Good morning everyone! I have a new piece up over at Mamiverse about Latinas, Atheism and how I met me best friend. I'm not an Atheist myself, but I was very honored to speak to several people from various Atheist organizations. I learned so much! Here's my interview with Ayanna Watson, of Black Athiests of America:
NM: How did you come to Atheism and how long have you been an
Atheist?
AW: I came to my atheism by studying religion in undergrad. Prior
to
undergrad, I had already had some doubts with regard to religion.
During
high school, I moved from a christian to a deist.
NM:
How do people generally react to your Atheism at first?AW: Generally
speaking most people are shocked. I fall into a triple
minority. I am black
and female, in addition to being an atheist. Many
people have expressed to
me that they have not come across a black
atheist. Those who have,
generally, have not met a black female atheist.
If the person is not
religious, or progressive - at minimum, they seem to
welcome it. On the
other hand, [some] seek to "save my soul."
Others have sent death threats.
It depends on the person.
NM: What would you say is a
common misconception about Atheism and
Atheists?
AW; The most common
misconception is that atheists are evil, or inherently bad
people. This
belief shows that most people ignore evidence. Despite the
large amount of
evidence to the contrary, people still hold on to
this
belief.
NM: What would you most
like people to know about you as an Atheist?
AW: I think that it is important
that most people know that we are members of
their community. There is this
perception that atheists live "on the
other side of town." In reality, we
are your neighbor. We are your
teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc.
The problem is that many of
us do not feel comfortable being open about our
stance on religion because
we fear being ostracized.
Thank you Ayanna!
I love that blogging gives me the opportunity to meet people from so many different backgrounds. To read the entire piece over at Mamiverse click HERE.
Wishing you love with extra cheese-
Nacho Mama
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