American Humanist Association

In 1927, an organization which was named the "Humanist Fellowship" was founded during a gathering in Chicago. In 1928, the Fellowship started publishing the New Humanist magazine with H.G. Creel as its first editor. The New Humanist was published from 1928 to 1936. The first Humanist Manifesto was issued by a conference held at the University of Chicago in 1933. Signatories included John Dewey, but the majority were ministers (chiefly Unitarian) and theologians. They identified humanism as an ideology that espouses reason, ethics, and social and economic justice.Walter, Nicolas. Humanism: What's in the Word? (London: RPA/BHA/Secular Society Ltd, 1937), p.43.

By 1935, the Humanist Fellowship had become the "Humanist Press Association", the first national association of humanism in the United States.[https://books.google.com/books?id=6XEPjO1-4e0C&dq=American+Humanist+Association&pg=PA20 Harris, Mark W., The A to Z of Unitarian Universalism, Scarecrow Press, 2009] {{ISBN|9780810863330}}

In July 1939, a group of Quakers, inspired by the 1933 Humanist Manifesto, incorporated the Humanist Society of Friends as a religious, educational, charitable nonprofit organization authorized to issue charters and train & ordain its own ministry. Upon ordination these ministers were then accorded the same rights and privileges granted by law to priests, ministers, and rabbis of traditional theistic religions.{{cite web|title=Humanist Society's Early History|url=http://humanist-society.org/about|access-date=2012-03-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210150430/http://humanist-society.org/about/|archive-date=February 10, 2012|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

In 1941, Curtis Reese led the reorganization and incorporation of the "Humanist Press Association" as the American Humanist Association. Along with its reorganization, the AHA began printing The Humanist magazine. The AHA was originally headquartered in Yellow Springs, Ohio, then San Francisco, California, and, in 1978, Amherst, New York. Subsequently, the AHA moved to Washington, D.C.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

In 1952, the AHA became a founding member of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) in Amsterdam, Netherlands.{{cite web|title=IHEU founding|url=http://www.iheu.org/about|access-date=2012-03-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109101806/http://www.iheu.org/about/|archive-date=November 9, 2007|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

The AHA was the first national membership organization to support abortion rights. Around the same time, the AHA partnered with the American Ethical Union (AEU) to help establish the rights of non-theistic conscientious objectors to the Vietnam War. In the late 1960s, the AHA also secured a religious tax exemption in support of its celebrant program, allowing Humanist celebrants to legally officiate at weddings, perform chaplaincy functions, and in other ways enjoy the same rights as traditional clergy.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

In 1991, the AHA took control of the Humanist Society, a religious Humanist organization that now runs the celebrant program.{{cite web|title=Humanist Society's Services|url=http://humanist-society.org/|access-date=2012-03-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412091912/http://humanist-society.org/|archive-date=April 12, 2012|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} After this transfer, the AHA commenced the process of jettisoning its religious tax exemption and resumed its exclusively educational status. Today the AHA is recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a nonprofit, tax exempt, 501(c)(3), publicly supported educational organization.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Membership numbers are disputed, but Djupe and Olson place it as "definitely fewer than 50,000."[https://books.google.com/books?id=frt7RDOT1PUC&dq=American+Humanist+Association&pg=PA24 Djupe, Paul A. and Olsen, Laura R., "American Humanist Association", Encyclopedia of American Religion and Politics, Infobase Publishing, 2014] The AHA has over 575,000 followers on Facebook and over 42,000 followers on Twitter.{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/americanhumanist|title=Security Check Required|website=www.facebook.com|access-date=2016-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311100542/https://www.facebook.com/americanhumanist|archive-date=March 11, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/americnhumanist|title=American Humanist (@americnhumanist) {{!}} Twitter|website=twitter.com|access-date=2016-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615101550/https://twitter.com/americnhumanist|archive-date=June 15, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

The AHA is the supervising organization for various Humanist affiliates and adjunct organizations.

The Black Humanist Alliance of the American Humanist Association was founded in 2016 as a pillar of its new "Initiatives for Social Justice".{{Cite web|url=http://americanhumanist.org/news/details/2016-05-humanist-group-launches-initiatives-for-racial-justi|title=Humanist Group Launches Initiatives for Racial Justice, Women's Equality and LGBTQ Rights|website=American Humanist Association|date=May 18, 2016|access-date=2016-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627064344/http://americanhumanist.org/news/details/2016-05-humanist-group-launches-initiatives-for-racial-justi|archive-date=June 27, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} Like the Feminist Humanist Alliance and the LGBT Humanist Alliance, the Black Humanist Alliance uses an intersectional approach to addressing issues facing the Black community. As its mission states, the BHA "concern ourselves with confronting expressions of religious hegemony in public policy," but is "also devoted to confronting social, economic, and political deprivations that disproportionately impact Black America due to centuries of culturally ingrained prejudices."{{Cite web|url=http://blackhumanists.org/mission|title=Mission – The Black Humanist Alliance – Menu|website=blackhumanists.org|access-date=2016-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524060604/http://blackhumanists.org/mission|archive-date=May 24, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

The Feminist Humanist Alliance (formerly the Feminist Caucus) of the American Humanist Association was established in 1977 as a coalition of women and men within the AHA to work toward the advancement of women's rights and equality between the sexes in all aspects of society. Originally called the Women's Caucus, the new name was adopted in 1985 as more representative of all the members of the caucus and of the caucus' goals. Over the years, members of the Caucus have advocated for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and participated in various public demonstrations, including marches for women's and civil rights. In 1982, the Caucus established its annual Humanist Heroine Award, with the initial award being presented to Sonia Johnson. Others receiving the awards have included Tish Sommers, Christine Craft, and Fran Hosken.{{cite web|title=Feminist Caucus Previous Work|url=http://www.americanhumanist.org/What_We_Do/Feminist_Caucus|access-date=2012-03-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505061439/http://www.americanhumanist.org/What_We_Do/Feminist_Caucus|archive-date=May 5, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} In 2012 the Caucus declared it would be organizing around two principal efforts: "Refocusing on passing the ERA" and "Promoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."{{cite web|title=The Feminist Caucus of the American Humanist Association|date=August 17, 2012|url=http://thehumanist.org/september-october-2012/the-feminist-caucus-of-the-american-humanist-association/|access-date=2012-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024013643/http://thehumanist.org/september-october-2012/the-feminist-caucus-of-the-american-humanist-association/|archive-date=October 24, 2012|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

In 2016, the Feminist Caucus reorganized as the Feminist Humanist Alliance as a component of their larger "Initiatives for Social Justice". As stated on its website, the "refinement in vision" emphasized "FHA's more active partnership with outreach programs and social justice campaigns with distinctly inclusive feminist objectives."{{Cite web|url=http://feministhumanists.org/history|title=History – Feminist Humanist Alliance|website=feministhumanists.org|access-date=2016-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625084750/http://feministhumanists.org/history|archive-date=June 25, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} Its current goal is to provide a "movement powered by and for women, transpeople, and genderqueer people to fight for social justice. We are united to create inclusive and diverse spaces for activists and allies on the local and national level."{{Cite web|url=http://feministhumanists.org/what-we-do|title=What We Do – Feminist Humanist Alliance|website=feministhumanists.org|access-date=2016-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625035607/http://feministhumanists.org/what-we-do|archive-date=June 25, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

The LGBTQ Humanist Alliance (formerly LGBT Humanist Council) of the American Humanist Association is committed to advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families. The alliance "seeks to cultivate safe and affirming communities, promote humanist values, and achieve full equality and social liberation of LGBTQ persons."{{Cite web|url=http://lgbthumanists.org/about/|title=About the LGBTQ Humanist Alliance|website=LGBTQ Humanist Alliance|access-date=2016-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627064353/http://lgbthumanists.org/about/|archive-date=June 27, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

Paralleling the Black Humanist Alliance and the Feminist Humanist Alliance, the Council reformed in 2016 as the LGBTQ Humanist Alliance as a larger part of the AHA's "Initiatives for Social Justice".

In 2014, the American Humanist Association (AHA) and Foundation Beyond Belief (FBB) merged their respective charitable programs Humanist Charities (established in 2005) and Humanist Crisis Response (established in 2011). AHA's Executive Director Roy Speckhardt commented that, "This merger is a positive move that will grow the relief efforts of the humanist community. The end result will be more money directed to charitable activities, dispelling the false claim that nonbelievers don't give to charity."{{Cite web|url=http://americanhumanist.org/news/details/2014-05-humanist-charities-and-humanist-crisis-response-anno|title=Humanist Charities and Humanist Crisis Response Announce Merger|website=American Humanist Association|date=June 2, 2014|access-date=2016-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609133914/http://americanhumanist.org/news/details/2014-05-humanist-charities-and-humanist-crisis-response-anno|archive-date=June 9, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

Now Foundation Beyond Belief's Disaster Recovery{{Cite web|url=https://foundationbeyondbelief.org/hdrdrive|title=Humanist Disaster Recovery Drive • Foundation Beyond Belief|website=foundationbeyondbelief.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604073858/https://foundationbeyondbelief.org/hdrdrive|archive-date=June 4, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} program, this effort serves as a focal point for the humanist response to major natural disasters and complex humanitarian crises all over the world. The program coordinates financial support as well as trained humanist volunteers to help impacted communities. The Disaster Recovery program is sustained through the ongoing partnership between FBB and AHA, and ensures that our community's efforts are centralized and efficient.

Between 2014 and 2018, Humanist Disaster Recovery has raised over $250,000 for victims of the Syrian Refugee Crisis, Refugee Children of the U.S. Border, Tropical Cyclone Sam, and the Nepal and Ecuadoran Earthquakes, Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, and Hurricanes Irma and Maria.{{Cite web|url=https://foundationbeyondbelief.org/hurricane-recovery-2018/|title=Disaster Appeal: Hurricane Recovery 2018 • Foundation Beyond Belief|website=Foundation Beyond Belief|language=en-US|access-date=2016-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920050058/https://foundationbeyondbelief.org/hurricane-recovery-2018/|archive-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} In addition to grants for recovery efforts, volunteers have also helped to rebuild homes and schools in the following locations: Columbia, South Carolina after the effects of Hurricane Joaquin,{{Cite web|url=https://foundationbeyondbelief.org/hdrteams/sc2016|title=HDR Teams: South Carolina 2016|website=Foundation Beyond Belief|language=en-US|access-date=2016-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815231823/https://foundationbeyondbelief.org/hdrteams/sc2016|archive-date=August 15, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} in Denham Springs, Louisiana; and in Houston, Texas after the flooding from Hurricane Harvey.{{Cite web|url=https://foundationbeyondbelief.org/disaster-recovery/archive|title=HDR Archive • Foundation Beyond Belief|website=foundationbeyondbelief.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920050002/https://foundationbeyondbelief.org/disaster-recovery/archive|archive-date=September 20, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

File:AHLC FINAL LOGO.jpg

The association launched the Appignani Humanist Legal Center (AHLC) in 2006 to ensure that humanists' constitutional rights are represented in court. Through amicus activity, litigation, and legal advocacy, a team of cooperating lawyers, including Jim McCollum, Wendy Kaminer, and Michael Newdow, provide legal assistance by challenging perceived violations of the Establishment Clause.

• The AHLC's first independent litigation was filed on November 29, 2006, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Attorney James Hurley, the AHLC lawyer serving as lead counsel, filed suit against the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections on behalf of Plaintiff Jerry Rabinowitz, whose polling place was a church in Delray Beach, Florida. The church featured numerous religious symbols, including signs exhorting people to "Make a Difference with God" and anti-abortion posters, which the AHLC claimed demonstrated a violation of the Establishment Clause. In the voting area itself, "Rabinowitz observed many religious symbols in plain view, both surrounding the election judges and in direct line above the voting machines. He took photographs that will be entered in evidence."{{cite news| last =Jones| first =Susan| title ='Humanists' Challenge Voting Booths in Churches| work =crosswalk.com| date =November 30, 2006| url =http://www.crosswalk.com/1453724| access-date =2012-03-28| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20131030135540/http://www.crosswalk.com/1453724/| archive-date =October 30, 2013| url-status =dead| df =mdy-all}} U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks ruled that Jerry Rabinowitz did not have standing to challenge the placement of polling sites in churches, and dismissed the case.{{cite news| title =Voting in churches is constitutional, says Florida federal court.| work =www.thefreelibrary.com| date =September 1, 2009| url =http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Voting+in+churches+is+constitutional,+says+Florida+federal+court.-a0168748576| access-date =2012-03-28| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202625/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Voting+in+churches+is+constitutional,+says+Florida+federal+court.-a0168748576| archive-date =October 29, 2013| url-status =live| df =mdy-all}}
• In February 2014, AHA brought suit to force the removal of the Bladensburg Peace Cross, a war memorial honoring 49 residents of Prince George's County, Maryland, who died in World War I. AHA represented the plaintiffs, Mr. Lowe, who drives by the memorial "about once a month" and Fred Edwords, former AHA Executive director.{{Cite web |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2014/05/25/veterans-cross-in-maryland-at-the-center-of-national-battle/ |last=Brown |first=Matthew Hay |title=Veterans' cross in Maryland at the center of national battle |publisher=Baltimore Sun |date=May 25, 2014 |access-date=November 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103060923/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2014-05-25/news/bs-md-bladensburg-veterans-memorial-peace-cross-ne-20140525_1_war-memorial-cross-federal-judge-greenbelt |archive-date=November 3, 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} AHA argued that the presence of a Christian religious symbol on public property violates the First Amendment clause prohibiting government from establishing a religion. Town officials feel the monument to have historic and patriotic significant to local residents.{{Cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/humanists-suing-tear-cross-shaped-world-war-memorial-article-1.1707263 |title=Kuruvilla, Carol. "Humanists suing to tear down cross-shaped World War I memorial", Daily News, March 1, 2014 |website=New York Daily News |date=March 2014 |access-date=November 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110112145/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/humanists-suing-tear-cross-shaped-world-war-memorial-article-1.1707263 |archive-date=November 10, 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}{{Cite web |url=http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2014/03/01/bladensburg-peace-cross-sparks-legal-war/ |last=Jacobs|first= Danny|title =Bladensburg Peace Cross Sparks Legal War|work = CBS Baltimore|date = March 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103055758/http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2014/03/01/bladensburg-peace-cross-sparks-legal-war/ |archive-date=November 3, 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}
• In March 2014, a Southern California woman reluctantly removed a roadside memorial from near a freeway ramp where her 19-year-old son was killed after the AHA contacted the city council calling the cross on city-owned property a "serious constitutional violation".{{cite web|url=http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Lake-Elsinore-Atheists-Group-Demands-Cross-Removal-American-Humanist-Association-Devaney-Memorial-Religion-Church-State-248741091.html|title=Mother Removes Cross Memorial After Dispute With Atheist Rights Group|work=NBC Southern California|first1 = Jonathan|last1= Lloyd|first2= Jacob|last2= Rascon |first3= Tony |last3 =Shin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103060719/http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Lake-Elsinore-Atheists-Group-Demands-Cross-Removal-American-Humanist-Association-Devaney-Memorial-Religion-Church-State-248741091.html|archive-date=November 3, 2014|url-status=live|df=mdy-all|date = 6 March 2014}}
• AHLC represented an atheist family who claimed that the equal rights amendment of the Massachusetts constitution prohibits mandatory daily recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance because the anthem contains the phrase "under God". In November 2012 the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court permitted a direct appeal with oral arguments set for early 20 but .{{cite news| title =SJC to hear case from atheist family| url =http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_22021579/sjc-hear-case-from-atheist-family| access-date =2012-11-18| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20121119083448/http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_22021579/sjc-hear-case-from-atheist-family| archive-date =November 19, 2012| url-status =live| df =mdy-all}} in May 2014, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in a unanimous decision that the daily recitation of the phrase "under god" in the US Pledge of Allegiance does not violate the plaintiffs' equal protection rights under the Massachusetts Constitution.
• In February 2015 New Jersey Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Pledge of Allegiance, ruling that "...the Pledge of Allegiance does not violate the rights of those who don't believe in God and does not have to be removed from the patriotic message."{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2015/02/under_god_is_not_discriminatory_and_will_stay_in_p.html|title='Under God' is not discriminatory and will stay in pledge, judge says|work=NJ.com|date=February 7, 2015|access-date=June 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613232314/http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2015/02/under_god_is_not_discriminatory_and_will_stay_in_p.html|archive-date=June 13, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} In a twenty-one-page decision, Bauman wrote, "Under (the association members') reasoning, the very constitution under which (the members) seek redress for perceived atheistic marginalization could itself be deem unconstitutional, an absurd proposition which (association members) do not and cannot advance here."

File:Humanism.jpgThe American Humanist Association has received media attention for its various advertising campaigns; in 2010, the AHA's campaign was said to be the more expensive than similar ad campaigns from the American Atheists and Freedom From Religion Foundation.Laurie Goodstein, [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/us/10atheist.html Atheist Groups Promote a Holiday Message: Join Us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308073401/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/us/10atheist.html |date=March 8, 2017 }}, New York Times (November 9, 2010).

In 2008 it ran ads on buses in Washington, D.C., that proclaimed "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake",{{cite news | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,450445,00.html#ixzz1prwHj5ru | work=Fox News | title='Why Believe in a God?' Ad Campaign Launches on D.C. Buses | date=12 November 2008 |agency = Associated Press | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120424172506/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,450445,00.html | archive-date=24 April 2012 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }} and since 2009 the organization has paid for billboard advertisements nationwide.{{cite web |url= http://www.americanhumanist.org/view/en/What_We_Do/Media_Outreach/AHA_in_the_News/2009 |title=American Humanist Association | 2009 |publisher=Americanhumanist.org |access-date=2012-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715111057/http://www.americanhumanist.org/view/en/What_We_Do/Media_Outreach/AHA_in_the_News/2009 |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} One such billboard, which stated "No God...No Problem" was repeatedly vandalized.{{cite web|url= https://klewtv.com/news/local/humanists-replace-billboard-for-the-second-time |title=Humanists replace billboard for the second time |first = Matt |last = Loveless|location = Lewiston, ID |publisher=Klewtv.com |date= November 2009|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131113055000/http://www.klewtv.com/news/69923882.html |archive-date=November 13, 2013 }}

In 2010 it launched another ad campaign promoting Humanism, which The New York Times said was the "first (atheist campaign) to include spots on television and cable"{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/us/10atheist.html?_r=1 | work=The New York Times | first=Laurie | last=Goodstein | title=Atheists' Holiday Message: Join Us | date=November 9, 2010 | access-date=February 24, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314083448/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/us/10atheist.html?_r=1 | archive-date=March 14, 2017 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }} and was described by CNN as the "largest, most extensive advertising campaign ever by a godless organization".{{cite news | url=http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/09/humanists-launch-huge-godless-ad-campaign/ | work=CNN | title=Humanists launch huge 'godless' ad campaign | date=November 9, 2010 | access-date=March 28, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506193801/http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/09/humanists-launch-huge-godless-ad-campaign/ | archive-date=May 6, 2012 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }} The campaign featured violent or sexist quotes from holy books, contrasted with quotes from humanist thinkers, including physicist Albert Einstein, and was largely underwritten by Todd Stiefel, a retired pharmaceutical company executive.

In late 2011 it launched a holiday billboard campaign, placing advertisements in 7 different cities: Kearny, New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; Cranston, Rhode Island; Bastrop, Louisiana; Oregon City, Oregon; College Station, Texas and Rochester Hills, Michigan", cities where AHA stated "atheists have experienced discrimination due to their lack of belief in a traditional god".{{cite web |url=http://www.americanhumanist.org/news/details/2011-11-american-humanist-association-naughty-atheist-awaren |title=Humanists Launch "Naughty" Awareness Campaign |publisher=Americanhumanist.org |date=November 21, 2011 |access-date= 2012-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117095540/http://www.americanhumanist.org/news/details/2011-11-american-humanist-association-naughty-atheist-awaren |archive-date=January 17, 2012 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} The organization spent more than $200,000 on their campaign which included a billboard reading "Yes, Virginia, there is no god."{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/ad-campaign-promoting-atheism-us-draws-ire-protest/story?id=12314529#.T3MkJ9l8vTo |title=Ad Campaign Promoting Atheism Across U.S. Draws Ire and Protest |publisher=Abcnews.go.com |date=December 5, 2010 |first = Kevin|last = Dolak|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604032948/https://abcnews.go.com/US/ad-campaign-promoting-atheism-us-draws-ire-protest/story?id=12314529#.T3MkJ9l8vTo |archive-date=June 4, 2012 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

In November 2012, the AHA launched a national ad campaign to promote a new website, KidsWithoutGod.com, with ads using the slogans "I'm getting a bit old for imaginary friends"{{cite web |last=Duke |first=Barry |url=http://freethinker.co.uk/2012/11/14/getting-to-old-for-imaginary-friends-american-humanists-have-the-answer/ |title=Getting too old for imaginary friends? American humanists have the answers |publisher=Freethinker.co.uk |date=November 14, 2012 |access-date=2012-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120234735/http://freethinker.co.uk/2012/11/14/getting-to-old-for-imaginary-friends-american-humanists-have-the-answer/ |archive-date=November 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} and "You're Not The Only One".{{cite web |url=http://www.americanhumanist.org/press/KidsWithoutGod |title=Kids Without God ad campaign |publisher=Americanhumanist.org |date=November 13, 2012 |access-date=2012-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116192748/http://www.americanhumanist.org/press/KidsWithoutGod |archive-date=November 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} The campaign included bus advertising in Washington, DC, a billboard in Moscow, Idaho, and online ads on the family of websites run by Cheezburger and Pandora Radio, as well as Facebook, Reddit, Google, and YouTube.{{cite web|url=http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2012/11/national-ad-campaign-promotes-kidswithoutgod-com-on-buses-and-online/ |title=National ad campaign promotes KidsWithoutGod.com on buses and online |publisher=Secular News Daily |date=November 14, 2012 |access-date=2012-12-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121124034235/http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2012/11/national-ad-campaign-promotes-kidswithoutgod-com-on-buses-and-online/ |archive-date=November 24, 2012 }} Ads were turned down because of their content by Disney, Time for Kids and National Geographic Kids.{{cite web |url=http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/11/13/atheist-ad-campaign-promotes-kids-without-god-already-companies-are-refusing-to-run-ads/ |title=Atheist Ad Campaign Promotes Kids Without God; Already, Companies Are Refusing to Run Ads |publisher=Patheos.com |date=November 13, 2012 |access-date=2012-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121116004619/http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/11/13/atheist-ad-campaign-promotes-kids-without-god-already-companies-are-refusing-to-run-ads/ |archive-date=November 16, 2012 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

The National Day of Reason was created by the American Humanist Association and the Washington Area Secular Humanists in 2003. In addition to serving as a holiday for secularists, the National Day of Reason was created in response to the unconstitutionality of the National Day of Prayer. According to the organizers of the event, the National Day of Prayer "violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution because it asks federal, state, and local government entities to set aside tax dollar supported time and space to engage in religious ceremonies".{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationaldayofreason.org/about.php |title=National Day of Reason History |access-date=2012-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120408154835/http://www.nationaldayofreason.org/about.php |archive-date=2012-04-08 |url-status=dead }} Several organizations associated with the National Day of Reason have organized food drives and blood donations, while other groups have called for an end to prayer invocations at city meetings.{{cite web|url=http://www.positiveatheism.org/crt/blood.htm|title=Positive Protest Against the Day of Prayer! (Center for Atheism, New York)|access-date=June 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304195438/http://www.positiveatheism.org/crt/blood.htm|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}{{cite news |url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/on-national-day-of-prayer-atheists-renew-call-to-end-invocations-at-tampa/1093064 |title=On National Day of Prayer, atheists renew call to end invocations at Tampa city meetings |date=May 6, 2010 |access-date=2011-05-07 |author=Janet Zinc |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710040045/http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/on-national-day-of-prayer-atheists-renew-call-to-end-invocations-at-tampa/1093064 |archive-date=2010-07-10 |url-status=dead }} Other organizations, such as the Oklahoma Atheists and the Minnesota Atheists, have organized local secular celebrations as alternatives to the National Day of Prayer.[http://mnatheists.org/content/view/15/27/ Minnesota Atheists Day of Reason] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025105246/http://mnatheists.org/content/view/15/27/ |date=October 25, 2011 }} Additionally, many individuals affiliated with these atheistic groups choose to protest the official National Day of Prayer.{{cite news |url=http://nosacredc0w.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/national-day-of-reason-may-5-2011/ |title=National Day of Reason May 5, 2011 |access-date=2011-05-07 |publisher=WordPress.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323140943/http://nosacredc0w.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/national-day-of-reason-may-5-2011/ |archive-date=March 23, 2012 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

In 2012, the American Humanist Association co-sponsored the Reason Rally, a national gathering of "humanists, atheists, freethinkers and nonbelievers from across the United States and abroad" in Washington, D.C.{{Cite web|url=http://americanhumanist.org/news/details/2012-03-american-humanist-association-sponsors-reason-rally|title=American Humanist Association Sponsors Reason Rally, Largest Atheist Event in History|website=American Humanist Association|date=March 23, 2012|access-date=2016-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807021209/http://americanhumanist.org/news/details/2012-03-american-humanist-association-sponsors-reason-rally|archive-date=August 7, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} The rally, held on the National Mall, had speakers such as Richard Dawkins, James Randi, Adam Savage, and student activist Jessica Ahlqvist. According to the Huffington Post, the event's attendance was between 8,000 and 10,000 while the Atlantic reported nearly 20,000.{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/24/atheist-rally_n_1377443.html|title=PHOTOS: Atheists Rally On National Mall For Political Change|date=March 24, 2012|website=The Huffington Post|access-date=2016-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608032038/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/24/atheist-rally_n_1377443.html|archive-date=June 8, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/03/richard-dawkins-preaches-to-nonbelievers-at-reason-rally/255012/|title=Richard Dawkins Preaches to Nonbelievers at Reason Rally|last=Woods|first=Benjamin Fearnow and Mickey|website=The Atlantic|date=March 25, 2012|language=en-US|access-date=2016-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630065619/http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/03/richard-dawkins-preaches-to-nonbelievers-at-reason-rally/255012/|archive-date=June 30, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} The AHA also co-sponsored the 2016 Reason Rally at the Lincoln Memorial.{{Cite web|url=http://americanhumanist.org/news/details/2015-09-american-humanist-association-to-co-sponsor-reason-r|title=American Humanist Association to Co-Sponsor Reason Rally 2016, National Gathering of Humanists and Atheists|website=American Humanist Association|date=September 5, 2015|access-date=2016-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807014548/http://americanhumanist.org/news/details/2015-09-american-humanist-association-to-co-sponsor-reason-r|archive-date=August 7, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

The American Humanist Association has named a "Humanist of the Year" annually since 1953. It has also granted other honors to numerous leading figures, including Salman Rushdie (Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism 2007), Oliver Stone (Humanist Arts Award, 1996), Katharine Hepburn (Humanist Arts Award 1985), John Dewey (Humanist Pioneer Award, 1954), Jack Kevorkian (Humanist Hero Award, 1996) and Vashti McCollum (Distinguished Service Award, 1991).{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}

In 2021, Richard Dawkins said on Twitter that "In 2015, Rachel Dolezal, a white chapter president of NAACP, was vilified for identifying as Black. Some men choose to identify as women, and some women choose to identify as men. You will be vilified if you deny that they literally are what they identify as. Discuss." After receiving criticism for this tweet, Dawkins responded by saying that "I do not intend to disparage trans people. I see that my academic 'Discuss' question has been misconstrued as such and I deplore this. It was also not my intent to ally in any way with Republican bigots in US now exploiting this issue."{{Cite web|date=2021-04-20|title=Richard Dawkins loses 'humanist of the year' title over trans comments|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/apr/20/richard-dawkins-loses-humanist-of-the-year-trans-comments|access-date=2021-04-20|first=Alison|last=Flood|website=The Guardian|language=en}}

In response to these comments, the American Humanist Association retracted Dawkins' 1996 Humanist of the Year Award.{{Cite web |date=2021-04-19 |title=American Humanist Association Board Statement Withdrawing Honor from Richard Dawkins |url=https://americanhumanist.org/news/american-humanist-association-board-statement-withdrawing-honor-from-richard-dawkins/ |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=American Humanist Association |language=en-US}} Robby Soave of Reason magazine criticized the retraction, saying that "The drive to punish dissenters from various orthodoxies is itself illiberal."{{Cite web |last=Soave |first=Robby |date=2021-04-26 |title=By Canceling Richard Dawkins, the American Humanist Association Has Betrayed Its Values |url=https://reason.com/2021/04/26/by-canceling-richard-dawkins-the-american-humanist-association-has-betrayed-its-values/ |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=Reason |language=en-US}}

== AHA's Humanists of the Year ==

The AHA website presents the list of the following Humanists of the Year:{{Cite web|url=https://americanhumanist.org/what-is-humanism/humanist-of-the-year-awards/|title = Annual Humanist Awardees| date=August 12, 2023 }}

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Anton J. Carlson – 1953
• Arthur F. Bentley – 1954
• James P. Warbasse – 1955
• Charles Judson Herrick – 1956
• Margaret Sanger – 1957
• Oscar Riddle – 1958
• Brock Chisholm – 1959
• Leó Szilárd – 1960
• Linus Pauling – 1961
• Julian Huxley – 1962
• Hermann J. Muller – 1963
• Carl Rogers – 1964
• Hudson Hoagland – 1965
• Erich Fromm – 1966
• Abraham H. Maslow – 1967
• Benjamin Spock – 1968
• R. Buckminster Fuller – 1969
• A. Philip Randolph – 1970
• Albert Ellis – 1971
• B.F. Skinner – 1972
• Thomas Szasz – 1973
• Joseph Fletcher – 1974
• Mary Calderone – 1974
• Henry Morgentaler – 1975
• Betty Friedan – 1975
• Jonas E. Salk – 1976
• Corliss Lamont – 1977
• Margaret E. Kuhn – 1978
• Edwin H. Wilson – 1979
• Andrei Sakharov – 1980
• Carl Sagan – 1981
• Helen Caldicott – 1982
• Lester A. Kirkendall – 1983
• Isaac Asimov – 1984
• John Kenneth Galbraith – 1985
• Faye Wattleton – 1986
• Margaret Atwood – 1987
• Leo Pfeffer – 1988
• Gerald A. Larue – 1989
• Ted Turner – 1990
• Werner Fornos – 1991
• Lester R. Brown – 1991
• Kurt Vonnegut – 1992
• Richard D. Lamm – 1993
• Lloyd Morain – 1994
• Mary Morain – 1994
• Ashley Montagu – 1995
• Richard Dawkins – 1996; revoked 2021{{Cite web|date=2021-04-19|title=AHA Board Statement Withdrawing Honor from Richard Dawkins|url=https://americanhumanist.org/news/american-humanist-association-board-statement-withdrawing-honor-from-richard-dawkins/|access-date=2021-04-20|website=American Humanist Association|language=en-US}}
• Alice Walker – 1997
• Barbara Ehrenreich – 1998
• Edward O. Wilson – 1999
• William F. Schulz – 2000
• Stephen Jay Gould – 2001
• Steven Weinberg – 2002
• Sherwin T. Wine – 2003
• Daniel Dennett – 2004
• Murray Gell-Mann – 2005
• Steven Pinker – 2006
• Joyce Carol Oates – 2007
• Pete Stark – 2008
• PZ Myers – 2009
• Bill Nye – 2010
• Rebecca Goldstein – 2011
• Gloria Steinem – 2012
• Dan Savage – 2013
• Barney Frank – 2014
• Lawrence M. Krauss – 2015; revoked 2018{{Cite web|date=2018-10-25|title=AHA Board of Directors Revokes Lawrence Krauss Humanist of the Year Award|url=https://americanhumanist.org/press-releases/aha-board-of-directors-revokes-lawrence-krauss-humanist-of-the-year-award/|access-date=2021-04-20|website=American Humanist Association|language=en-US}}
• Jared Diamond – 2016
• Adam Savage – 2017
• Jennifer Ouellette – 2018
• Salman Rushdie – 2019
• Jared Huffman – 2020
• Anthony Fauci – 2021
• no award given – 2022
• Michael E. Mann - 2023
• Amy Goodman – 2024 [https://thehumanist.com/news/national/amy-goodman-is-the-2024-humanist-of-the-year]

{{div col end}}

• Humanism
• Secular humanism
• John Dewey
• Charles Francis Potter
• Bertrand Russell
• Louis Appignani
• List of general awards in the humanities

{{Reflist|30em}}

• Garry, Patrick M. "When Anti-Establishment Becomes Exclusion: The Supreme Court's Opinion in American Legion v. American Humanist Association and the Flip Side of the Endorsement Test." Nebraska Law Review 98 (2019): 643+ [https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3259&context=nlronline].
• Hyde, M. Allison. "American Legion v. American Humanist Ass'n: Exempting Longstanding Governmental Religious Displays from Establishment Clause Scrutiny and How the Endorsement Test Could Have Prevented It." Maryland Law Review 79 (2019): 836+ [https://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3863&context=mlr online].
• Myers, Richard S. "American Legion v. American Humanist Association and the Future of the Establishment Clause." Ave Maria Law Review 19 (2021): 91–104. [http://lawreview.avemarialaw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AMLR.v19.Myers_.final_.pdf online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921163250/http://lawreview.avemarialaw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AMLR.v19.Myers_.final_.pdf |date=September 21, 2022 }}.
• Pinn, Anthony B., ed. By these hands: A documentary history of African American humanism (NYU Press, 2001).
• Pinn, Anthony B. The end of god-talk: An African American humanist theology (Oxford University Press, 2012).

{{Commons category|American Humanist Association}}

• {{Official website|http://www.americanhumanist.org/}}
• {{cite web |url= http://archives.lib.siu.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=2071 |title= Edwin H. Wilson Papers of the American Humanist Association, 1913–1989 |publisher= Southern Illinois University |location= Carbondale |work= Special Collections Research Center |access-date= January 12, 2011 |archive-date= July 27, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200727040936/https://archives.lib.siu.edu/index.php?p=collections%2Fcontrolcard&id=2071 |url-status= dead }}

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