Secular Sankofa: Black Humanist Voices from the Association of Black Humanists – Details, episodes & analysis

"Live out those principles of universal sisterhood and brotherhood and come together with your fellow human beings in a secular manner to make the world a better place for every single one of us seven billion. We are all of us, brothers and sisters... connected through our humanity and not through some superhuman force." - Akua Rugg

In this powerful conversation, lifelong activist, educator and humanist Akua Rugg reflects on her remarkable journey from Nigeria to Britain — from growing up in a deeply religious household to becoming part of the Race Today Collective, one of the most influential movements in Black British history.

At 79, Akua shares how her early experiences with colonial Christianity, racism, and resistance shaped her lifelong pursuit of justice, equality, and humanist values. She speaks about her work alongside figures such as CLR James and the Black Parents Movement, her memories of the New Cross Fire and the Black People’s Day of Action, and how humanism continues to guide her activism today.

Further Reading & Resources

• History of the Race Today Collective – The Guardian
• Race Today (Wikipedia)
• League of Coloured Peoples (Wikipedia)
  • Stella Thomas (Akua's Aunt)
  • Peter Thomas (Akua's Uncle)
• Black Unity and Freedom Party (Wikipedia)
• The New Cross Fire – Museum of London
• Black People’s Day of Action 1981 – UCL Exhibition

Thanks for listening to the Secular Sankofa Podcast, produced by the Association of Black Humanists (ABH). If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more people discover Black humanist voices.

Stay connected with us:

• 🌍 Meetup: association-of-black-humanists
• 👍Facebook: @AssociationBlackHumanists
• 📸 Instagram: @abhumanists
• 🕊️ X / Twitter: @abhumanists
• ▶️ YouTube: Association of Black Humanists
• 🎵 TikTok: @assoc_of_black_humanists

Learn more about our work and community at abhumanists.org

🎙️ Podcast produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

.Learn more at www.humanise.live or hello@humanise.live

🎶 Music: Icy by Jeff Kaale

 “I’m a pastor’s kid, so this is probably their worst nightmare.” — Laura Iteman

A brave, generous conversation with Laura Iteman, a London based free-thinker and community builder on leaving Pentecostal certainty, naming the stigma non-religious Black women face, and building real-life community from a single TikTok call-out. From the cost of deconstruction to creating Non-Religious Black London Girlies, Laura maps a path that’s honest, careful, and hopeful: keep the culture, drop the dogma, and rebuild the village offline.

🎙️ In this episode

• Laura's roots in the Church and relationship with family & friends
• RCCG scale, culture, and how church becomes “the village”
• Turning points, apologetics, and textual doubt
• Agnostic honesty: holding space for uncertainty without shame
• “Why Black? Why women?” — safety, realism and representation
• From TikTok → Discord → Regent’s Park picnic (why in-person matters)
• The power of community & collaboration
• Dealing with the backlash and setting boundaries

🔗 Connect with Laura

• TikTok: @lauraunfiltered2
• X (Twitter): @lauraI_
• Discord: access available via DM 

Thanks for listening to the Secular Sankofa Podcast, produced by the Association of Black Humanists (ABH). If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more people discover Black humanist voices.

Stay connected with us:

• 🌍 Meetup: association-of-black-humanists
• 👍Facebook: @AssociationBlackHumanists
• 📸 Instagram: @abhumanists
• 🕊️ X / Twitter: @abhumanists
• ▶️ YouTube: Association of Black Humanists
• 🎵 TikTok: @assoc_of_black_humanists

Learn more about our work and community at abhumanists.org

🎙️ Podcast produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

.Learn more at www.humanise.live or hello@humanise.live

🎶 Music: Icy by Jeff Kaale

"We believe in people, not prophets, we believe in freedom, not fear, and we believe in integrity, not doctrine" - Audrey Simmons, Podcast Host

The Secular Sankofa podcast launches as the first-ever platform for Black humanists to reconnect with African identity and heritage through a secular lens. The hosts introduce the Association of Black Humanists, its mission, and vision for creating a space where Black people can explore humanism without religious dogma.

• Opening libation ceremony acknowledges African heritage and collective humanity
• Audrey explains the meaning of "Sankofa" - looking back to reclaim history from a humanist perspective
• Challenge to the colonial narrative that religion is intrinsically African while atheism is Western
• Lola shares ABH's mission of reclaiming Black humanity and advocating for social justice
• Clive describes his journey from devout Catholicism to humanism through scientific inquiry
• Discussion of the political dimension of Black humanism as a path to liberation
• Pan-Africanism as a framework for global Black solidarity while respecting cultural differences
• Preview of future episodes featuring personal stories, Black feminism, LGBTQ+ experiences, and African history
• Invitation to listeners to engage with ABH through social media and in-person meetups

Join us on social media @ABHumanists and attend our meetups including our Pan-African book club. We are the authors of our destiny - we do not wait for miracles, we create change.

Thanks for listening to the Secular Sankofa Podcast, produced by the Association of Black Humanists (ABH). If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more people discover Black humanist voices.

Stay connected with us:

• 🌍 Meetup: association-of-black-humanists
• 👍Facebook: @AssociationBlackHumanists
• 📸 Instagram: @abhumanists
• 🕊️ X / Twitter: @abhumanists
• ▶️ YouTube: Association of Black Humanists
• 🎵 TikTok: @assoc_of_black_humanists

Learn more about our work and community at abhumanists.org

🎙️ Podcast produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

.Learn more at www.humanise.live or hello@humanise.live

🎶 Music: Icy by Jeff Kaale

"Any ideology... that values an idea more than human life must be condemned." Dr Leo Igwe

A sober, urgent conversation with Nigerian human rights activist Dr Leo Igwe on the real cost of unbelief in Nigeria and across the Global South. Joining hosts Clive Areude and Audrey Simmons, Leo reflects on his journey from the Catholic seminary to humanism, the violence driven by witchcraft accusations and blasphemy laws, and why fear, not faith, continues to shape religious identity at home and in the diaspora.

This episode confronts the murders, imprisonments, and silencing that follow when belief is enforced, and asks what responsibility non-believers have to speak, organise, and build alternatives that protect human life.

🎙️ In this episode

• Leo’s path from seminary training to humanism through philosophy and critical inquiry
• Witchcraft accusations in Nigeria and how they lead to abuse, exile, and killings
•  Why many Nigerians identify as religious out of fear rather than conviction
• The murder of Deborah Samuel and the dangers of blasphemy accusations
•  The imprisonment of Mubarak Bala and what his case reveals about state power and religion
• Online activism as both protection and personal risk for Black non-believers
• Why silence enables violence, and why humanists must respond collectively
• The need to invest in leadership, services, and visible action, not just words

🔗 Referred cases and further reading

• Human Rights Watch on the murder of Deborah Samuel: https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/05/16/student-nigeria-murdered-over-blasphemy-allegation
• BBC News on the imprisonment of Mubarak Bala:
  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62zpk4nnxdo
• Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW):
   https://advocacyforallegedwitches.org
• Humanists International – Freedom of Thought Report:
  https://humanists.international/what-we-do/freedom-of-thought-report/

Thanks for listening to the Secular Sankofa Podcast, produced by the Association of Black Humanists (ABH). If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more people discover Black humanist voices.

Stay connected with us:

• 🌍 Meetup: association-of-black-humanists
• 👍Facebook: @AssociationBlackHumanists
• 📸 Instagram: @abhumanists
• 🕊️ X / Twitter: @abhumanists
• ▶️ YouTube: Association of Black Humanists
• 🎵 TikTok: @assoc_of_black_humanists

Learn more about our work and community at abhumanists.org

🎙️ Podcast produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

.Learn more at www.humanise.live or hello@humanise.live

🎶 Music: Icy by Jeff Kaale

***Content warning*** This episode includes discussion of child sexual abuse, spiritual abuse, coercive control, and addiction. Please take care while listening.

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual abuse, you can contact Rape Crisis England & Wales (24/7) via their support page: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/want-to-talk/

In this episode of Secular Sankofa, we sit down with Dionne Simpson, a Black British author, speaker, and survivor. Dionne traces a life shaped by racial isolation, church-centred control, and a pattern of strategic grooming that led to a devastating disclosure at fifteen, followed by disbelief and ostracism from both family and faith leadership.

Follow Dionne and explore her work

• Website: https://dionnesimpson.co.uk/
• Store: https://dionne-simpson-books.sumupstore.com/products
• The Sabotaged Girl: https://dionne-simpson-books.sumupstore.com/product/the-sabotaged-girl
• Spiritual Abuse Awareness Online Course: https://dionne-simpson-books.sumupstore.com/product/spiritual-abuse-awareness-online-course
• Forged By Fire (Vol. 1): Crucible of Flame: https://dionne-simpson-books.sumupstore.com/product/forged-by-fire-volume-one-crucible-of-flame
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoraMilajeAcademy
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesabotagedgirl
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dionnesimpson-author/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dionnesimpson7
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZVCMOiE2sZLOwg2Mqkw0wQ
  
  

Thanks for listening to the Secular Sankofa Podcast, produced by the Association of Black Humanists (ABH). If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate, and review — it helps more people discover Black humanist voices.

Stay connected with us:

• 🌍 Meetup: association-of-black-humanists
• 👍Facebook: @AssociationBlackHumanists
• 📸 Instagram: @abhumanists
• 🕊️ X / Twitter: @abhumanists
• ▶️ YouTube: Association of Black Humanists
• 🎵 TikTok: @assoc_of_black_humanists

Learn more about our work and community at abhumanists.org

🎙️ Podcast produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

.Learn more at www.humanise.live or hello@humanise.live

🎶 Music: Icy by Jeff Kaale