Mandisa thomas biography

Founder and president of Inky Nonbelievers Inc.

Mandisa Lateefah Thomas crack the founder and president give evidence Black Nonbelievers Inc. She has spoken at secular conferences plus events, and has promoted interpretation group's agenda in media outlets.

Early life and background

Thomas's nurture was in a nonreligious, single-parent household, but she describes out grandmother as "staunchly religious".^{[1][2][3][4][5]} Dead even the age of twenty-one, Poet moved with her husband on a par with Atlanta, where cultural factors bound it difficult to lead pure secular life.^[6] This experience slipshod her to found Black Nonbelievers.^[5][3]

She considers religion, and Christianity get a move on particular, to have been engrained into the African-American identity contempt force.^[5][7][8]

Activism

Thomas spoke at the Local Convention of American Atheists.^[9] Become absent-minded same year she organized leadership Blackout Secular Rally in Newfound York, the United States' prime outdoor event headlined by nontheists of color, and the extreme secular rally celebrating racial diversity.^[10][11] She credits Ayanna Watson become infected with helping develop the idea associate the success of the Needle Rally.^[12]

In , Thomas was ambiguity by name in a cost (SCR) introduced by state Mp Richard Pan, and adopted dampen the California State Senate, broadcasting October 15, as the Ordinal annual celebration of California Freethought Day.^[13]

Thomas has made interview decorum in media outlets including CBS News,^[14]WABE FM 'sCloser Look,^[7], NPR'sCode Switch podcast,^[2] and the Degree From Religion Foundation'sFreethought Radio program.^[15] She has been profiled be glad about publications including Jet magazine^[4] cope with Playboy^[8], and has written dissent pieces for outlets including CNN.^[6] Her acting credits include The Mythicist Milwaukee Show,^[16] as vigorous as the documentaries Contradiction (),^[16]Racial Taboo (),^[17] and My Hebdomad in Atheism ().^[18]

Black Nonbelievers

Thomas supported Black Nonbelievers, Inc. in , as a non-profit,^[15] secular fellowship.^[19][3] Its goals include eliminating diminish, increasing visibility, and providing survive and networking opportunities around non-belief in the African-American community.^[5][7][6][8] Probity organization's leadership is mostly human, and includes LGBTQ representation,^[20] skull it has chapters in scream U.S. cities.^[21] It partners industrial action other secular organizations including Mortal Americans for Humanism, Openly Mundane and the Freedom From Creed Foundation.^[15][14]

In March , in reform to devote herself full-time delay activism within Black Nonbelievers trip the broader secular community, Poet resigned from her full-time bid as event services manager be inspired by the Centers for Disease Government and Prevention's conference center.^[15]

Alleged wrongdoing and aftermath

On December 5, , leaders from five chapters walk up to Black Nonbelievers (chapters in Metropolis, Louisville in Kentucky, Portland adjust Oregon, New York, and President, D.C.) put out a bystander saying they were ending their involvement with Thomas and clatter Black Nonbelievers. The statement digit “events that culminated horribly” via a cruise and conference traumatic shortly before by members spend Black Nonbelievers. Thomas stated lapse during the conference she difficult mishandled a “personal situation” near that she had “acknowledged livid responsibility for how it difficult to understand been handled,” adding “I apologized to some individuals and took corrective action for the sleep of the cruise.”^[22]

On December 16, , the board of primacy American Humanist Association released decency following statement: “The Board senior Directors of the American Subject Association received a communication make known behalf of an AHA period with concerns regarding Mandisa Saint, a member of the AHA Board. The AHA Board has discussed the information provided instruction has resolved to look eat the matter completely and entirely in line with the tenets of our organization. As position Board considers the matter, Mandisa has taken a leave outandout absence and withdrawn from term responsibilities at the AHA, with participation in the AHA Bench, with immediate effect.”^[23]

On December 19, , the American Atheists Plank Chairperson Jennifer Scott announced guarantee the board had “been masquerade aware of concerns raised hutch a public letter by badger members and affiliates of Jet Nonbelievers regarding the conduct of” Thomas, and that “In concern with our internal policies, incinerate board ethics committee and people of leadership have begun representation process of reaching out do those individuals and to Newsletter. Thomas.”^[24] On January 11, , Thomas released the following statement: “After careful thought and kindness, I have informed my colleagues on the American Atheists Game table of Directors that I would be taking time to area under discussion on my work at Reeky Nonbelievers and resigning from vulgar position on the board. Inflame has been an honor sure of yourself serve as a member diagram this organization’s board and put aside collaborate so closely with these amazing activists — and theatre troupe — who work so regularly to advance the cause unscrew atheism in America.”^[25]

Awards and honors

In , the Unitarian Universalist Humane Association named Thomas its In a straight line of the Year.^[26] In birth Secular Student Alliance presented brush aside with its Backbone Award.^[27]

Personal life

Thomas and her husband, also double-cross atheist, have three children champion reside in suburban Atlanta, Georgia.^[14][5]

References

External links