Atheist Alliance International
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| Abbreviation | AAI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1991 |
| Type | non-profit |
| Purpose/focus | atheist |
| 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]
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[edit] 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.
[edit] 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]
[edit] Past recipients
- 2003 — James Randi (inaugural award)
- 2004 — Ann Druyan
- 2005 — Penn and Teller
- 2006 — Julia Sweeney
- 2007 — Daniel Dennett
- 2008 — Ayaan Hirsi Ali
[edit] Presidents of Atheist Alliance International
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
| Name | Affiliation | Term of Office |
|---|---|---|
| Margaret Downey | Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia[10] | Aug. 2006 - Sept. 2008 |
| Stuart Bechman[11] | Atheists United of Los Angeles, California[12] | Sept. 2008 - |
[edit] International member organizations
- Australia — Atheist Foundation of Australia
- Canada — Humanist Association of Canada
- Canada — Victoria Humanist Association
- 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)
- India — Atheist Centre
- Nigeria — Nigerian Humanist Movement
- Russia — Moscow Atheistic Society (ATOM)
[edit] 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 on 2009-01-15.
- ^ "AAI mission statement". AAI. http://www.atheistalliance.org/aai/. Retrieved on 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 on 2007-08-03.
- ^ Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia Home page
- ^ "Stuart Bechman Elected President of AAI" Accessed January 14, 2009
- ^ Atheists United Home page
[edit] External links
- Atheist Alliance International
- Secular Nation magazine (broken link 04/21/09)
- The Freethought Directory (broken link 04/21/09)
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