-civil-rights/53211196/1

Blacks say atheists were unseen civil rights heroess

Think of the civil rights movement and chances are the image that comes to mind is of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. leading the 1963 March on Washington.

But few people think of A. Philip Randolph, a labor organizer who originated the idea of the march and was at King's side as he made his famous I Have a Dream speech.

Why is King, a Christian, remembered by so many and Randolph, an atheist, by so few? It's a question many African-American nontheists — atheists, humanists and skeptics — are asking this Black History Month, with some scholars and activists calling for a re-examination of the contributions of nontheists of color to the civil rights movement and beyond.

"So often you hear about religious people involved in the civil rights movement, and as well you should, but there were also humanists," said Norm R. Allen Jr. of the Institute for Science and Human Values, a humanist organization based in Tampa, Fla.

"No one is discussing how their beliefs impacted their activism or intellectualism. People forget we are a diverse community. We are not monolithic."

[RussBLib]

1. it makes perfect sense to me

...seeing as how much of the racism - slavery especially - was sanctioned by the Bible and the church, that atheists would join the fight to break free of those chains.

But I had never heard a peep about atheists being involved in the civil rights struggle.

[malthaussen]

2. Actually, I think of A. Philip Randolph quite a bit.

Labor rights and civil rights were and are inextricably entwined. And so are gender rights. Let's not forget Bayard Rustin, eh? He and Randolph were planning a March on Washington while MLK was still in grade school.

-- Mal

[onager]

3. Here's a similar article...

From 2008 on the American Humanist Network, Ruth Geller, "MLK Proud To Walk With Humanists."

http://americanhumanist.org/hnn/archives/?id=333&article=0

Geller mentions that many founders/leaders of the NAACP and Congress of Racial Equality were probably non-believers. They kept quiet about it for good reason - in the 1950s/60s, atheism was associated with Communism even more than it is on Certain DU Grou...er, even more than it is today.

Good luck to the kiddo on her project!

[wavesofeuphoria]

6. She thanks you!

She is discovering the "backlash" of coming out as an atheist. The essay is an auto-ethnography. Class discussions, etc. She has to give an oral report as well. I'm proud of how she is handling to criticism and negativity.

Thanks for the additional links ... Always appreciated.

[onager]

4. Also, Martin Luther King on school prayer...

In a 1965 interview with Playboy magazine, the interviewer asked King his opinion of the Supreme Court decisions striking down government-approved prayers in public schools.

For younger readers - "Brother Wallace" is George C. Wallace, the bitterly racist Governor of Alabama at the time. Naturally, the good Xian Wallace wanted govt-imposed prayers put back in schools:

“I endorse it. I think it was correct...Contrary to what many have said, it sought to outlaw neither prayer nor belief in God. In a pluralistic society such as ours, who is to determine what prayer shall be spoken, and by whom? Legally, constitutionally or otherwise, the state certainly has no such right. I am strongly opposed to the efforts that have been made to nullify the decision. They have been motivated, I think, by little more than the wish to embarrass the Supreme Court. When I saw Brother Wallace going up to Washington to testify against the decision at the congressional hearings, it only strengthened my conviction that the decision was right.”

https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/speaking-truth-to-power-martin-luther-king-on-church-and-state-1

[trotsky]

5. The relative of a well-known DUer once went on the offensive in the Religion group.

Aggressively confronting non-believers with what he felt was an ironclad "proof" of the necessity - and superiority! - of religious belief.

One of the items he was particularly proud of was his belief that the Civil Rights movement was exclusively driven by religious believers. What a shock it was for him to learn of non-believers in the mix. He of course responded by correcting his worldview and apologizing for his anti-atheist bigotry.

HAW HAW HAW, just kidding. He doubled down and said that wasn't enough proof of anything and that we should all be so thankful for religious belief accomplishing everything good in the world. What a swell guy he was.

[wavesofeuphoria]

7. I've experienced that too.

Along with being reminded that faith groups do so much good, like feeding people, etc. not sure if that is suppose to excuse the bad that is done, or meant as a backwards way to assert atheist aren't caring.

[onager]

8. Some of the most condescending and elitist BS I've ever read.

He also tried to go on the offensive in this group too, as you well know. And promptly got banned for his nonsense.

Hey, are you and I in a race to see who gets alerted on first?

And NOTHING seemed to get thru to him, as you note. He ignored any experience not directly in line with his own life.

In my corner of the South, one of the most notorious (white) atheists was also one of the first people to work for civil rights. The KKK constantly threatened his family and tried to fire-bomb his house.

His name was Michael Deanhardt and he died in 2012. Right to the end, Xians were invading the poor guy's hospital room and demanding he give his heart to Jesus. Deanhardt usually responded: "Thank you, but the problem's not my heart. It's my liver."

Anyone interested can Google "michael deanhardt atheist anderson sc."

[trotsky]

10. "He ignored any experience not directly in line with his own life."

Which for some reason reminds me of a saying about the relative location of apples to the trees that grew them.

Thanks for that info about Deanhardt too. Very cool.

[mr blur]

9. I remember it well.

Greatly misunderstood Progressive Theologian. He had other ways of knowing, you know.