I had a moment to speak with Alix Jules : family man, community leader, life-long student, and secular humanist. Jules chairs the DFW Coalition of Reason’s Diversity Council. It’s a sub-organization promoting free thought and ethical treatment by educating and reaching out to ethnically, culturally, and sexually diverse communities. Jules is also a founding member of the Fellowship of Freethought, a family-based organization that focuses on the values of secular humanism and charitable principles. He is a member of African Americans for Humanism, whose campaign has been getting headlines recently across the nation for the humanist billboards in some cities; including Dallas on 1-35. Jules understands his role as a leader, but wants to make it clear that he’s just a part of a greater purpose:
You repeatedly use the word humanism as oppose to atheism. Could you explain why?
Atheism is the lack of belief in a deity. There are good atheist and bad atheist, just as there are good theist and bad theist. Humanism is a set of beliefs that rejects mysticism and magic for critical reason and evidence and applies those tools for the betterment of humanity. There’s no servility.
Why is Humanism an important philosophy and what does it provide that religious influences can’t?
Humanism provides people a way of being good and doing good without a set of rules that impose judgment. There’s no terror associated with an apocalyptic vision. It also allows for inquiry to assess ethics as needed. One of the problems with scriptural dogmatic religion is the lack of flexibility to address today’s problem. The bible doesn’t tell us how to deal with stem cell research or euthanasia, and allows for wild variety in interpretation.
Tell me a bit about the African Americans for Humanism.
African Americans for Humanism (AAH) is an initiative by the Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry . It was started several years ago by Norm Allen, the former director, who focused on connecting other skeptical African American educators of Freethought nationally and internationally. Debbie Goddard took over Norm’s position and started focusing more on the resurgence of freethrought as a grassroots movement in many areas in the African American community.
Debbie had been working quietly to connect many of the groups with various resources since taking over the position and was approached by the Stiefel Freethought Foundation to go a little bit bigger, helping to launch the national campaign during Black History month. That was important.
You would be referring to the billboards?
Billboards, mass transit posters, ads on buses, etc – are going up in New York City; Washington, DC; Los Angeles; Chicago; Atlanta; and Durham, North Carolina and Dallas.
The billboards are meant to be a launch, not just a onetime thing. There’s much more to come; from campus tours, speaking events, joint outreach with local affiliates, and a National AAH conference. Many of the local affiliates are already seeing surges in interest. We wanted to remind the community that critical thought and intellectual criticism is not dead; hence the juxtaposition of historical verses contemporary Freethinkers. We’re still here, we’re not going anywhere, and for those that do question faith: you’re not alone. It’s not a pro-atheism campaign; it’s pro-thought, pro-skepticism, and not meant to be anti-religion though many see it as such, including the media.
Why your face for the billboard?
My face was chosen for the Dallas billboard because of my affiliation with AAH as the local representative and my visibility in the Freethought movement in the South. The DFW Coalition of Reason represents roughly 1700 people and over a dozen organizations. I chair the Diversity Council, an umbrella initiative to bring more diversity into those organizations as well as bridging the misconceptions of Freethought in minority communities. I’ve been partnered with Langston Hughes, because I relate to his story. He talks about going to a revival when he was younger and not being able to feel what those people felt, never moved to speak in tongues. I felt broken when I was younger not being able to connect. That led me to question why and eventually out of faith and into reason.
What places is this effort of public awareness of the presence of the AAH expected to have the most impact?
We’re hoping everywhere. The northeast and LA have burgeoning movements. NY and LA have traditionally been open to Freethought because of the proliferation of educational institutions. Where there were stronger strides made for self-reliance in the African American community, we expect there to be less dismissal of the message. I want to see it impact most on campus and in the worst of the ghettos in general, honestly. Though the struggles are hard, many dismiss the idea of doing for self, giving up too much in trade for spiritual welfare.
We’re not out to change minds; but if we do, that’s wonderful. I personally want people to challenge why they believe what they believe, even if they don’t change their belief systems. I’d like them to critically examine their lives. If you believe that you only get one life to live with no promise of tomorrow, imagine how much more you’d cherish it. Imagine what you could do with that motivation. If you realized the struggles your ancestors had to survive hundreds of thousands of years ago to get their genes where you are today, as well as those around you; couldn’t you be a little less judgmental and a little kinder to your fellow human being?
I see a lot of connection with historical African Americans. Is it just because of the time of year or something more?
The African American community has always had a rich history of religious skepticism, from as early as Fredrick Douglass; who eloquently put, “I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my feet.” Slaves questioned under penalty of death, many seeing their kin bought, sold and bartered to further advance their master’s religion. Though many eventually adopted those beliefs, religious skepticism lingered. We see that in history where the role of religion in the community was criticized by the likes of W.E.B. Dubois, A. Phillip Randolph, and Carter G. Woodson; the latter most consider the father of black history month. We learn during February about their contributions, yet never have a chance to study the worldviews that inspired them. So it seems fitting that we launch on during that month.
Was the idea of disbelief ever get met with negative results for them?
Pressures from well funded ministries who see the rise of non-belief as an attack on their faith tend to be the problem for any movement that promotes a revocation of dogmatic thinking. Langston Hughes, who I’m paired with on the billboard, was “secular to the bone” as his biography states. He wrote a phenomenal piece entitled “Good Bye Christ” where he heavily criticized Christianity as an institution. He drew heavy fire from mega-church leader Aimee Semple McPherson and was forced to explain his poem to the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) where he understandably backed down. Unpopular views tend to garner the “un-American” label from those in power.
How relevant were deities before Africans became African American under a Christian belief?
Many African cultures had Polytheistic and what some may call pagan belief systems prior to the Diaspora. Many of the belief systems were non-scriptural in nature and prone to evolve as they observed the natural world, common wisdom, and the human condition.
In contrast, one of the earliest African Humanists was the pharaoh Akhenaton of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. Akhenaton taught that the sun was the only giver of life, and the only object worthy of worship. There was only an understanding of nature’s impact on man’s environment.
What occurred from the compromise to Christianity for African Americans 3 and 4 generations in?
There was a loss of self-determination. Christianity gave African Americans a sense of hope but also relinquished accountability. What was loss was a sense of drive to accomplishing one’s own merits. What was gained was an adaptation to accept “just enough” to get by now instead of the promise of a better tomorrow.
What black role models are present today that are skeptical and critical thinkers?
I applaud Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson for his stance against myth and mysticism. He’s an educator and I admire Science educators. Dr. Tyson is one of my personal heroes. I’m also a huge fan of Morgan Freeman; the irony of him playing God is not lost. R&B star John Legend has recently been public about his skepticism of organized religion in an interview with Big Think. Singer Anthony David has also been very critical of religion and has expressed his skepticism through song. But the African American community tends to look too closely at the world of sports and entertainment for role models. We have Dr. Anthony Pinn and Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson, outspoken scholars, humanists, and stars in their own right who go with significantly less notoriety. We need to spend a little less time watching BET and more of the Science channel.