Film maker Michael Dorian writes to us...

Although I do not know Margaret Downey well, it seems safe to say that she is well dug into the trenches of atheism’s battle.  I’ve been an atheist for over 30 years (without a moment’s doubt) but just recently became involved with the non-believing community and our common causes.  Now that I know who the public Margaret Downey is, I feel like I know the Gertrude Stein of the 1920s Parisian literary scene.  Margaret is to atheism what Helen Gurly Brown was to early feminism.  Or what Rosa Parks was to the Civil Rights movement.  It is not just anyone who could assemble with such aplomb the true luminaries of “the atheist world.”.  It takes a person of indomitable will to herd this pack of cats, and someone possessed of a good degree of derring-do to accomplish what she has.  It is of immeasurable importance that we “are blessed with” people like Margaret who remain unfalteringly in the eye of this collective storm. 

Michael Dorian

Documentarian

Herb Silverman on Margaret Downey

Margaret Downey, like she has done with so many others, changed my life. When Margaret saw a brief article about my running for Governor of South Carolina in 1990 to challenge the unconstitutional state provision that prohibited atheists there from holding public office, Margaret invited me to speak to her newly-forming group in Philadelphia. She then told me about some national freethought organizations, none of which I had ever heard about, and encouraged me to get involved. I did, and was somewhat discouraged by minor bickering between like-minded groups. We both saw the need for organizational cooperation on the many things we have in common. Conversations with Margaret inspired me to help form the Secular Coalition for America, consisting of eight national nontheistic organizations. All eight groups have much in common, including a deep and abiding love of Margaret.

 Herb Silverman

President Secular Coalition of America

Hope Knutsson on Margaret Downey

Margaret Downey came to Reykjavik in June 2006 and participated in our first international atheist conference called "A positive Voice for Atheism in Iceland" as both an organizer and a speaker. The conference was a great success due in large part to Magaret's direct support. With her incredible connections within the Freethought community round the world, she convinced a sparkling roster of stars to adorn our program. Margaret seems to know everybody and everybody seems to adore her. It is a pleasure to work with her because she embodies the best qualities of a good leader: she is flexible, organized, fair, warm, and supportive. We couldn't have done it without her. In addition, I have a special place in my heart for Margaret because she is playful and dresses up in masks and costumes. And so do I!

Hope Knutsson
President of Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association www.sidmennt.is 

(website is in Icelandic but includes English summaries of some material)

Humanist article on Margaret

A short article about Margaret in a humanist newsletter.

Ms. Downey has been an atheist activist for fifteen years, and
is considered one of only a few national spokespersons for the
secular community. Recent efforts include arguing on behalf of
non-believers prohibited from attaining membership in the Boy
Scouts of America. She is a former AHA board member, and a
current board member of The Atheist Alliance, The Humanist
Institute, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Ms.
Downey has spoken on behalf of the secular community at
several United Nations forums on religious freedom.

File

Source, the website this newsletter was hosted on no longer seems to exist sadly.

Margarets election as covered in Atlanta Freethought News

AAI has a New President

In an August 28 press release, Atheist Alliance, International (AAI) announced that its board has unanimously elected a new president, Margaret Downey, from Pocopson, Pennsylvania.  (AFS is a member group of AAI.)  She replaces Bobbie Kirkhart, who served as president since 2002.  Downey has a long record of advocacy and litigation to establish the civil rights and civil liberties of non-theists.  She is founder and president of the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia and the Atheist Anti-Discrimination Support Network.
In assuming the presidency of AAI, Downey said her goal is to help build a strong coalition of Freethought organizations into an effective national voice for an inclusive society. “This nation was founded with the hope and expectation of creating one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” Downey said. “That goal can be realized only if all citizens are treated equally before the law, with no governmental preference shown for skin color, national origin, age, gender or religious opinion.” AAI, founded in 1991, is an umbrella organization for local, autonomous, religion-free groups.  Its purposes are to help establish and strengthen the religion-free community and to achieve visibility and acceptance for Atheists as respected contributors to discussions of public policy.

File

Source: Atlanta Freethought News - September 2006

Matt Cherry speaks about Margaret Downey

"When I first met Margaret Downey in London in the early 1990s, we discussed our fights against the Boy Scouts' discrimination against atheists and she introduced me to the American phrase, "You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar". Working with Margaret over nearly 15 years, in many different contexts from the United Nations down to local group meetings, has shown me what that motto really means in practice: always seeking the common ground where you can work collaboratively together, without compromising your beliefs.  Long may she continue to spread that honey!"

Matt Cherry, executive director of the Institute for Humanist Studies and president of the United Nations NGO Committee for Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Official Press release of Margaret's election to president of AAI

Margaret Downey was elected on August 1, 2006 as the new AAI president and assumed those duties immediately thereafter. This press release was issued to that effect:

Atheist Alliance International (AAI), which has forty- four member societies in the United States and ten in other countries, announced on August 27, 2006 that its board has unanimously elected a new president, Margaret Downey, from Pocopson, Pennsylvania. She replaces Bobbie Kirkhart, who had served as president since 2002.

Downey has been a First Amendment activist for over twenty years. She is founder and president of the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia and the Atheist Anti-Discrimination Support Network, a national watchdog committee that works to protect freedom of conscience. In assuming the presidency of AAI, Downey said her goal is to help build a strong coalition of Freethought organizations into an effective national voice for an inclusive society. “This nation was founded with the hope and expectation of creating one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” Downey said. “That goal can be realized only if all citizens are treated equally before the law, with no governmental preference shown for skin color, national origin, age, gender or religious opinion,” Downey stated.
Downey has a long record of advocacy as well as litigation to establish the civil rights and civil liberties of non-theist citizens. She has been most persistent in opposing government support for the Boy Scouts of America, due to its discriminatory exclusion of atheists and gays from membership, and has been a continuing voice in defending the First Amendment against government promotion of religious phrases, mottos and icons. She has served as an atheist community expert for two conferences of the United Nations Freedom of Religion or Belief Committee.

AAI, founded in 1991, is an umbrella organization for lo- cal, autonomous, religion-free groups, as well as individual members. Its purposes are to help establish and strengthen the religion-free community at the grassroots level and to achieve visibility and acceptance for Atheists as respected contributors to discussions of public policy.
As the new AAI president, Downey was interviewed by Duncan Crary and Jessica Constantine for a Humanist Network News Podcast on August 15th. One of the tough questions they put to her was about the conflicting atheist conventions held on Easter weekend. Her answer went into how AAI was started and when AAI began to hold its conventions on Easter weekend. She mentioned that American Atheists did not hold their convention for several years and AAI filled the void. She emphasized that AAI is a democratic organization and matters as important at changing a convention date would be acted upon within the democratic framework. She said that there was discussion going on and that a motion would likely be submitted soon. A vote would take place shortly after the discussion period was over and the member organizations will do what is decided upon in that voting process.  She also expressed her personal desire to stop the conflicting conventions in order to be more inclusive of individuals, groups, speakers, and leaders. She also stated that she hoped Ellen Johnson would consider hosting her as a speaker and that AAI would, of course, host her. Downey said the goal of her presidency is to build bridges, network with all atheist groups, and unite as many like-minded individuals as possible.
Downey brought the matter to the AAI board at the earliest opportunity. Her motion was as follows:

“I move that the Atheist Alliance International (AAI) change its traditional Easter weekend convention to a convenient September weekend that does not conflict with any other freethought/humanist/atheist conventions.” The board, after much discussion, voted in favor of this motion.

Richard Dawkins offered very nice audio congratulations to Downey. This can be heard by going to the AAI website at www.atheistalliance.org/Board/Dawkins.mov
September 17th was the first opportunity for Downey to represent AAI in a public event. This occurred at the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia on September 17th. An article on Margaret’s participation at this event is on page 6 of this issue.  On September 23rd, Downey spoke about the importance of creating secular celebrations at the Center For Inquiry–Northeast Ohio group.
On October 17th, Downey was a guest on an NPR radio station in Jamaica. The host of the show is Dr. Kingsley Stewart. The hour show focused on explaining what it was like to be a proud and open atheist in America. A caller expressed interest in opening an atheist group in Jamaica.
Downey spoke about “Atheism in America” at Temple Association for Retired Persons on October 18th. One week later, on October 26th, she delivered the same speech to Expanding Horizons retirement community in Lansdale, Pennsylvania.  On November 14th, Downey attended the CFI-Transnational grand opening of think tank/office of public policy in Washington, DC to show support and encouragement from the atheist commu- nity for this wonderful endeavor.
Downey next engaged in debate of sorts at Howard University. Elton John had sparked a religious debate with some of his provocative comments critical of religion.  The sidebar “Margaret Downey Quoted in Howard University Article” captures Downey’s contribution as it appeared in the student newspaper. (see attached file to view)
Downey’s schedule called for a visit to Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the latter part of November. Hopefully, a new local group would become an AAI member society during her visit there. This, of course, required the proper formalities, including examination of their bylaws, and an affirmative vote by the AAI Council.  All was in proper order, and the Council gave its approval. Downey welcomed the group into AAI as evidenced by the ac- companying photo. This is her announcement to the AAI shortly after that occasion:

“I am pleased to announce the addition of another US AAI affiliate group. This evening I personally welcomed the Albuquerque Atheists and Freethinkers and delivered a presentation about AAI after enjoying a lovely Tex-Mex meal with the group. I wish it were possible to deliver a presentation to every new group. I talked a lot about the AAI website, what we do, who we are, the AAI mission and upcoming events. These are all things that each new group needs to know. This Albuquerque group is going to be fantastic!  There were many interested people in attendance tonight (21 in all). I think we will be seeing a lot of them at the 2007 convention.”

As this flurry of activity shows, Downey is out there working on behalf of AAI. It’s not just being out there, it’s thinking about what can be done better, and encouraging the democratic organization that we are to embrace some new ways of doing things towards her goal of “building bridges, networking with all atheist groups, and uniting as many like- minded individuals as possible.”
 

Source
Source: PDF - Appeard in Secular Nation - Vol. 11, Number 4, pages 2-3. (published April 2007)

 

Review of a speech given by Margaret

In 2000 Margaret gave a speech at FIG Leaves, the PDF contains an article about that speech.

Margaret Downey is a woman with a mission: she
wants to save our society from the TAR pits. Growing up
near the George C. Page Museum of La Brea, California,
she became fascinated with the ancient animals’ struggles
to escape the tar pits and wondered how she would have
fared in such a struggle. Later she came to see that all of
society is in a similar struggle with a different kind of TAR:
Tradition, Authority, and Revelation. They have much the
same effect as the other kind of tar, eventually smothering
their victim. She sees critical thinking as the only mode of
escape for all of us. 

Ms. Downey points out that traditions are so
embedded in society that their original purpose is frequently
lost to us. Much of the time we blindly follow along with
tradition without giving thought to their origins. From the
seemingly harmless traditions of the marriage ceremony
(the bride’s veil, the bridesmaids and groomsmen) to the
more manipulative traditions of religion, they all encourage
us to fall into line with society’s expectations without clearly
thinking things through. 

Ms. Downey supports same sex marriage. She
believes that marriage represents a way in which the
government unnecessarily intrudes into our private lives.
She encourages women to keep their maiden names rather
than risk losing their identities. And she strongly
encourages parents to plan ahead to avoid perpetuating
the widely accepted myths of society: Santa Claus, the
Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, etc. She may not have
been the most popular mother in her neighborhood, but she
was very proud of never having lied her children. She
never needed to convince them to trust her, because trust
was the very foundation of her relationship with her
children.

Baptism was singled out as the very act of dipping a
child into the TAR pit of society. She finds it especially
unsettling that a 2 week old baby is placed through this
ceremony when there is obviously no freedom to choose on
his/her part. One highlight of the evening was an unbaptism
ceremony for anyone who wished to make his/her
previous experience null and void. In the tradition of the
“Association to Delete Baptism” formed in Rome, Italy, Ms.
Downey requested that her own name be stricken from the
Catholic Church Records. Those who chose to participate
were given a certificate after they answered affirmatively to
the following declarations: 

? ? Do you recognize that rationality and strength of human
reason is humanity’s best hope for solving problems
and providing the possibility of a peaceful future? 

? ? Do you accept the universe as a fully natural and
recognize it supplies no evidence of a supernatural
being or deity? 

? ? Do you deny the inherent sinful nature of mankind and
the personification of evil in the form of a devil or other being?
 
Critical thinking is the ROPE with which Ms. Downey
believes that you can rescue your child from the TAR pits.
Reason, Objectivity, Principles, and Evidence form the
ROPE. Objectivity prevents children from believing that a
single right answer exists to every single question. They
should not limit their knowledge by anyone’s restrictions.

She finds the much touted 10 Commandments especially
wanting as Principles with which children can face life’s
choices. And she thinks that if children ask questions,
demand proof, and pursue answers, they will find Evidence
to support their beliefs. This is in stark contrast to religious
parents that can only advise their children to “have faith”.

Ms. Downey points out that teaching your children to
think critically is “2 E Z”. You must set an Example, thus
tying the ROPE around yourself before throwing it to your
child. Your child not only needs the Education that schools
can provide but also “enriching life experiences.” And
parents and children must have a Zest for life, because this
is our one and only opportunity to live. 

Ms. Downey showed an episode of “The Dinosaurs”
called “The Greatest Story Ever Told”. It told the story of a
primitive dinosaur society of Pangia that was paralyzed with
worry about how and why they came to exist. The Council
called a meeting to assign blame to the child who
originated all the questioning about their existence. Rather
than discussing the problem and seeking an honest
answer, they called in the experts and chose the
explanation that the most “thick skulled simpleton” was
willing to accept: they originated from the “giant magic
flying potato”. Soon “The Great Book of Potato” was
written, holding all the answers to all of their questions, and
life had meaning again. Potatoism permeated all facets of
their lives, including the science class and especially the
government. Soon anyone who refused to follow potatoism
was ostracized and even sentenced to be burned at the
stake. When rain suddenly spoiled their planned execution,
they were forced to reconsider their reliance upon easy
answers to difficult questions. The show ended in the
beginnings of a free discussion of possible explanations to
the dinosaur’s existence.

Appropriate door prizes were handed out for those
who shared their family’s experiences avoiding the TAR
pits. Ms. Downey warned that ceremonial deism is the
most dangerous prejudice that we face. The Pledge of
Allegiance and the addition of “In God We Trust” to our
currency encourage our children to think that everyone
believes in God, and those who choose not to must
somehow be found wanting. After a break, there was a
brief question and answer period. The discussion turned to
funerals and legacies. People often ask Ms. Downey if she
doesn’t fear death without hope of an afterlife. She views
her deeds now as building an afterlife for herself. She lives
by her conscience rather than choosing the easy path.

File

Source, we were only able to find an email for this pdf, FIGEditors@aol.com

Richard Dawkins volunteer talks about meeting Margaret Downey

"Margaret Downey, the President of AAI is a woman that any man would want by his side for all reasons one could wish. She was always available, kept in touch with us on the stall, and at the drop of a hat ready to help us with any idea we had come up with in the bar the night before. She constantly tried to give us all the best conference ever - despite the line up guaranteeing it. Did not get a chance to tell her husband that I have fallen in love with her and what a fortunate guy he was. You and the volunteer hosts did a marvellous job."

- Homo Economicus

www.RichardDawkins.net volunteer

Source

Roy Speckhardt endorses Margaret Downey

 

---

Teller speaks about Margaret and Dawkins

Today we were at the Atheist Alliance International convention at an LAX airport hotel (good place to fly to for a convention; and none of the Mormon-owned hotels offered special group rates for atheists). Margaret Downey, the ever-exuberant cheerleader for atheism and reason paved the way for the Alliance to give us their top award: The Richard Dawkins.

We had come in very late the night before, and so I arrived at the morning's activities as a Jefferson re-creator was finishing his Q&A. After that, some announcements and a parade of children being brought up atheist, Margaret came on to do the presentation. She started out with a review of the Penn & Teller career. I rarely think about this stuff, except when Penn and I are telling stories or on panels. But just sitting there listening, I guess we've done a lot over the last thirty years.

Richard Dawkins, celebrated Oxford professor and author of numerous international bestsellers that bring scientific thinking to the public, then stepped to the microphone. He's a tall, lean, Englishman, hair touched with gray, full of verve, eloquent and witty in a measured way, and fueled equally by his passion for science and hatred of ignorance. One can't help feeling that Dawkins views religion with about the same enthusiasm that Churchill viewed Nazism.

Dawkins talked about the importance of being willing to "be offensive" if being offensive is the right thing to do. He talked about how important it is for people in a position of visibility to be honest about their beliefs, especially when they represent a minority point of view. Then he started to talk about us. I believe my mouth was hanging slightly open. Dawkins spoke as though we were important to him, important to the world. He said thinking of us inspired him to decline to shake the hand of a member of the christian coalition and to call him "an irrational bigot," which is, by its Dawkinsian precision, a condemnation infinitely deeper than the worst cuss word. He said -- and forgive me for actually noting this on a scrap of paper because I wasn't sure I'd ever see the whole text of the speech -- that to his eye our tricks looked "100 times more supernatural than any biblical miracle." And he explained how powerful tricks honestly presented as tricks take the "oxygen" out of religion by dwarfing "piffling little miracles like changing water into wine."

That boy can talk. Seriously, if these were the only words left about me at my demise, I would not feel I had wasted my time on earth.

When Dawkins finished his speech, he "noticed" there was only one award for the two of us to share, and had an impromptu conversation (which he read from his script) with Margaret Downey, in which he asked whether there should be a second award.

Margaret responded by pulling out a top hat, and extracting from it numerous stuffed rabbits (which she tossed to the children) -- and one bloody bunny leg (which she tossed to me). Then she reached under the table and brought out a second award.

Let me pause to describe the award. It was a half of a fossilized ammonite, which went extinct 65 million years (that's a bit before the creation per the bible, by the way), the shell sliced along its central axis to reveal a spiral of chambers, some filled with stony fossil material. The shell was on a stand affixed to a wooden plaque with a brass plate engraved with the legend: 2005 Richard Dawkins Award: The Magician's Tale, Presented to Penn & Teller by the Atheist Alliance International. Margaret had found the fossils at Maxilla and Mandible in New York, chosen the color carefully, and created the awards herself.

She and Dawkins called us to the stage and we loped up to say our thanks. Penn spoke briefly from his heart, saying that the name "Dawkins" is the password of every computer in our company and anybody we respect. It was touching to see the man who talks for me so tongue-tied, but that left me no choice but to resort to blasphemy. I added, "I want to thank Margaret, and Richard, and all of you of the Atheist Alliance. I want to thank Penn, for bringing me out of the closet as an atheist. I was raised without god, but didn't have the words for what I was until Penn taught me. And finally, I want to thank my personal lord and savior, jesus christ, who came to me in a dream last night and told me I should spend the anniversary of his fictitious resurrection in a room full of militant atheists."

They laughed and we took our awards and sat down. The rest of the proceedings were fun, with an atheist Gilbert and Sullivan patter song takeoff, but I confess these nice things passed in a blur. We posed for pictures and signed books, but what sticks in my mind is the image of Dawkins, concernedly leaning over to me at the table, to make sure I appreciated how the ammonite had functioned; how it had moved from chamber to chamber as it grew, and how it secreted gases into its chambers to provide the buoyancy that allowed it to float in the water.

I also noticed one other thing: The half-ammonite that makes up each of our awards is an exact mirror image of the other, because they are matching halves of one fossil sliced in two. It's Margaret's final poetic touch.

Teller

Source