African American Atheists: A Hidden but Powerful Tradition
African American history is often told through the lens of the Black church. While the church has undeniably played a central role in community formation and civil rights organizing, this focus can obscure another equally real tradition: African American atheists, agnostics, and humanists who rejected religious belief while remaining deeply committed to Black liberation, justice, and human dignity.
From the Harlem Renaissance to contemporary secular activism, Black nonbelievers have long existed—sometimes quietly, sometimes defiantly—challenging the assumption that faith is synonymous with Black identity.
Historical African American Atheists & Religious Skeptics
Langston Hughes
February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967
Langston Hughes stands as one of the most explicit atheist voices in African American literary history. His 1932 poem “Goodbye Christ” openly rejected Christianity, portraying it as entangled with capitalism, colonialism, and racial oppression. In a striking line, Hughes writes:
“Goodbye, Christ / You did alright in your day, I reckon— / But that day’s gone now.”
The poem sparked public outrage and permanently marked Hughes as a religious dissenter during a period when open atheism—especially among Black Americans—was socially dangerous.
Zora Neale Hurston
January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960
Although deeply engaged with Black folk religion as an anthropologist, Hurston treated belief as a cultural phenomenon rather than divine truth. Privately, she was sharply critical of religion’s emotional logic. In a letter to a friend, she remarked:
“Prayer seems to me a cry of weakness, an attempt to avoid, by trickery, the rules of the game as laid down.”
Hurston’s work reflects a worldview rooted in self-reliance, observation, and human resilience rather than faith.
Richard Wright
September 4, 1908 – November 28, 1960
Richard Wright was an outspoken atheist who regarded religion as psychologically restrictive and socially conservative. In his autobiography Black Boy, he captured his estrangement from Christianity with stark clarity:
“I was not made for a Christian world.”
Throughout his writing, Wright depicted religion as demanding obedience at the expense of curiosity, imagination, and freedom.
W. E. B. Du Bois
February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963
W. E. B. Du Bois rejected orthodox Christianity and gravitated toward agnosticism and secular humanism. While he acknowledged religion’s emotional value for many, he did not see belief as essential to ethical life. In his autobiography, he reflected:
“The belief in God has been a comfort to millions, but it is not a necessity of life.”
Du Bois placed his faith instead in education, democratic institutions, and collective human responsibility.
Bayard Rustin
March 17, 1912 – August 24, 1987
Best known as the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, Bayard Rustin grounded his moral philosophy in secular ethics, pacifism, and human rights rather than theology. Although he worked closely with religious leaders, his ethical commitments were unmistakably human-centered. As he put it:
“The proof that one truly believes is in action.”
For Rustin, justice was not a matter of faith, but of disciplined moral practice and accountability.
Butterfly McQueen
January 7, 1911 – December 22, 1995
Best remembered for her role in Gone with the Wind, Butterfly McQueen later became openly atheist—an extraordinary stance for a Black woman of her era. She rejected superstition outright, stating plainly in an interview:
“I am an atheist. I don’t believe in superstition.”
McQueen emphasized education, reason, and self-determination over religious consolation.
Contemporary African American Atheists & Humanists
Anthony Pinn
Born January 19, 1966
Anthony Pinn is one of the leading architects of contemporary Black humanism. He argues that liberation cannot depend on divine intervention, writing:
“There is no divine force coming to save us. Black life depends on what we do.”
Pinn’s work calls for ethical responsibility grounded in lived experience rather than theology.
Sikivu Hutchinson
Born 1969
A prominent Black feminist atheist, Hutchinson critiques the harms religious institutions have inflicted on women, LGBTQ+ people, and freethinkers. As she writes:
“Religion has not been a friend to Black women, queer people, or freethinkers.”
Her activism frames atheism as both a social justice and feminist stance.
Mandisa Thomas
Born 1976
Founder of Black Nonbelievers, Inc., Mandisa Thomas has made visibility a central goal of Black atheist organizing. She emphasizes the importance of community, stating:
“We exist. Black atheists exist — and we deserve community.”
Her work challenges the stigma surrounding nonbelief in Black communities.
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Born October 5, 1958
Often describing himself as agnostic or non-theistic, Tyson promotes scientific skepticism while rejecting the idea that awe requires God:
“I do not believe in God — but that doesn’t mean I don’t have awe.”
His public philosophy centers curiosity, evidence, and wonder without supernatural claims.
Donald Glover
Born September 25, 1983
Donald Glover has spoken openly about his atheism, framing it as a personal rejection of religious necessity rather than hostility toward belief:
“I’m not religious. I think people need something to believe in — but I don’t.”
His work frequently interrogates meaning, identity, and morality outside religious frameworks.
Conclusion
African American atheists and humanists challenge the myth that Black identity is inherently religious. Their lives and words demonstrate that Black resistance has always included secular ethics, rational critique, and human-centered visions of freedom.
This tradition is not defined by absence—of faith or spirituality—but by presence: responsibility, honesty, and a refusal to postpone justice to the afterlife.
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