Frequently Asked Questions

The American Humanist Association, the oldest and largest humanist organization in the United States, has held an annual conference since its founding in 1941 so that humanists, atheists, and freethinkers can gather together for a weekend of informative lectures, networking, and fun activities. The year 2019 will be the 78th annual conference of the American Humanist Association.

This year is special because it’s the first-ever virtual distributed conference! We’ll be live-streaming half-day conferences from five university locations over the span of three days. You can attend in-person, too. We’re anticipating to reach capacity as space is limited, so be sure to register early.

You can visit the registration page to reserve your spot until the day of the event. There are two registration options:

· Register online for the free conference livestream if you’re not attending in-person. This gives you access to view the entire conference at all five university locations.

· Register online to reserve your spot at one of the five university locations (space is limited)

Since this year’s conference is not a full-day program, lunch and dinner are not provided. Snacks, water, and coffee will be made available depending on location.

If you would like to participate in our annual conference as a speaker, or know of someone who you’d like to suggest as a speaker, please contact Melody Stringer at conference@americanhumanist.org or by phone at 202-238-9088.

The closest major airports to each university location are:
· Pittsburgh International Airport – Pittsburgh, PA
· William P. Hobby Airport – Houston, TX
· John F. Kennedy International Airport or LaGuardia Airport –New York, NY
· Ontario International Airport – Ontario, CA
· Miami International Airport – Miami, Fl

The American Humanist Association’s 78th Annual Conference will take place June 7th through June 9th, 2019.

You can find the most up-to-date changes to the conference schedule here.

Friday, June 7
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA – 9:00am-1:00pm EDT
Rice University in Houston, TX – 1:00pm-5:00pm CDT

Saturday, June 8
Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, NY – 9:00am-1:00pm EDT
Pitzer College in Claremont, CA – 12:00pm-4:00pm PDT

Sunday, June 9
University of Miami in Miami, FL – 9:00am-1:00pm EDT

This conference is intended to be accessible for members and local groups in the surrounding areas and will be hosted by the university locations. Therefore, there are no room blocks or special rates for hotels.

The official hashtag for the AHA 78th Annual Conference is #AHACON2019. Be sure to tag @americnhumanist when you use Twitter, and feel free to add other hashtags like #humanism or #humanist.

The AHA will be posting regularly on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram before and during the conference. Be sure to follow us for updates!

You are welcome to use your mobile phone, laptop, or tablet to tweet or post photos during conference sessions; guest wifi will be available in most of the university locations. However, please be respectful and do your best to not be disruptive to the speaker(s) or those around you.

There will be a limited amount of books for purchase, but no author signings this year due to limited space at the venue. All of our books are available for purchase online, published by Humanist Press.

Please contact Melody Stringer, conference coordinator at mstringer@americanhumanist.org to inquire about volunteer opportunities.

We won’t have exhibitors this year due to vendor regulations, but there are still opportunities to bring visibility to your organization during the conference! See our sponsors page for more details.

The AHA 78th Annual Conference is a welcoming event for all those interested in humanism and the work of the American Humanist Association. We expect all conference attendees to respect others, even those they may disagree with.

In general, prohibited conduct includes any abusive conduct that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with another person’s ability to enjoy and participate in the conference, including social events related to the conference. Any clear violation of the law will be immediately referred to local police.

The American Humanist Association and all university venues cannot be held liable for any injuries or losses that take place during the course of the 78th Annual Conference, including pre- and post-conference events.

Please contact Sarah Henry, AHA communications associate, at 202-238-9088 or shenry@americanhumanist.org.