AHACON25 Schedule
Thursday, June 26
12:00pm - 4:00pm
Building Humanist Power: A Workshop for Chapter Leaders & Organizers
(open to all current or aspiring humanist organizers)
12:00pm - 1:00pm
The Power of Play in Community Building with Emily Newman and Jake Via
1:00pm - 1:45pm
Strategies for Youth Engagement with Alicia Johnson and Miura Rempis-Locke
2:00pm - 2:30pm
The Ties that Bind: Models for Building and Strengthening Local Humanist Communities with Audrey Kingstrom
2:30pm - 3:00pm
Community Days - A Member Led Program to Learn, Share, and Grow while Building Community Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago with Katie Merrell, Carrie Ost, and Charlie Saxe
3:00pm - 3:30pm
How to Herd Cats: Humanist Community Building 101 Community Organizing / Grassroots Organizing with Evan Clark
6:00pm - 8:00pm
AHA Board Meeting
(open to AHA members and conference attendees)
Friday, June 27 (Morning: Mainstage)
9:00am - 9:45am
Mainstage Session 1
What Does “Humanists Move America” Mean?
— with Fish Stark
10:00am - 10:45am
Mainstage Session 2
Humanist of the Year Award Ceremony
— Jelani Cobb, 2025 Humanist of the Year
11:00am - 11:45am
Mainstage Session 3
BIG IDEA SERIES: Human Flourishing in the Age of AI: The Next Great Humanist Mission?
— with Dr. Narath Carlile
Friday, June 27 (Afternoon: Breakout Sessions)
1:00pm - 1:45pm
Breakout A: Jailbreaking the Red-Pilled Mind: How Humanists Can Reclaim America from Conspiracies
— with Coleman Watts
Breakout B: The Power of Play
— with Jake Via
Breakout C: Space Limited Salon
2:00pm - 2:45pm
Breakout A: Ctrl+Alt+Delete: Rebooting Science Communication for the Disinfo Era
— with Christian Loyo
Breakout B: On Reason's Shoulders: Reclaiming Love and Emotion in Humanism
— with Joseph Farkas
Breakout C: Postcarding
3:00pm - 3:45pm
Breakout A: How You Can Preserve Humanist History
— with John Dechant, John Hooper, and Roy Speckhardt
Breakout B: The World Is on Fire. What the Hell Do We Do About It?
— with Rachel Deitch
Breakout C: Space Limited Salon
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Banquet
— Ticketed, included with the All-Access Pass only. Purchase required.
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Award Ceremony
— Elizabeth Hegwood, Emerging Volunteer Award
— Megan Hunt, Religious Liberty Award
— Hemant Mehta, Humanist Media Award
Saturday, June 28 (Morning: Mainstage)
9:00am - 9:45am
Mainstage Session 4
BIG IDEA SERIES: Swipe Left, Swipe Right: The Future of Mating and Marriage – A Humanist’s Perspective
— with Darrel Ray
10:00am - 10:45am
Mainstage Session 5
DEBATE SERIES: Hope or Havoc: The Future of AI and Human Freedom
— with Krystal Jackson and a TBA Debater
11:00am - 11:45am
Mainstage Session 6
BIG IDEA SERIES: The Secular Case for Reparations
— with Cynthia McDonald
Saturday, June 28 (Afternoon: Breakout Sessions)
1:00pm - 1:45pm
Breakout A: Fighting Back in the Courts: How AHA’s Legal Strategy Is Evolving for 2025 and Beyond
— with Amitai Heller
Breakout B: Panel Discussion on Immigration
— with Isabella Russian
Breakout C: Postcarding
2:00pm - 2:45pm
Breakout A: From Representation to Power: How Humanists Can Build a Political Movement
— with Ryan Braunberger, Wil Jeudy, Sarah Levin, Karina Quintanilla, and Stephanie Vigil
Breakout B: The Power of Play
— with Jake Via
Breakout C: Space Limited Salon
3:00pm - 3:45pm
Breakout A: Center for Freethought Equality Annual Meeting
(open to new and renewing CFE members, separate in-person OR online registration required)
Breakout B: Building Communities of Belonging
— with Evan Clark, Audrey Kingstrom, and Jake Via
Breakout C: Postcarding
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Banquet
— Ticketed, included with the All-Access Pass only. Purchase required.
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Award Ceremony
— Fred Edwords Lifetime Achievement Award
— Nadine Smith, LGBTQ Humanist Award
— HumanistsMN, Chapter of the Year
Sunday, June 29 (Mainstage)
9:00am - 9:45am
Mainstage Session 7
Going Viral: How Young People are Thinking About Humanism and Skepticism
— with Gabriella Cohen, Taylor Leigh, Drew McCoy and Cate Pringle
10:00am - 10:45am
Mainstage Session 8
BIG IDEA SERIES: The Future of Civic Power: How Humanists Can Reimagine Democracy
— with Sharon Welch
11:00am - 11:45am
Mainstage Session 9
The Role of Resilience and Hope in Living a Meaningful Life
— with Candace Gorham
11:50am - 12:00pm
Final Thoughts and Announcement of the Winner of the Big Idea Series
— with Candace Gorham and Fish Stark
10:00am - 4:00pm
Humanist Celebrant Training (separate registration required)
— with instructors Dr. Anne Klaeysen and Rev. Kevin W. Jagoe