The Black Practice of Disbelief

April 22, 2024
Rice University religion professor Pinn (Interplay of Things) aims in this astute survey of Black humanism to “overturn the assumption that only Black theism” offers a viable “life orientation.” Defined in part by a “rejection of God concepts” and a belief in “the materiality of life,” Black humanism can be traced to the earliest enslaved Africans through folktales that “advanced a human-based... sense of life,” according to Pinn. It evolved over the course of the 20th century as Black Americans shaped “the political and economic life of the United States,” Pinn writes, and found expression in such movements as the Harlem Renaissance and Black Lives Matter. Characterizing Black humanism as akin to a “religion” because it provides a framework for tackling life’s biggest questions, Pinn spotlights such groups as the Black Nonbelievers, an Atlanta-based organization which aims to connect those “who are living free of religion and might otherwise be shunned by family and friends.” Taking note of the recent uptick in Black “nones”—i.e., Black Americans who don’t identify with any religion—Pinn delivers an erudite yet accessible look at what it means to be “good without God.” It’s a perceptive window into an often-overlooked—yet increasingly important—system of thought.