Atheists United and Backyard Skeptics is proud to promote an event by our partner, Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

RSVP HERE: https://www.mobilize.us/au/event/622488/

Americans United and All Saints Episcopal Church will host a panel of experts to discuss the looming threat of Christian Nationalism and how we can fight against it in our daily lives. During the conversation, we will dive into the details of Christian Nationalism and hear from the panelists on how we can work together to support freedom without favor and equality without exception.

This event is free and hybrid, register for in-person here. Virtual link can be found at the bottom of this listing.

Actor & Activist Bradley Whitford will moderate “Christian Nationalism: American Democracy’s Looming Threat,” a discussion that will feature a stellar panel, including:

Rachel Laser, Americans United for Separation of Church and State president & CEO.

Rev. Traci Blackmon, AU Board of Trustees member and former Associate General Minister of Justice and Local Church Ministries for the United Church of Christ.

Eddie Tabash, Esq., AU Board of Trustees member, constitutional lawyer, expert in church-state separation, and atheist advocate.

Rev. Mike Kinman, rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena.
Salam al-Marayati, president and co-founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

Rabbi Susan Goldberg, founder of Nefesh, a progressive spiritual community in Los Angeles’ Eastside.

If you would prefer to attend this event online click this link: https://www.mobilize.us/au/event/622576/ to register for the virtual version. Note the networking portion of the event is only available in-person.

Join us for a presentation by internationally renowned Humanist activist, Leo Igwe!

Critical thinking is necessary for growth, development and enlightenment in Africa. To combat religious extremism, ignorance, and superstition-based abuses, it is important to foster these cognitive skills in African schools.

Leo Igwe‘s organization, Critical Thinking Social Empowerment Foundation, is leading efforts to promote critical thinking skills in schools. It is campaigning for the introduction of the subject of critical thinking in primary and secondary schools. In his presentation he will discuss what they are doing at the moment, the progress that they have made and what you could do to support this initiative. For more information, visit:

• https://www.critthink.africa/ 

• https://web.facebook.com/groups/3077034835881896/?_rdc=1&_rdr

Leo Igwe is a board member of the Humanist Association of Nigeria and Humanists International. He holds a doctoral degree in religious studies from the University of Bayreuth in Germany and wrote his doctoral thesis on witchcraft accusations in Northern Ghana. Igwe directs the Advocacy for Alleged Witches, and Critical Thinking Social Empowerment Foundation.

The event will be hosted by Center for Inquiry West with Atheists United as a co-sponsor.

Admission:

• $10 for the general public

• FREE for CFI Members or Atheists United Members

Become an Atheists United Member today: https://www.atheistsunited.org/membership

Questions?

Contact Center for Inquiry West:

• Phone: (323) 666-9797

• Email: info@cfiwest.org

EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO 2024. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

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Atheists United is thrilled to again host local author and activist, Sikivu Hutchinson!

Sikivu Hutchinson is an educator, author, playwright, and guitarist.

Her books include Humanists in the Hood: Unapologetically Black, Feminist, and Heretical (2020), Imagining Transit: Race, Gender, and Transportation Politics in Los Angeles (2003), Moral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics, and the Values Wars (2011), and the novel White Nights, Black Paradise (2015), on Black women, Peoples Temple and the 1978 Jonestown massacre.

She also wrote, directed, and produced a short film and stage play of White Nights, Black Paradise and was awarded a “Humanities For All” grant from the California Humanities Foundation in 2019.

Her articles have been published in the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, Religion Dispatches, The Humanist Magazine and the L.A. Times. She is the founder of Black Skeptics Los Angeles and the Women’s Leadership Project (WLP), a Black feminist humanist mentoring and civic engagement program for girls of color in South L.A and co-facilitator of the Black LGBTQ+ Parent and Caregiver group. Her latest novel, Rock ‘n’ Roll Heretic: The Life and Times of Rory Tharpe (2021) debuted as a stage play with her original music at Hollywood Fringe in June 2022. She is also a recipient of the 2020 Harvard Humanist of the Year award and the 2021 Domestic Shelters "Outstanding Youth Leadership Initiative" award with the WLP. In her spare time, she enjoys playing guitar with her "garage band" Distant Engines.

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This event is free for all Atheists United paid members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members.

To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted ONLINE for up to 100 guests.

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Join us as we bring together four groundbreaking humanist chaplains to discuss their experience being some of the first secular chaplains to work in prisons, hospitals, universities, and the military.

This first-of-its-kind event will explore how humanists are reshaping our ideas about the chaplain profession and uniquely addressing the needs of people with secular identities.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Vanessa Gomez Brake, Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California, and include military chaplain Marie-Claire Khadij, prison chaplain Elisa Rosoff, university chaplain Srishti Hukku, and hospital chaplain Joshua Berg.

A special introduction will be presented by Greg M. Epstein, Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University & MIT.
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MUST GET TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE TO RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-rise-of-humanist-chaplains-tickets-646594911787

This event is being hosted in person and virtually by Atheists United and USC’s Office of Spiritual and Religious Life on Sunday, June 25th at 3:00 PM Pacific Time.

Co-sponsors include Humanists Canada, The Humanist Society, and The Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard & MIT.

The in-person event will take place at the Univesity of Southern California campus in Taper Hall. Doors open at 2:45 PM Pacific Time. The nearest parking garage is McCarthy Way Structure which is $4/hr.

The online event will start promptly at 3:00 PM Pacific Time. A Zoom link will be emailed to all who RSVP before the event.

This event is free for Atheists United members and USC students, and “pay what you want” for all other attendees with a suggested donation of $15.

Email evan@atheistsunited.org with any questions.

Join us for a meet and greet with international human rights activist Leo Igwe!

Come hang out, network, and watch the sunset in beautiful Hollywood, CA with our unique guest. The event is free to attend. Food and drinks are available for purchase at the bar.

Please bring a few extra bucks (or a checkbook) to make a donation to Leo's amazing work in Nigeria!

Leo Igwe is the founder of the Humanist Association of Nigeria and a board member of Humanists International. He holds a doctoral degree in religious studies from the University of Bayreuth in Germany and wrote his doctoral thesis on witchcraft accusations in Northern Ghana. Igwe directs the Advocacy for Alleged Witches and Critical Thinking Social Empowerment Foundation, both of use skepticism and critical thinking to empower communities to fight child violence and which accusations.

Look for the Atheists United logo to find us.

Contact evan@atheistsunited.org with any questions.

Please join Atheists United and URI North America for a special virtual event on Tuesday, April 4th, at 10 AM PT.

Having "Faith" in Reason: Being Secular in the Interfaith Movement

Register here: https://bit.ly/URI-UA

Interfaith spaces try to be "radically inclusive" by including people of different religious and spiritual backgrounds but struggle to include people who identify with being intentionally secular. Join us as we learn more about the spectrum of the secular-atheist identity, the challenges that occur when secular individuals engage in interfaith work, and the opportunity to promote stronger alliances for the work of peace, justice, and healing.

The event will feature speakers from the American Atheists and Secular Strategies along with a moderator from the University of Southern California and their USC Office of Religious & Spiritual Life so please join us!

Atheists United is thrilled to co-host Glenn Branch, Deputy Director of National Center for Science Education, with our local partner Center For Inquiry Los Angeles.

Despite the scientific consensus, there are substantial obstacles to the acceptance of anthropogenic climate change among the American public and to the incorporation of climate change in U.S. public science education.

In his talk, Glenn Branch of the National Center for Science Education will address the question, To what extent do religious views, in particular evangelical Christianity, present such obstacles, as they clearly have in the case of evolution? A spate of notorious incidents and dismaying statistics suggests that there’s a robust connection between evangelicalism and climate change denial. But a close analysis of recent history and survey data reveals that the connection is contingent and conditional, suggesting the possibility of its dissolution: it may not be necessary to wait for a cold day in Hell.

Glenn Branch is deputy director of the National Center for Science Education, a nonprofit organization that defends the integrity of science education against ideological interference. He was elected as a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry in 2022. He was the co-editor, with Eugenie C. Scott, of Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design is Wrong for Our Schools, and author or coauthor of numerous articles on climate education and evolution education, and obstacles to them, in such publications as Scientific American, The American Biology Teacher, and the Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics. He was awarded the Evolution Education Award for 2020 by the National Association of Biology Teachers.

Admission: $10, or FREE for CFI Members*

*Membership is $60/year. Find out more and join here: https://cfiwest.org/donate/

Atheists United is thrilled to host philsopher and podcast Aaron Rabinowitz for a Pop Up Speaker presentation!

Aaron Rabinowitz is a secular moral philosophy educator with 10+ years experience helping students develop their capacities for flourishing and value centered community organizing. He’s currently working on a PhD in education at Rutgers University, with a focus on developing a new pedagogy of luck that centers moral luck as a way to combat toxic meritocracy and replace it with greater compassion, humility, and personal fulfillment. He’s also the host of two philosophy podcasts, Embrace the Void, and Philosophers in Space which he co-hosts with Thomas Smith. His extended research interests include emerging technologies, personhood, conspiracism, and counterculture memetics.

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This event is free for all members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members. To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted ONLINE and is only accessible to the first 100 attendees. Q&A will follow the main presentation.

RSVP to see Zoom link.

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Atheists United is thrilled to be hosting secular activist, Dr. Wil Jeudy, as this month's AU Live Speaker!

Wil was living his life as a young adult and voted every two years for the national elections. Then in 2016 Donald Trump was elected. Coincidentally this was the same time that he was gravitating towards secularism and atheism. In an attempt to make this world a better place, and because he only has limited time and energy… he decided to mash those two interests together and Secular Houston was born in 2021.

He now has a platform from which to give secular politics a voice in the greater Houston area, as well as to educate people on why local politics is extremely important and how to vote in those local politics.

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This event is free for all Atheists United paid members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members.

Members are also welcome at our AU Sunday Social from 11AM - 12:30PM on the 4th Sunday of each month just before our speaker event. Free food and snack for attendees.

To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted OUTDOORS AND IN PERSON and is first-come-first-serve for up to 60 guests. Please dress according to the weather. Proof of vaccination is required to attend.

Parking is EXTREMELY limited in a residential neighborhood. We strongly recommend carpooling and/or public transportation.

The event will also be live-streamed for all to access on Atheists United's Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/AtheistsUnited

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Atheists United is thrilled to host filmmaker and screenwriter Jeff Jackson for this month's AU Live event!

Jeff Jackson began his career in the world of advertising, where he founded his own agency and went on to write and direct award-winning commercials and video content, and has worked for nationally-known clients such as Sony, Novartis, and Western Union. He wrote, directed, and starred in the acclaimed short film, Our First Fight, a romantic comedy which toured film festivals around the world. His feature-length screenplay, White Collared, a black comedy set in corporate America, won Best Screenplay at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and was acquired by Sundance-winning film producers Filbert Steps.

A playwright as well, his first work for the stage was creating the book and lyrics for a faithful musical adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which was produced off-Broadway and starred Tony nominee Hunter Foster. The Associated Press praised it for “bringing the classic tale thrillingly to life,” and Bloomberg Radio hailed it as “Riveting!” and “Totally exciting!” His second play, Two Point Oh, a dark comedy that presaged futuristic tech fare like Black Mirror, debuted in Detroit where the Free Press called it “compelling,” “gripping,” and “one of the most thought-provoking plays of the season.” In its NY debut, Two Point Oh received unanimously positive reviews and was a “Critic’s Pick” in the New York Times, which praised it as “smart, provocative, and funny.” Most recently, Jeff wrote, directed and produced the groundbreaking hybrid video game/live-action movie Daemon 9. It was universally praised by players and press alike.

The Horror Network hailed it as “an astonishing achievement.” Jeff has also directed several theatrical productions in the New York area including the NY Music Festival winner Love in the Middle Ages and an acclaimed regional production of the musical Ragtime.

Jeff just completed the production of a 13-minute short film — an excerpt from his feature-length screenplay Our G*ddamn Wedding (co-written with Sam Kench; https://ourgoddamnwedding.com). It’s a romantic comedy with a distinct atheist perspective that Jeff hopes to direct as a feature within the year.

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Beth — a professional graphic designer — and their many pets.
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This event is free for all Atheists United paid members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members.

To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted OUTDOORS AND IN PERSON and is first-come-first-serve for up to 80 guests. Please dress according to the weather. Proof of vaccination is required to attend.

Parking is EXTREMELY limited in a residential neighborhood. We strongly recommend carpooling and/or public transportation.

The event will also be live-streamed for all to access on Atheists United's Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/AtheistsUnited/

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Come enjoy a live performance of our choir, Voices of Reason, this Sunday at 11am!

Atheists United has hosted a live speaker event or members meeting since 1982. This month we’ll be hosting Anya Overmann, President of Young Humanists International.

Before she speaks though come enjoy music by the one and only Voices of Reason!
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This event is free for all Atheists United paid members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members.

To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted OUTDOORS AND IN PERSON and is first-come-first-serve for up to 80 guests. Please dress according to the weather. Proof of vaccination is required to attend.

Parking is EXTREMELY limited in a residential neighborhood. We strongly recommend carpooling and/or public transportation.

The event will also be live-streamed for all to access on Atheists United's Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/AtheistsUnited/

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Atheists United is thrilled to host writer and activist Anya Overmann for this month's AU Live event!

What does it mean for atheists in politics running for office in countries with a majority religious population? In this talk, we explore what atheist candidates face in Colombia versus the US. The similarities may surprise you!

Anya Overmann is President of Young Humanists International and has held multiple roles in the American Ethical Union, specifically in the youth section. She was raised in the Ethical Culture movement and attended the Ethical Society of St. Louis since she was a young child. Anya runs a business as a writer. She currently lives as a digital nomad, living and working wherever she wanders. Her passion lies in advocating vigorously for humanist and progressive values both within and beyond the United States.

Attendees will also enjoy a live performance by Atheists United's very own choir, Voices of Reason!
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This event is free for all Atheists United paid members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members.

To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted OUTDOORS AND IN PERSON and is first-come-first-serve for up to 80 guests. Please dress according to the weather. Proof of vaccination is required to attend.

Parking is EXTREMELY limited in a residential neighborhood. We strongly recommend carpooling and/or public transportation.

The event will also be live-streamed for all to access on Atheists United's Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/AtheistsUnited/

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

***This event is moving to Zoom and will not be held in person***

Atheists United is thrilled to host activist Samantha Trad for a presentation and Q&A on end-of-life care.

Talking about death can be difficult, but if we do not plan ahead, then we are likely to die in ways we do not want. The good news is you have options! California passed the End of Life Option Act in 2015 and amended it, making it easier to access, in 2021. However, it can still be difficult to access if you don't plan ahead. Come learn about this and other compassionate end-of-life options.

Samantha Trad oversees the Advocacy & Outreach work for the Western half of the United States. In this role, Samantha passionately works hard to expand patient-centered and patient-directed end-of-life care across the country, which includes making sure people have the tools they need to plan for a possible dementia diagnosis and other serious illness. She is also an expert on implementing medical aid in dying laws and leads education and outreach efforts to eliminate barriers for eligible patients who want the option of medical aid in dying.

Previously, Samantha led Compassion & Choices work in California and Hawai‘i. Before working at Compassion & Choices, she taught American Politics at the University of Redlands and was the Executive Director of the Arizona Advocacy Network. Samantha has a Bachelor’s of Art in Political Science from the University of Redlands and Master’s of Art in International Economic and Political Studies from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. In her free time, Samantha loves spending time with her family, running and hiking. She is based in Redlands, California.

This event is free for all Atheists United paid members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members. To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted ONLINE and is first-come-first-serve for up to 100 guests. The event will also be live-streamed on Atheists United's Facebook page.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82529029652

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Atheists United is thrilled to host Dave Warnock as our first pop-up speaker in 2022!

Dave Warnock was caught up in the Jesus Movement of the ‘70s and lived the bulk of his life as a Charismatic Evangelical Christian, serving as a pastor on three different church staffs. Following several years of internal struggle, he came to the conclusion in 2011 that he no longer believed in a personal God. In 2019 he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, ALS.
He is an author, blogger, public speaker, and the founder and director of Dying Out Loud.

This event will be hosted IN PERSON without a live stream. Must be fully vaccinated to attend and show proof of vaccination. Limited street parking, public transit, and ride-sharing are recommended.

Our events are free for our members. $10 suggested donation for guests. Become a member at http://www.atheistsunited.org/membership

Questions? Email christine.jones@atheistsunited.org

Atheists United is thrilled to host activist Brett Parker for this month's AU Live event!

Brett Parker is an experienced political advocate having served as a lawmaker, member of caucus and campaign leadership, a union leader, and congressional campaign staffer. Brett serves as the State Policy Manager for American Atheists where he manages state-level advocacy efforts through grassroots engagement, communication with state lawmakers and partner organizations, and the development of testimony and advocacy resources in order to advance positive legislation and block negative legislation.
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This event is free for all members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members. To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted ONLINE and is only accessible to the first 100 attendees. Q&A will follow the main presentation.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89849879278

Stick around after the meeting for the here-after-life party hosted by the godfather of fun, Klaus!

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Atheists United is thrilled to host Sarah B. Miller, Executive Director of Camp Quest, for this month's AU Live event!

Sarah Bingham Miller became Camp Quest’s Executive Director in October 2020. She joined our community in 2018 as Development Director. Sarah brings 25 years of experience to the role. Her nonprofit experience includes time as the General Manager of an arts organization dedicated to US-Cuban exchange and as the Production Manager of a Latin American film festival, to which she dedicated several years of volunteer service. Additional professional experience includes several years in training and management at J.P. Morgan Chase, including establishing a new Creative Services department in Buenos Aires. She holds art history degrees from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University.

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This event is free for all members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members. To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted ONLINE and is only accessible to the first 100 attendees. Q&A will follow the main presentation.

RSVP to see Zoom link.

Stick around after the meeting for the here-after-life party hosted by the godfather of fun, Klaus!

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Atheists United is thrilled to host Marie LePage as a pop-up speaker this month! They will be sharing the benefits of getting to know your consciousness.

Marie LePage (they/them) is a former evangelical missionary, now coach for secular spirituality, ethical non-monogamy, and religious harm (including harmful sexual narratives). Marie is passionate about living a conscious, awareness-forward life which necessitates the need for unpacking and deconstructing how we've been socialized as human beings. They talk about how to relate to one's Self, to others, and to the universe around us on their podcast "Marie, Myself, and I". You can learn about their coaching and more at mariedelephant.com. Marie also runs a photography business in Minnesota, called MarKei Photo & Video.

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Atheists United’s Pop Up Speaker Series was launched in 2020 to serve our membership’s hunger for interaction with authors, activists, and speakers on the cutting edge of modern freethought.

Our events are free for our members. $10 suggested donation for all guests.

Become a member or supporter of Atheists United at https://www.atheistsunited.org/donate

Atheists United is thrilled to host speaker and scholar Kristina M. Lee for this month's AU Live presentation!

Kristina M. Lee is a Ph.D. candidate at Colorado State University. Kristina studies the intersection of religious and political rhetoric, with a particular interest in issues relating to Christian nationalism, atheism, theistnormativity, and religious marginalization. Her work on theistnormativity explores the ways that theistic beliefs and identities are privileged within the United States and the implication for non-theists who are often dismissed in political discussions and pressured to pass as theistic in their daily lives

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This event is free for all members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members. To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted ONLINE and is only accessible to the first 100 attendees. Q&A will follow the main presentation.

RSVP to see Zoom link.

Stick around after the meeting for the here-after-life party hosted by the godfather of fun, Klaus!

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

EVENT POSTPONED — DO NOT ATTEND ON OCTOBER 16th, 2021

Atheists United is thrilled to host author, speaker, and activist Bailey Harris as a pop-up speaker this month!

15-year old Bailey Harris is on a mission to inspire a love of science and a sense of wonder about the universe, promote freethought, and work towards acceptance of scientific fact in society and government. She is the author of the Stardust series of science books for young readers.

Bailey was eight years old when she was inspired to write her first book, a beautifully illustrated children’s book that presented sound science in a manner accessible to young readers and pre-readers.

My Name Is Stardust was released in 2017 and has sold thousands of copies worldwide. Follow-ups Stardust Explores the Solar System (2018) and Stardust Explores Earth’s Wonders (2019) have continued in that tradition, presenting concepts of astronomy, geology, biology, and principles such as the Big Bang and evolution.

The success of the Stardust books has enabled Bailey to carry her message in person to people all across the United States. While at BookCon in New York in 2017 promoting her first book, she appeared on iHeartRadio’s “The Public Library Podcast,” where she spoke to host Helen Little about the importance of books and learning in her life. More recently, she was a featured speaker at the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s 2018 conference and the Center For Inquiry's CSICon 2019 conference. Bailey was the youngest featured presenter in the history of these events.
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Proof of vaccination is required to attend. Masks required.

Atheists United’s Pop Up Speaker Series was launched in 2020 to serve our membership’s hunger for interaction with authors, activists, and speakers on the cutting edge of modern freethought.

Our events are free for our members. $10 suggested donation for all guests.

Become a member or supporter of Atheists United at https://www.atheistsunited.org/donate

Atheists United is thrilled to host professor and author Christoper Cameron for this month's AU Live presentation!

Christopher Cameron is Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He received his BA in History from Keene State College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in American History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research and teaching interests include early American history, the history of slavery and abolition, and African American religious and intellectual history. Cameron is the author of To Plead Our Own Cause: African Americans in Massachusetts and the Making of the Antislavery Movement and Black Freethinkers: A History of African American Secularism and he is the co-editor of New Perspectives on the Black Intellectual Tradition. His research has been supported by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Council of Learned Societies.
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This event is free for all members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members. To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted ONLINE and is only accessible to the first 100 attendees. Q&A will follow the main presentation.

RSVP to see Zoom link.

Stick around after the meeting for the here-after-life party hosted by the godfather of fun, Klaus!

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Atheists United is thrilled to host transportation advocate Michael Schneider for this month's AU Live presentation!

Michael is the founder of Streets For All, a group aiming to transform transportation in famously car-centric Los Angeles, making streets better for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and all users regardless of their preferred mode of transportation.

Michael was the founder & CEO of Los Angeles-based Service (getservice.com) and the co-founder & CEO of Mobile Roadie, one of the world’s most successful mobile app platforms, with clients such as Disney, the World Economic Forum, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, the Wynn Las Vegas, Dallas Mavericks, and Harvard University.

Michael also co-founded and served as the CEO of nesting.com, a “Facebook for moms,” founded Fluidesign, an interactive agency, and at the age of 15, founded Video Game Central, selling new and used video games online at the beginning of the Internet.

Michael has been active in the Los Angeles tech community, serving on the board of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization, advising the Southern California Entrepreneurship Academy, and speaking regularly at his alma mater - the University of Southern California, where he regularly advises that “grades don’t equal success.”

He has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Los Angeles County SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, one of the “Best Entrepreneurs under 25″ by BusinessWeek, and noted as one of the “Top 20 in their 20’s” by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

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This event is free for all members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members. To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted ONLINE and is only accessible to the first 100 attendees. Q&A will follow the main presentation.

Join Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83139794776

Stick around after the meeting for the here-after-life party hosted by the godfather of fun, Klaus!

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Atheists United is thrilled to host local organizer and author Jonathan Friedmann!

Jonathan L. Friedmann, Ph.D., is a community leader of Adat Chaverim—Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, Los Angeles. He is also director of the Jewish Museum of the American West, associate dean of the master of Jewish studies program at the Academy for Jewish Religion California, and the author or editor of twenty-five books on music, history, biblical criticism, and the sociology of religion.
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This event is free for all members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members. To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org. To send us $10 visit www.atheistsunited.org

The meeting will be hosted ONLINE and is only accessible to the first 100 attendees. Q&A will follow the main presentation.

Stick around after the meeting for the here-after-life party hosted by the godfather of fun, Klaus!

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Atheists United is thrilled to host Julia Irzyk as a pop-up speaker this month!

Julia Irzyk currently co-authors the treatise "Disabilities and the Law (4th Edition)" published by Thomson Reuters, which is updated twice annually. Her legal specialties are special education law and employment discrimination. She also provides pro bono special education advocacy. She has recently written articles on Covid issues in employment for The Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics and for the Hastings Center Report.

She holds a B.A. from University of Texas and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

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Atheists United’s Pop Up Speaker Series was launched in 2020 to serve our membership’s hunger for interaction with authors, activists, and speakers on the cutting edge of modern freethought.

Our events are free for our members. $10 suggested donation for all guests.

Become a member or supporter of Atheists United at https://www.atheistsunited.org/donate

Atheists United is thrilled to host author, actor, and model Alice Greczyn as a pop-up speaker this month! Alice will be sharing stories from her recent memoir, Wayward: A Memoir on Spiritual Warfare and Sexual Purity.

Alice Greczyn is an actress, author, and founder of Dare to Doubt. Midwest-raised and LA-based, Alice’s nomadic childhood moved her around the United States until her modeling career as a teenager led to an acting career in Hollywood. Alice is fascinated by the subjective experience of life, which she explores through acting and storytelling. Her own story includes a painful but rewarding transition from evangelical Christianity to atheism, a journey that inspired her to found DaretoDoubt.org, a resource site for people detaching from belief systems they come to find harmful. Encouraging people to trust themselves and live courageously in their own truth is what gives Alice a sense of purpose. She lives in Los Angeles and loves hiking, traveling, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge.

There may never be a politically correct time to address the growing danger of certain religious beliefs in the United States. But in the wake of Trumpism and the Capitol Riots, Alice’s story is especially relevant. Her upbringing as a Christian Nationalist sheds light on how evangelicals are often indoctrinated from birth to forgo reason for what they believe to be divine calling. Alice can offer your viewers and listeners an insider’s perspective on why the religious right often cannot be reasoned with, and how the left might more effectively engage with them to get what they want—LGBTQ+ equality and the protection of women’s rights, among other humanist values that religious fundamentalism endangers. With so many evangelicals leaving the church since Trump’s election in 2016, a generation of Americans are now struggling to find their place in the world, unable to return to a belief system that goes against their conscience. Alice’s story offers them understanding, hope, and encouragement toward the freedom found in reason and embracing life here on earth.

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RSVP to see Zoom link.

Atheists United’s Pop Up Speaker Series was launched in 2020 to serve our membership’s hunger for interaction with authors, activists, and speakers on the cutting edge of modern freethought.

Our events are free for our members. $10 suggested donation for all guests.

Become a member or supporter of Atheists United at https://www.atheistsunited.org/donate

Atheists United is thrilled to host conspiracy theory expert and researcher Julia DeCook for this month's AU Live presentation!

Julia R. DeCook is a specialist on online extremist movements, specifically male supremacist groups like the Incels, men’s rights activists, and communities like r/TheRedPill. She has written on these subjects and been interviewed for both academic and general audiences. DeCook researches how online extremist communities navigate the constraints of digital infrastructure, specifically in how they respond to attempts to quell and stop their movements in the form of bans and censorship. Her dissertation was a 2-year digital ethnography where she studied how three male supremacist groups managed to persist despite bans, attempts of censorship, and other threats to their online communities. Through this study, she found that online extremist groups persist despite efforts to stop their spread due to factors like archiving, spreading out their online networks, and through the creation of a strong collective identity.

DeCook received her doctorate in Media and Information Studies from Michigan State University and is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication at Loyola University Chicago. Additionally, she is currently an expert/fellow for the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism (IRMS). At Loyola, she teaches courses on media theory, technology and social change, social movements, discourse and culture, and propaganda. She has authored or co-authored in outlets like Learning, Media and Technology; Social Media + Society; The Good Men Project; and b2o: an online journal. She has presented her work at national and international conferences such as the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR); International Communication Association (ICA); and the American Association of Anthropology (AAA). DeCook is currently revising her dissertation (Titled “Curating the Future: The Sustainability Practices of Online Hate Groups”) to be published as a book with a university press

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This event is free for all members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members. To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted ONLINE and is only accessible to the first 100 attendees. Q&A will follow the main presentation.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/91889490945

Meeting ID: 918 8949 0945
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,91889490945# US (San Jose)

Stick around after the meeting for the here-after-life party hosted by the godfather of fun, Klaus!

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Atheists United is thrilled to host multiple elected officials from this month's Pop Up Speaker Series! The founders of a new organization, the Association of Secular Elected Officials, will be joining us for a presentation on their new projects and how they hope to reshape American politics.

ASEO was conceived of by Leonard Presberg and Ron Millar at the beginning of 2020 and following a pandemic-related hiatus, formally convened its first Board Meeting in December 2020. The Association of Secular Officials, Inc, is a Georgia Non-Profit Corporation and has applied for IRS 501(c)(3) status.

Leonard Presberg, Founder and President of ASEO, has been a member of the Fayette County School Board since December 2011 and is a former Chair of the Fayette Democratic Committee. Leonard graduated with a BA from Oberlin College and a JD, magna cum laude, from University of Richmond. He is a former preschool teacher and currently serves as the CFO for Women’s Medical Center.

Charlene Komar Storey, Secretary of ASEO, is a former council member, councilwoman at large, and council president in Roselle Park, N.J. A native New Yorker who also has lived in California, she spent most of her life in the Garden State. Charlene holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from New Jersey’s Thomas Edison State University. She is a veteran business-press editor and writer. She also has written on a variety of topics for general-interest publications that include The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Examiner, Irish America magazine, and many more.

Danny Choriki, Treasurer of ASEO, was born and raised in Montana but moved to New York City in his twenties to figure out how people cope with rapid social and technical changes and how to encourage humans to pay more attention to long-term dangers such as climate change. An environmental social scientist, Choriki has been a humanist all of his life and a non-theist since high school, He has been involved in politics and culture, and social change all of his life. Choriki is currently a member of the Billings City Council in Montana. He has been the President of the Billings Association of Humanists since 2013 and has worked to advance public policy driven by science and data.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/99202791916

Meeting ID: 992 0279 1916
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,99202791916# US (San Jose)
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Atheists United’s Pop Up Speaker Series was launched in 2020 to serve our membership’s hunger for interaction with authors, activists, and speakers on the cutting edge of modern freethought.

Our events are free for our members. $10 suggested donation for all guests.

Become a member or supporter of Atheists United at https://www.atheistsunited.org/donate

Atheists United is thrilled to host Marissa Alexa McCool in March for our AU Live Speaker Series!

Marissa Alexa McCool is a podcaster, author, public speaker, educator, and performer. Also known as "The Purple Amazon," she has spent the last five years working in the cross-sections between the atheist, skeptic, humanist, and LGBTQ+ rights communities, using multiple forms of media and her own unique style from blended backgrounds. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Augsburg University, her academic background is in writing, media studies, cultural anthropology, and theatre. The host of multiple long-running podcasts and a guest on countless others, she blends theatrical performance with academic material in a way befitting of her consistently neon aesthetic. The main focus of her research and studies have been in the origins of supposedly universal perspectives, structures of power and influence, and depictions and representation in media.

In addition to her own work, she's presented at conventions and conferences like Skepticon, NaNoCon, Minnesota OUT!, Lehigh Valley Humanists, Minnesota CASH, FreeThought Alliance, and been a guest on well-known skeptic podcasts such as Cognitive Dissonance, God Awful Movies, the Scathing Atheist, How-to Heretic, Secular Soup, Atheists Talk, and many others. Her most recent work includes a craft presentation on the origins of objectivity and subjectivity in travel writing, co-authoring a study on the education of autistic individuals who are also transgender, and a full-length audioplay. She's originally from Cleveland and now resides in the Twin Cities.

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This event is free for all members with a suggested donation of $10 for non-members. To become a member visit www.atheistsunited.org.

The meeting will be hosted ONLINE and is only accessible to the first 100 attendees. Q&A will follow the main presentation.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/98038489748

Meeting ID: 980 3848 9748
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,98038489748# US (San Jose)

Stick around after the meeting for the here-after-life party hosted by the godfather of fun, Klaus!

Email evan@atheistsunited.org if you have any questions.

Atheists United is thrilled to host Phil Ferguson as a pop-up speaker this month!

Phil will be sharing his insight and expertise on Skepticism and Investing!

Phil Ferguson has been an investment advisor representative since 1996 and is the president of Polaris Financial Planning LLC.

Phil is also a long-time activist in the secular movement. He has been on the board of The Secular Student Alliance and Atheist Alliance International. He also served as the treasurer for the Reason Rally 2016.

He is an active member of many national freethought organizations and has helped start three local groups. Phil also gives talks to local groups and Large conventions. He has presented at TAM (The Amazing Meeting) and Skepticon – just to name a few!

Head over to his podcast, THE PHIL FERGUSON SHOW, or his blog to learn more.
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RSVP to view Zoom link.

Atheists United’s Pop Up Speaker Series was launched in 2020 to serve our membership’s hunger for interaction with authors, activists, and speakers on the cutting edge of modern freethought.

Our events are free for our members. $10 suggested donation for guests.

Become a member or supporter of Atheists United at https://www.atheistsunited.org/donate

Questions? Email evan@atheistsunited.org

RSVP HERE: http://bit.ly/SSAtahil
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Join our new SUPERCHARGING SECULAR LEADERS speaker series hosted by Atheists United and California Freethought Day. This series is organized by leaders for leaders to help upgrade our collective organizing power!

This month we're teaming up with the Secular Student Alliance and hosting interfaith superstar Tahil Sharma for a presentation on how we can better leverage interfaith advocacy to accomplish the strong separation of church and state.

Tahil Sharma is an interfaith activist based in Los Angeles who was born to a Hindu father and a Sikh mother. Following the Oak Creek, WI shooting of a Sikh temple in 2012, Tahil became involved in efforts for interfaith literacy and social justice and has been doing this work professionally for the past seven years. Tahil serves as one of three Interfaith Ministers in Residence for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and as the Los Angeles Coordinator for Sadhana: A Coalition of Progressive Hindus.

Tahil also serves various organizations in different capacities to educate, engage, and serve various communities that promote interfaith cooperation and ethical pluralism, and social and productive norms in society including the Interfaith Youth Core, the Parliament of the World’s Religions, The Guibord Center, and The Interreligious Council of Southern California.

Tahil previously worked as the Faith Outreach Manager for Brave New Films, a social justice documentary organization based in Los Angeles that empowers communities and teaches civic participation through new media, facilitation, and strategies for action. He is also a contributing author to books including Co-Human Harmony: Using Our Shared Humanity To Bridge Divides, Hindu Approaches to Spiritual Care: Chaplaincy in Theory and Practice, and Acting on Faith: Stories of Courage, Activism, and Hope Across Religions.

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Become a member or supporter of Atheists United at https://www.atheistsunited.org/donate

Become a supporter of California Freethought Day at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/FreethoughtDay