What It’s Like to Be Black and Atheist
DOUBLE MINORITY
African-Americans are statistically the most religious group in the U.S. Leaving that community can be extremely hard, and carry a heavy price.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
On Nov. 15—and just in time for awkward Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners—nonbelievers everywhere celebrated Openly Secular Day. But being out about one’s secularity is often easier said than done.
While honesty may be said to be the best policy, for American atheists who are still in the metaphorical closet, it may also come with a price tag. And this can especially be the case for African-American atheists—often referred to as a minority within a minority.
But just what does this designation mean and how representative is it of the Black atheist story?
