The Future of Atheist Activism with Jim Helton

The Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers welcome Jim Helton, National Field Organizer for American Atheists, as he gives a presentation on "The Future of Atheist Activism". We will look at and redefine what is an atheist issue, how we identify these issues and what we can do about it. Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about the new initiatives from the American Atheists and how they can help here in Iowa! Jim is knowledgeable and enthusiastic and this will certainly be a fun and informative evening!

For those unaware, the Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers are a proud Partner/Affiliate of the American Atheists. In fact, we were awarded 2014 Affiliate of the Year for our political activism and at that point we were just getting warmed up! We continued with our political activism right up until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses and have recently partnered with other Iowa secular groups for events such as 'Reason on the Hill" at the Iowa Statehouse.

After the presentation at the library those that wish to continue the discussion further may join us at a nearby bar & grill for food and drink. (Location to be announced.)

About our speaker: Jim G. Helton is the National Field Organizer for American Atheists. After attending the 2012 Reason Rally, he co-founded the Tri-State Freethinkers and was appointed American Atheists’ Kentucky State Director. Under his leadership, Tri-State Freethinkers adopted the highway in front of the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter and led a protest that received international attention. He played a key role in eliminating Gideon’s bible distributions in public schools and removing abstinence-only sex education.

Mr. Helton’s activism at the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter landed him appearances in the 2017 documentary film Bill Nye: Science Guy and the forthcoming documentary We Believe in Dinosaurs. He has been quoted in countless news outlets, including The New York Times, Miami Herald, and Washington Post. He is a fixture in local media and has given interviews for international television specials in France, Switzerland, and elsewhere.

As National Field Organizer, Mr. Helton works with affiliates, local partners, and state directors to challenge religious privilege and fight to protect church/state separation at the local level by building coalitions around specific issue campaigns, including medically accurate sex education, LGBT non-discrimination ordinances, and religious exemptions.