Norm
Allen's Presentation
October, 2002
Norm R. Allen, Jr. is director of African Americans For Humanism at the Council for Secular Humanism.
Dr. Allen revealed a long history of humanist activity
within the African-American community, focusing especially on the
immense pressure to conform to religious belief that African-American
freethinkers endured in the past all the way up to the present day.
He was a very well-spoken, gentle and informative
speaker. He noted that many African American leaders of the past
had atheist/humanist leanings, but that information is mostly buried,
if acknowledged at all. The prevailing stereotype is that all African
Americans are religious. Norm Allen has made it his goal to present
Humanism as a viable alternative for African Americans, one that
does not necessarily conflict with the beliefs of their African
American heroes. He also mentioned the popularity and danger of
the psychic television shows, radio programs, etc. within the African
American community. He has been working to get articles published
in "black" publications to expose the fraud that takes
money from, and feeds false information to, the African American
population. He also spoke about the vitality of Humanist organizations
in Africa, specifically Nigeria.
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Answering many questions after his talk
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