American Atheists hosting national convention at Cobb Galleria
Apr. 7—The Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel at the Cobb Galleria Center will host the 2022 American Atheists National Convention from April 14-17.
The event begins Thursday, April 14 with a charity game night benefiting Access Reproductive Care—Southeast, an organization that offers reproductive care and abortions.
On Easter Day — April 17 — attendees will pack 50,000 meals for people in need in the Atlanta area for the "Two Hands Working" service project. The project gets its name from Madalyn Murray O'Hair's "two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer" quote.
This year's speakers include Mandisa L. Thomas and Dave Warnock. Thomas is the founder and president of the Atlanta-based Black Nonbelievers, an organization that aims to be a safe space for Black people who don't practice a religion. Warnock is a former evangelical pastor and author.
The convention will aim to get people in the Atlanta area and beyond involved in their local communities, Nick Fish, president of American Atheists, said.
"In Georgia and elsewhere, white Christian nationalists are working to restrict voting access, undermine public education, and make abortion illegal," he said. "We cannot allow them to succeed."
Debbie Goddard, vice president for programs, said the convention is a good way to find community and do good work, "all without having to go to church."
O'Hair, the self-described "most hated woman in America" because of her activism against religion, founded the organization in 1963.
Tickets are available online until April 9, and limited tickets will be available at the door. Area residents receive a special discounted admission rate of $99 for the weekend. For more information, visit convention.atheists.org.
