The Sound of Meaning: Black Culture, Creativity, and Humanism

How do people create meaning, ethics, and purpose in a world without easy answers—or divine guarantees? What role do creativity, culture, and lived experience play in how people understand themselves and one another?

Join the Secular Student Alliance for a conversation with Anthony B. Pinn, scholar of religion, humanism, and African American religious thought, exploring the ideas at the heart of “Conversations on Humanity and Creativity” and “My Jams: Personal Reflections on Music, Culture, and Politics.” Drawing on philosophy, cultural criticism, and personal reflection, Pinn examines how people make sense of suffering, injustice, joy, and possibility through art, dialogue, and collective struggle.

This webinar will explore how music, creativity, and culture function as tools for meaning-making, political insight, and ethical reflection—especially in times of social and political uncertainty. Participants will be invited to consider how secular values show up not only in theory, but in everyday life, organizing, and creative expression. This conversation is especially relevant for students and organizers interested in secular humanism, social justice, cultural analysis, and the role of creativity in sustaining movements and communities.

About the Speaker:

Anthony B. Pinn is the Agnes Cullen Arnold Distinguished Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religion at Rice University. Pinn holds a Ph.D., MDiv, and MA from Harvard University and a BA from Columbia University, and is an award-winning scholar whose work centers African American humanism, religion, culture, and ethics. A nationally recognized leader in the field, Pinn was the first African American to hold an endowed chair at Rice University and has served in senior leadership roles within the American Academy of Religion. Pinn is the author or editor of over 50 books and was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021.