Our History

The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 when Unitarian ministers Curtis W. Reese and John H. Dietrich reorganized the Humanist Press Association in Chicago into a new kind of organization – one built around the secular and nontheistic nature of Humanism. 

From the start, the AHA’s goal was to organize humanist advocates and serve both congregational and secular members equally, making it the oldest organization dedicated to the full breadth of Humanism in the United States. 

Early Advocacy

The AHA quickly established itself as an advocacy organization. In the late 1940s, we supported Vashti McCollum in her Supreme Court fight against religious instruction in public schools – a case she won in 1948. McCollum later became the first woman to serve as the AHA president in 1962.

The AHA also became the first national membership organization to support abortion rights, preceding even Planned Parenthood’s expansion into the issue, and we played a role in founding organizations like Reproductive Freedom for All and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. 

A Platform for Humanist Voices

The AHA’s magazine, The Humanist, became a respected venue for social and political commentary, publishing writers and thinkers including Salman Rushdie, Abraham Maslow, Joyce Carol Oates and Kurt Vonnegut (who was named Humanist of the Year in 1992 and later served as the AHA’s honorary president). The magazine published its first issue in 1941, and continues a quarterly distribution to this day

Moving to Washington

In 2002, the AHA made a strategic decision to relocate to Washington DC, placing the organization at the center of national policy and public debate. From its new Humanist Center, the AHA expanded its reach significantly and adopted best nonprofit practices, earning full ratings from the Better Business Bureau, Charity Navigator and GuideStar. 

Building Legal & Legislative Power

The AHA launched the Appignani Humanist Legal Center in 2007 to defend the constitutional rights of Humanists in court. Through litigation, amicus briefs and pro-bono partnerships, the Legal Center has built a strong record in church-state separation cases and nontheistic equal protection lawsuits. 

On the legislative side, the AHA’s lobbying and political arm, the Center for Freethought Equality (CFE), helps lobby for evidence-based legislation that protects our civil liberties, human dignity and church-state separation. Its affiliated political action committee, the Center for Freethought Equality PAC, works to increase the number of openly Humanist and nontheistic candidates in public office. 

Education & Community

The AHA established the Kochhar Humanist Education Center in 2018 to develop programming for both children and adults, support Humanist curriculum advocacy in public schools, and build pathways into Humanism from various religious traditions. Through its affiliate the Humanist Institute, the AHA offers graduate-level education in Humanism and training programs for Humanist celebrants, activists and community leaders. 

Looking Ahead

For more than eighty years, the AHA has worked to make Humanism a recognized and respected movement in American public life. That commitment continues today – through advocacy, education, legal action and community building – guided by reason, compassion and our shared conviction that the world doesn’t get better by chance, but by choice. 

Fund the Future of the American Humanist Association

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