In March of 2012, as estimated 20,000 atheists gathered in Washington, D.C. for the “Reason Rally,” reminding our elected officials that church/state separation matters, that atheists vote, and that they can’t ignore us any longer. Whether it had a significant effect on the political landscape is debatable, but I can tell you that most atheists I met there had never experienced anything like it before. They were surrounded by like-minded people for the first time in their lives and it was a transformational experience for them.

Seth Andrews had a wonderful recap of the experience here:

This weekend, as leaders of the country’s major secular groups gathered to discuss shared goals, a board was formed for the planning of a 2016 Reason Rally:

I don’t envy the job that lies ahead of them. The first rally cost a lot of money (hundreds of thousands of dollars) and took years to plan. Even compiling a list of speakers is a disaster in the making since just about anyone they choose will offend some group of people. But the first Reason Rally included a mix of celebrities, group leaders, and individual atheist activists. I suspect another rally will be similar — though I’m hoping they can lure even bigger celebrities this time around. Maybe they can get a politician willing to speak to the crowd in person…

But all that discussion will take place down the road. The question facing the board now is whether there’s enough interest (and financial support) to make this event a reality a little over a year from now.

I’m sure if you have thoughts on the matter, they’ll see the comments below…



