Big ideas of the past, present & future
(9/4/2026) – Gloria Steinem died this week. She was a humanist, a courageous leader, and a warrior for civil rights. She fought doggedly for women’s equality – and her ideas were her weapon.
She coined the term “reproductive freedom.” She challenged gender norms and talked about the family being a training ground for authoritarianism. She willed big ideas for the women’s liberation movement – like Ms. Magazine and the National Women’s Political Caucus – into being. She was unafraid to think on the boundaries of the possible, and we’re a more equal society for it.
That’s always been what humanists do, at our best. With no God to tell us what to think and how to live, we set about the task of deciding what we, as people, must do to make our world better. We start from the infinite canvas of a free mind, and we end up with a world where people have better, fuller lives.
Our annual conference is a chance to come together in community with people who share our ideals – but also to hear, discuss, and share the big ideas that will shape the future of our movement. And if you’re free Saturday, September 19, I hope you’ll join us.
We’re doing something a little different this year. No more hour-long talks that you’ve heard versions of before at other conferences. We have four types of programming:
- Dynamic ten-minute TED style talks from content creators in our Humanist Creator Fund – from Drew McCoy to Monte Mader to Shawn Towers to Alyssa Grenfell to Kevin Crowe (aka JesusUnfollower) to Barrett Pall. Collectively, they have millions of followers, and they’re shaping the voice of humanism for a new generation. See the big ideas that are shaping the future of humanism for yourselves – and don’t worry about how you’re going to keep yourself awake when the talk reaches the 40-minute mark. It just…won’t.
- Updates (30 minutes or less!) from leaders at the AHA. Hear from Jake Via about how we’ve added forty new chapters and affiliates since he started in 2025, how we’re training thirty-three longstanding chapters to rapidly grow their ranks, and how we’re building groups of humanists under 35 from Texas to Harvard. Hear from Rachel Deitch about how we defeated ten pieces of Christian Nationalist legislation in states as red as Kansas and Nebraska this year, and plan to do more next year. I’ll share more about our vision for the future – and some exciting announcements! – in our keynote address.
- Awards for incredible luminaries – and we’re proud to announce University of Pennsylsvania Professor and scholar of religious extremism Dr. Anthea Butler will receive the Religious Liberty Award. She will have brilliant insights to share with the conference, and we can’t wait to announce more awardees soon.
- A documentary premiere! We made a short film about the American Empathy Project, our nationwide service initiative, and we’d love for you to see it. It’s one of the most compelling pieces of media to come out of the AHA. It made my heart swell and my eyes water, and I already knew what it was about!
Sign up today: https://conference.americanhumanist.org/
You don’t put up a gate around good ideas, so this year, for the first time, our conference is pay-what-you-can. We hope people will donate what they think is reasonable to support the AHA, but if someone can’t afford to buy a ticket, we want them in the room learning, connecting, and hearing from these amazing humanist leaders. (So send it to friends, grandkids, people in your postcard-writing group or Unitarian fellowship – it’s for everybody!)
We’ll see you there.
For humanity,
Fish
The American Humanist Association
The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of Humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of Humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
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