Black Freethinkers in America

From times of slavery onward, attitudes toward religion and spirituality in Black communities have been diverse. Racial stereotyping, however, has obscured the breadth, depth, and variety of Black American Freethought. A 25-minute video of a talk by Prof. Chris Cameron of UNC Charlotte highlights the history of these thinkers. The talk was originally delivered at the 2021 convention of the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
Our online discussion, facilitated by Sandra Coyner, will explore our reactions to the information in the video, how American racism has distorted important aspects of the Black experience, and implications for efforts to promote free thought and rational inquiry while dismantling racism.

To join the Zoom event, please Register in advance at this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwof-mgqTktEtF2l9CvuJp2CutsgpO...
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Prof. Cameron is author of the 2019 book Black Freethinkers: A History of African American Secularism and other books and articles in intellectual history. Among his recent awards is a fellowship with the American Council of Learned Societies. He is the founding president of the African American Intellectual History Society.
This event is part of the Salon series at The Jefferson Center, a Rogue Valley non-profit focused on critical thinking using secular humanist values to understand and engage with issues important to our community. Discussion leader Dr. Sandra Coyner is a retired professor most recently employed at Southern Oregon University.