Godless Americans March on Washington

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Event stage
Marcher with sign

The Godless Americans March on Washington (GAMOW) occurred on the

humanists. The public cable network C-SPAN documented the event on video.[1]

Event timeline

The event started at 11:00 am near the Washington Monument, led by the American Atheists' banner promoting the separation of church and state. About halfway down the Mall, the people were confronted by counter-protesters. However, they continued to proceed to the other end of the Mall in front of the Capitol. At 11:30 am, the rally started and featured over 20 speakers and musical entertainment. The rally lasted for about four hours.[2]

Slogans

The event was marked by many slogans and banners on shirts, badges, etc., including "What Our Schools Need is a Moment of Science!", "Atheism is Myth-Understood!", "Secular Humanists for a Secular America" and "Citizen–Atheist–Patriot".[2] The official T-shirt for the march showed a picture of the Capitol and the American flag with the statement "Free, Proud and on the Move–GODLESS AMERICANS".[2]

Speeches

Many speakers delivered speeches at the March. A few noted speakers were

atheists as lacking morality.[2]

Aims and objectives

Several marchers with signs

Over two thousand atheists, freethinkers, agnostics and humanists gathered in a mile-long parade down The Mall to rally for several causes, including

church-state separation
and a greater voice in the national political process.

Godless Americans Political Action Committee (GAMPAC), later renamed Enlighten the Vote.[3]

Event speakers

Speakers at the event included:[citation needed]

  • Michael Newdow, activist
  • Ed Buckner, Executive Director of the
    Council for Secular Humanism
  • Taslima Nasrin, Bangladesh feminist and dissident writer
  • Eddie Tabash, California attorney
  • Green Party
    candidate for Governor of Michigan
  • August Brunsman, Secular Student Alliance founder
  • Michael Rivers, Director of American Atheists in Utah
  • Kathleen Johnson, Founder of the
    Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers
    (MAAF), which provided security at the event
  • Norm Allen, from the
    African Americans for Humanism
  • Larry Darby, from the Alabama Atheists
  • Bobbie Kirkhart from the Atheist Alliance International
  • Margaret Downey from the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia
  • Jim Strayer, from the Atheists of Florida
  • John Scalise, from the Great Lakes Humanists
  • Harry Greenberger from the New Orleans Secular Humanists
  • "Reverend" Chris Harper of the fictitious Landover Baptist Church (also known as Americhrist Ltd.)

Reaction and results

Christian counter-protestors

Atheist groups by and large considered the march a success,

theists from being able to endorse the event, how atheism was defined for the purposes of the march, and the apparent attempt by organizers to use the march as a way of "creating an identity for non-believers".[5]

An organization calling itself the Religious Freedom Coalition ran newspaper advertisements the day before the event characterizing the views of atheists and Satanists to be identical.[6] Following the event, the same organization called the event a success, but described it as "ill timed" and an indication of a dangerous brand of new atheism.[7]

Following the march, leaders of three atheist organizations — Atheist Alliance International, the Institute for Humanist Studies and the Internet Infidels — met and set in motion the founding of the Secular Coalition for America.[8]

Hemant Mehta of the blog the Friendly Atheist and the author of I Sold My Soul on eBay referred to the event in the context of the Reason Rally which was held on Saturday March 24, 2012.[9]

Paul Geisert set up the Brights movement.[citation needed][vague]

References

  1. ^ "Godless Americans Rally". 2002. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d Orgar, Wayne (2002). "Godless Americans March on Washington". Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  3. ^ Johnson, Ellen (2004). "Enlighten the Vote: About Us". Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  4. ^ Bourdonnay, Katherine (2003). "Godless Americans March a Success". Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
    - "SSA Participates in Godless Americans March on Washington". 2002. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
    - Adams, Clark (2002). "The Godless Americans March on Washington—a Lesson in Godless Cooperation". Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  5. ^ Cline, Austin (2002). "Godless Americans March on Washington: What's Wrong With It?". Archived from the original on 2013-04-20. Retrieved 18 March 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ "Week Ending November 1, 2002: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COALITION RESPONDS TO "GODLESS MARCH"". Religious Freedom Coalition. 2002. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  7. ^ "Week Ending November 8, 2002: "GODLESS MARCH ON WASHINGTON"". Religious Freedom Coalition. 2002. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  8. ^ "History: Secular Coalition of America". Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  9. ^ Mehta, Hemant (2012). "Video of the 2002 Godless Americans March on Washington". Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
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