BHA celebrates Humanist Heritage

Today is World Humanist Day and the British Humanist Association (BHA) has launched its second annual Humanist Week, which aims to increase understanding of, and knowledge about, Humanism. The theme for 2010 is ‘Humanist Heritage’, celebrating humanist contributions to British society, across the centuries.

www.humanistheritage.org.uk, a new resource that allows people to upload information about their local area and how it relates to Humanism and celebrate great artistic, scientific and social contributions based on a humanist perspective has been launched by the BHA to start off the week.

The BHA is also running a day conference on Humanism, Philosophy and the Arts and has offered special resources to affiliated local groups. The BHA’s sister website www.humanistlife.org.uk will be featuring pieces from distinguished supporters, members and staff about their ‘humanist heroes’ and the BHA archive at the Bishopsgate Institute is now open to public readers.

BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson, said, ‘Non-religious people continue to make a huge contribution to art, science, social activism and society, yet, as it is rarely done under a humanist banner, it continues to be unrecognised.

‘This week is about raising awareness of that contribution both now and in the past. From the enlightenment to the foundation of the NHS, and from great figures such as Bertrand Russell to Stephen Fry, Aphra Behn to George Eliot, humanists have made a huge positive impact on life in the UK. Being able to celebrate that at both national and local level makes us incredibly proud and is an antidote to the false but too often repeated dogma that it is a Christian heritage alone on which British society has been built.’

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For further comment or information, please contact Pepper Harow, 020 7462 4992.

Humanist Week 2010 runs from 21st-27th June. Read more about Humanist Week.