| Atheist Alliance International | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Abbreviation | AAI |
| Formation | 1991 |
| Type | Non-profit Organization |
| Purpose/focus | Atheism |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Region served | Worldwide |
| Membership | 58 member organizations |
| Key people | Stuart Bechman, (President) |
| Website | http://www.atheistalliance.org/ |
Atheist Alliance International (AAI) is an alliance of 58 atheist organizations around the world, 46 of which are located in the United States.[2]
AAI was founded in 1991. Its stated goal is "to help democratic, atheistic societies become established and grow" and "to work in coalition with like-minded groups to advance rational thinking through educational processes."[3] Its unofficial aim is to unite atheists to give them a cohesive voice.
The organization sponsors an annual convention,[4] publishes Secular Nation magazine,[5] and manages The Freethought Directory.[6]
Contents |
Annual convention
The first annual convention of the Atheist Alliance International took place in 1995 in Los Angeles. The subsequent conventions took place in:[7]
- 1996 Minneapolis
- 1997 Orlando
- 1998 St. Louis
- 1999 Austin
- 2000 Sacramento
- 2001 Atlanta
- 2002 Dallas
- 2003 Tampa
- 2004 Colorado Springs
- 2005 Los Angeles
- 2006 Kansas City
- 2007 Crystal City, Virginia
- 2008 Long Beach
The 2009 convention will be held in Los Angeles.
Richard Dawkins Award
The group's Richard Dawkins Award is a prize awarded annually since 2003 to a person (or persons) during its annual conference.[8] The official award criteria state that:
The Richard Dawkins Award will be given every year to honor an outstanding atheist whose contributions raise public awareness of the nontheist life stance; who through writings, media, the arts, film, and/or the stage advocates increased scientific knowledge; who through work or by example teaches acceptance of the nontheist philosophy; and whose public posture mirrors the uncompromising nontheist life stance of Dr. Richard Dawkins.[9]
Past recipients
- 2003 — James Randi (inaugural award)
- 2004 — Ann Druyan
- 2005 — Penn and Teller
- 2006 — Julia Sweeney
- 2007 — Daniel Dennett
- 2008 — Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- 2009 — Bill Maher
Presidents of Atheist Alliance International
| Name | Affiliation | Term of Office |
|---|---|---|
| John B. (Jack) Massen | Atheists of San Francisco Region | Sep. 1992 - Apr. 1994 |
| Marie Alena Castle & Christos Tzanetakos | Minnesota Atheists & Atheists of Florida | April 1994 - Apr. 1995 |
| Lee Baker & Christos Tzanetakos | Atheists United & Atheists of Florida | April 1995 - Apr. 1996 |
| Marie Alena Castle & Steve Petersen | Minnesota Atheists | Apr. 1996 - Apr. 1997 |
| Marie Alena Castle | Minnesota Atheists | Apr. 1997 - Apr. 2001 |
| Marie Alena Castle & Bobbie Kirkhart | Minnesota Atheists & Atheists United | Apr. 2001 - Apr. 2004 |
| Bobbie Kirkhart | Atheists United | May 2004 - July 2006 |
| Margaret Downey | Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia[10] | Aug. 2006 - Sept. 2008 |
| Stuart Bechman[11] | Atheists United [12] | Sept. 2008 - present |
International member organizations
- Australia — Atheist Foundation of Australia
- Cameroon — Le Libre Pensee Cameroon
- Canada — Humanist Canada
- Denmark — Dansk Ateistisk Selskab
- Finland — Atheist Association of Finland
- Germany — International League of Non-Religious and Atheists (IBKA)
- Iceland — Samfélag Trúlausra — The Atheist Society (SAMT)
- Ireland — Atheist Ireland
- India — Atheist Centre
- Nigeria — Nigerian Humanist Movement
References
- ^ PDF of the Secular Nation article "A Conventioneer's Delight! Pt 5 of 5"
- ^ "AAI member organizations". AAI. http://www.atheistalliance.org/aai/members.php. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ "AAI mission statement". AAI. http://www.atheistalliance.org/aai/. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
- ^ Convention archive at atheistalliance.org
- ^ Secular Nation magazine at atheistalliance.org
- ^ The Freethought Directory
- ^ AAI Archive of Past Conventions
- ^ Slack, Gordy; "The atheist: Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins explains why God is a delusion, religion is a virus, and America has slipped back into the Dark Ages."; salon.com; April 30, 2005
- ^ "Atheist Alliance International". http://www.atheistalliance.org/library/news_021703.php. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
- ^ Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia Home page
- ^ "Stuart Bechman Elected President of AAI" Accessed January 14, 2009
- ^ Atheists United Home page
External links
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