• Action Headquarters
  • Media Center
    • Press Releases
    • Press Kit
    • All News

American Humanist Association

Advocating progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, and freethinkers

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • About
    • About

      For over 80 years, the AHA has proudly served as the leading progressive voice in America on behalf of humanists, atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers.

      Learn More
    • Our Mission
    • Our History
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Financial Info and Reports
    • Contact Us
  • Are You Humanist?
    • Are You Humanist?

      Guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience.

      Learn More
    • Definition of Humanism
    • Humanism and Its Aspirations
    • Humanist of the Year Award
    • Famous Humanists in History
  • Key Issues
    • Key Issues

      We are committed to building an inclusive America grounded in an embrace of reason, ethics, scientific inquiry, and compassion- rather than religious dogma.

      Learn More
    • Defending Nontheists and Promoting Humanism
    • Religion and Government Separation
    • Social Justice
    • Scientific Integrity
    • Promoting Peace
    • Resolutions and Statements
  • What We Do
    • What We Do

      We work tirelessly in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend civil liberties, secular governance, and scientific integrity.

      Learn More
    • Legal
    • Legislative
    • Education Center
    • Local Groups
    • Programs and Adjuncts
    • Publications
    • AHA at the Supreme Court
    • National Day of Reason
    • Boycott the Pledge Campaign
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Humanism for All Prisoners’ Project
  • Get Involved
    • Get Involved

      Ready for change? Join our network and be the first to take action. Get the resources and tools you need to make a real difference.

      Learn More
    • Humanist Action Headquarters
    • Find a Local AHA Group
    • Become a Humanist Celebrant
    • Events and Conferences
    • Grants and Programs
    • Resources
  • Ways to Give
    • Ways to Give

      Through winning lawsuits, active lobbying, and effective media campaigns, your contribution can go a long way.

      Learn More
    • Join
    • Renew
    • Donate
    • Online-Only Membership
    • Leave a Bequest
    • IRA Rollover Gifts
    • Other Ways to Give
  • Media Center
  • Take Action
February 3, 2011 Press Releases

Obama Praises Humanist Values at National Prayer Breakfast

Facebook Twitter Email Share
February 3, 2011 Press Releases

Leaders at the American Humanist Association (AHA) were pleased today with remarks made by President Obama at the Annual National Prayer Breakfast recognizing his nontheistic family upbringing. While Obama focused on his current Christian faith, he also noted that his mother, widely regarded as a secular humanist, bestowed him with the values responsible for his strong character.  

“President Obama’s remarks acknowledge that children can be raised with a strong moral and ethical foundation, free from the presence of dogmatic religion,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “He’s living proof that one can lead a successful, moral, and dedicated life of service without the drumbeat of religion in one’s upbringing. The humanist community has fought for the validation of this fact, and to hear the President of the United States echo the sentiment is gratifying.”

“For as some of you know, I did not come from a particularly religious family,” said Obama at the breakfast. He continued, “My mother, whose parents were Baptist and Methodist, grew up with a certain skepticism about organized religion… She was somebody who was instinctively guided by the Golden Rule and who nagged me constantly about the home spun values of her Kansas upbringing—values like honesty and hard work and kindness and fair play. And it’s because of her that I came to understand the equal worth of all men and all women, the imperatives of an ethical life, and the necessity to act on your beliefs.”

The AHA previously praised President Obama’s account of his secular upbringing in his 2006 book The Audacity of Hope.  In his 1995 book, Dreams from My Father, Obama wrote that his mother stood alone in her community as a “witness for secular humanism.”

Speckhardt concluded, “While it would be better for government officials not to engage in public prayer events, it’s refreshing to hear President Obama reiterate his secular roots. In a climate awash in religious rhetoric, the importance of these values – secular values – shouldn’t be underestimated. “

###

The American Humanist Association (www.americanhumanist.org ) advocates for the rights and viewpoints of humanists. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., its work is extended through more than 100 local chapters and affiliates across America.

Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms our responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity.

More Press Releases

Latest news from TheHumanist.com

Subscribe Today

Humanists Making a Difference: Humanistic Rabbi & Celebrant Adam Chalom

TheHumanist.com Staff

Human Welfare, Scientific Skepticism, and Equality: An Interview with Andrew Copson

Scott Douglas Jacobsen

The Comics Section: Undiscriminating Hunger

The Comics Section: Undiscriminating Hunger

Can Intimacy Be Engineered Without Losing Our Humanity?

Tracy Miller

Rewriting Humanity for a Dying Planet

Erica Mayor
American Humanist Association
1821 Jefferson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-238-9088
800-837-3792 (toll-free)
202-238-9003 (fax)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • About the American Humanist Association
  • Are You Humanist?
  • What We Do
  • Key Issues
  • Board of Directors
  • Staff
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Get Involved
  • Press Kit
  • Local Groups
  • Education Center
  • Become a Humanist Celebrant
  • Job and Internship Opportunities
  • Humanist Action Headquarters
  • Sign Up for AHA Emails
  • Privacy Policy
  • Records Policy
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us

©2025 American Humanist Association. All Rights Reserved.

Combined Federal CampaignIndependent Charities of AmericaCharity NavigatorCandid/Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency