“Emancipation of a Black Atheist offers an emotional and intellectual odyssey through the expansive sea of religion in the Black community . . . . Believers will appreciate the respect Dr. Evans pays them, but they may encounter challenging questions about their own faith. Nonbelievers will find comfort in his familiar and relatable experiences. All will be challenged by his prescriptions for bridging over the troubled waters that stand between believers and nonbelievers in the Black community.”

—Candace R. M. Gorham, LPC, author, The Ebony Exodus Project: Why Some Black Women Are Walking Out on Religion—and Others Should Too

About the Book

Great journeys often start with a single question. For D. K. Evans, a newly married professional in the Christian-dominated South, that question was, “Why Do I Believe in God?” That simple query led him on a years-long search to better understand the nature of religion and faith, particularly as it applies to the Black community. While many taking such a journey today might immerse themselves in the writing of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens, Evans took inspiration not only from John Henrik Clarke, Yosef-Ben Jochannan, Hubert Harrison, and John G. Jackson, champions of a rich Black tradition of challenging religious orthodoxy, but also from many others in his own community who had similarly come to question their core religious beliefs. While this journey eventually led him to discount the notion of God, he calls on all to ask their own questions, particularly those within the Black community who act on blind faith. While their own journey might not lead to his truth, he acknowledges, that is the only way they will ever emancipate themselves from the truths thrust on them by others and arrive at their most important truth—their own.

About the Author

D. K. Evans, PhD, is a corporate trainer in Morrisville, NC. Aside from writing, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids.

Details

ISBN: 9781634311465
Format: paperback
SRP: $14.95
Page count: 200 pages
Trim size: 5.5 x 8.5
Pub date: November 2017

"The time is now for Humanists in the Hood. With compassionate, razor-sharp clarity, Sikivu Hutchinson provides a courageously bold Black, feminist, and atheist road map to liberating ourselves, our communities, and U.S. society. She invites and challenges readers to step outside of comfort zones to consider different possibilities in response to the oppressive systems that silence and annihilate all of us on the margins. Hutchinson’s words are a clarion call for radical, tangible actions for these perilous times."
—Aishah Shahidah Simmons, author of Love WITH Accountability, and Producer/Director of NO! The Rape Documentary

About the Book

Feminism and atheism are "dirty words" that Americans across the political spectrum love to debate—and hate. Throw them into a blender and you have a toxic brew that supposedly defies decency, respectability, and Americana. Add an "unapologetically" Black critique to the mix and it's a deal-breaking social taboo. Putting gender at the center of the equation, progressive "Religious Nones" of color are spearheading an anti-racist, social justice humanism that disrupts the "colorblind" ethos of European American atheist and humanist agendas, which focus principally on church-state separation. These critical interventions build on the lived experiences and social histories of segregated Black and Latinx communities that are increasingly under economic siege. In this context, Hutchinson makes a valuable and necessary call for secular social justice change in a polarized climate where Black women's political power has become a galvanizing national force.

About the Author

Sikivu Hutchinson is an educator, author, and playwright. She is the founder of Black Skeptics Los Angeles and the Women's Leadership Project, a mentoring and civic engagement program for South L.A. girls of color.

Details

ISBN: 9781634311984
Format: paperback
SRP: $14.95
Page count: 135 pages
Trim size: 5.5 x 8.5
Pub date: April 2020

“All three Abrahamic religions are nasty, and women have borne the brunt of the nastiness throughout history. It still persists, and it is moving to listen to women of today telling their personal histories of the various ways in which religion has oppressed them, from childhood on. In their interestingly different ways their testimonies seem to add up to the same story, a story as old as the myth of Eve. I closed the book with uplifted admiration for all these women and for their courage in breaking their historic fetters.”
—Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion

About the Book

Women have made great strides toward equal rights over the past hundred years, especially in the West. But when considering the ongoing fight over reproductive rights and equal pay—and the prevalence of sexual violence and domestic abuse—it is clear that a significant gap still exists. With scripture often cited as justification for the marginalization of women, it is time to acknowledge that one of the final barriers to full equality for women is religion. Much has been written about the great strides humankind has made in knocking down many long-held religious beliefs, whether related to the age of the earth or the origin of the species. But religion’s negative impact on women has been less studied and discussed. This book is a step toward changing that. Twenty-two women from a variety of backgrounds and Judeo-Christian traditions share their personal stories about how they came to abandon organized religion, and how they discovered life after moving away from religious and supernatural beliefs. Their words serve both as a celebration of all who have taken similar steps under the weight of thousands of years of religious history—and as a source of inspiration for those individuals, especially women, who have deep doubts about their own belief traditions but who don’t yet know how to embrace life without falling back on religion.

About the Editor

Karen L. Garst, PhD, is the former executive director of the Oregon Community College Association and Oregon State Bar. She is editor of the book Women v. Religion and writes at the Faithless Feminist (http://faithlessfeminist.com/).

Details

ISBN: 9781634310826
Format: paperback
SRP: $16.95
Page count: 272 pages
Trim size: 6 x 9
Pub date: October 2016

“Reading Women v Religion is truly a journey through the minds and lives of women who have experienced the oppression and intimidation of the Abrahamic religions. They often lay their inner struggles bare as they take you through the journey of being in search of validation and wholeness. The essays clearly show that as one attempts to meet the constrictions of religious “rightness” and “goodness” they become lost to themselves. Shame, guilt, sin prevail until religion’s grip is released allowing for the full expression of the individual.”
—Rebecca (Becky) Hale, President, American Humanist Association and board member of the International Humanist and Ethical Union

About the Book

Throughout history, religion has been used as a tool of female subjugation. Women have been deemed less worthy than men, have been prevented from owning property, and worse—all in the name of a higher power. In recent decades, women have made progress in terms of equal rights with men, at least in Western democracies, but still, why has the United States never had a female president? Why aren’t more women heads of Fortune 500 companies? Why do politicians in the West continue to attack women’s reproductive rights? As this volume explores, it would be hard to find a bigger culprit than religion when identifying the last cultural barriers to full gender equality. With topics ranging from the subjugation of women in the Bible to the shame and guilt felt by women due to religious teaching, this volume makes clear that only by rejecting the very system that limits their autonomy will women be fully liberated from its malignant influences, not just in codified law but also in cultural practice.

About the Editor

Karen L. Garst, PhD, is the former executive director of the Oregon Community College Association and Oregon State Bar. She is editor of the book Women Beyond Belief and writes at the Faithless Feminist (http://faithlessfeminist.com/).

Details

ISBN: 9781634311700
Format: paperback
SRP: $16.95
Page count: 272 pages
Trim size: 6 x 9
Pub date: June 2018