Politics of Hair Respectability at the Oscars

February 25, 2015 By Alix Jules

The 2015 Oscars happened. The activists’ statements took much of the day after headlines. Patricia Arquette’s well-intentioned, yet myopic rant on why people of color and the LGBTQ movement should fight for women’s rights, sucked all the air out of some amazing fashion commentary! Common and John Legend, love you – but you two deserve a post of your own. Minorities protested the snubbery (snubbing) of movies that I agree should have been nominated, which led the Academy to promise of rectifying future deliberations (though the… Read more

Day of Solidarity for Black NonBelievers. Feb 22 (Today) – Show your support

February 22, 2015 By Alix Jules

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February 22nd is the Day of solidarity for Black Nonbelievers. The idea is the brainchild of my friend and colleague, former Baptist Deacon turned Atheist Humanist Donald Wright, who I first had the privilege of meeting in DC at CFI’s African American for Humanism conference in 2011. It’s a day to show a few people, who aren’t always accepted or feel welcomed by the General Atheist population, that they’re not invisible. That’s it. It’s not pro-separatist or anti-anything else. It’s… Read more

120,000 Reasons Atheists Should Care About Abstinence Only

February 17, 2015 By Alix Jules

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The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund are among groups reporting nearly 120,000 adolescents between the ages of 10-19 who died of AIDS illness in 2013 in Africa (AP report here). Here are some numbers that help put into context the volume of 120k human bodies (not lives – just bodies because its much harder quantifying loss of life e.g., opportunities, hope, potential, human contribution, future, dreams, etc.) Roughly the population of Cambridge Mass (123k) Bigger than my midsized city… Read more

An Atheist Dad on Chapel Hill

February 13, 2015 By Alix Jules

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Nearly everyone in the Atheist community chimed in on the murder of three Muslim students this week by an atheist. Numerous excellent and poignant points already made, enough that I almost had nothing to contribute. However, as a father of an incredibly empathetic teenage daughter whose closest friends are Muslim, I wondered whether some of my points would interests others. I inked a portion of my relevant comments and responses to her in the following: To My Daughter, This week… Read more

Beyond Privilege

February 3, 2015 By Alix Jules

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This is a collaborative perspective piece with the mirror done with my friend and colleague Dr. Zachary Moore. We reflect and ruminate on a common experience regarding one of the more controversial local DFW campaigns a few years back. In it, we address privilege and the diverging secular community. I welcome you to read his piece here – either before or after mine. I’ve also included an audio version at the bottom for those that would enjoy the conversational experience…. Read more

A Case for Escape

January 23, 2015 By Alix Jules

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This week Secular Avenue announced its 501c3 status as a registered non-profit. We are ready to help people from all walks of life find their way to a SAFE autonomous path to independence. It’s under the directorship of my friend and fellow board member, Noelle George, who many of you may know from her work with the Foundation Beyond Belief. I didn’t think twice about saying yes when she asked me to join, because I too know what it’s like… Read more

Boycott Selma

January 16, 2015 By Alix Jules

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If only for one day. This MLK’ birthday, skip the movie Selma. I hear it’s a very good movie, but don’t do it this Monday. Around my Metroplex people are honoring this Humanist by celebrating it together at the movies. That’s great – in fact Dr. King once said “The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.” For many of us, we can certainly empathize, however regardless of how “passive” you may have found Dr…. Read more

Je suis …

January 14, 2015 By Alix Jules

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This past week the world saw twelve slaughtered in a horrific act of what some news outlets call “extremists terror”. My heart goes out to the families of those killed in retaliation for a cartoon – an insult. This murderous deed instantaneously engendered global human solidarity in ways not often seen amongst believers and nonbelievers alike (mostly). CNN told me that freedom of expression and the freedom to criticize were “under siege”. Well damn. That was the sentiment across most… Read more

Allow me to reintroduce myself…

January 8, 2015 By Alix Jules

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“The greatest mistake of the movement has been trying to organize a sleeping people around specific goals. You have to wake the people up first, then you’ll get action.” – Malcolm X Agree with the man or not, the words are accurate and—more importantly—still very relevant in both general society and discretely in the secular community. We have many that have opened their eyes and escaped religious dogmatisms and ideologies, yet when it comes to the overall human condition (inequality,… Read more

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