National Museum of African American History and Culture Presents "gOD-Talk 2.0: Digital #BlackFaith" With Mandisa Thomas, Atlanta, Ga Area Resident

ATLANTA - Oct. 22, 2020 - PRLog -- MMedia only:          Jermaine House    (202) 633-9495; housej@si.edu
         Cierra Jefferson    (202) 633-7812; jeffersonc@si.edu

Black Nonbelievers Founder and President Mandisa Thomas will be a featured panelist in the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture's (NMAAHC) "gOD-Talk 2.0: Digital #BlackFaith" online program at NMAAHC's website (https://nmaahc.si.edu/god-talk-black-millennials-and-faith-conversation) and its Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NMAAHC) Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ET. In its third year, the Telly and Shorty award-winning program will feature leading intergenerational African American voices exploring how religion and spirituality are evolving in digital spaces in the age of COVID-19. The free event includes two panel discussions with 14 distinguished activists, entertainers, educators, scholars and religious leaders.

"'gOD-Talk' brings together an exceptional group of panelists to discuss timely issues with religion and spirituality today," said Teddy R. Reeves, museum specialist of religion at NMAAHC. "This groundbreaking program expands the public discourse around Black faith and spirituality. It is moving the conversation beyond the traditional forms of religious practice to better understand the new and dynamic ways that individuals are choosing to engage with religion in the digital age."

"I am excited and honored to be a part of the Smithsonian's 'gOD-Talk' program," says Mandisa Thomas. "These important conversations about Black faith are needed now during this pandemic more than ever, and it is also crucial to include those of us who do not believe in god at all. We have always been a part of our communities, and our voices are necessary."

This year "gOD-Talk" will take place online only, and will be an intergenerational (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z) conversation. Previously the program has been produced in the following cities with a live audience: Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago and Virginia Beach.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened Sept. 24, 2016, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Occupying a five-acre site adjacent to the Washington Monument, the nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is the nation's largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history. For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu or call Smithsonian information at (202) 633-1000. 

The Center for the Study of African American Religious Life promotes scholarship, collects religious artifacts and produces public programming to expand the ways religion is acknowledged and explored by the nation's research and cultural institutions. The center provides resources and convening opportunities to study the central role religion has played in shaping African American history and culture with a global community of faith leaders, scholars and the public.