SIUE’s Snipes Talks about Atheism in Black Communities

Stay in touch with the latest news. There are no African American atheists, right? If there are, they are immoral. These counternarratives were addressed in the presentation, “Ain’t I Black too: Counternarratives of Black Atheists in College,” given by J.T. Snipes, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, on Monday, Feb. 17 in the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion (CSDI). 

“Increasingly, black college students are identifying as atheist. However, few empirical studies in higher education and student affairs are exploring the phenomenon,” said Snipes. “My research paper examined the question, ‘How do Black atheists understand their identity in college?’ 

“I analyzed interview data from eight black college students at various institutions from across the United States. In this study, I explored the intersections between race and religion, and the role college plays in shaping those respective social identities. Using Critical Race Methodology, I co-constructed with my participants counternarratives that disrupt dominant narratives of a black atheist ontology. Each collective counternarrative reflected how participants understand their intersectional identities within a collegiate setting.” 

The counternarratives were as follows:

• In responding to the notion that atheism is not what black people do, participants shared that black atheists do exist, and they are growing as a constituency group.
• The second dominant narrative is that black atheists are immoral. Participants responded that they are merely human, and should be treated with dignity and respect.
• The final dominant narrative was that higher education is largely a secular space that develops students holistically. However, according to participants, college had little impact in shaping their atheist identity. 

Snipes ended his lecture with discussing how faculty, staff and students could create a more open and inclusive space for atheists in general, and black atheists in particular.  

Photo:
J.T. Snipes, PhD, assistant professor in SIUE’s Department of Educational Leadership, displays a shirt related to “Angie’s Wish,” a scholarship fund created to support black atheists.