THE board of G W Foote and Company, publishers of the Freethinker, are delighted to learn that Barry Duke, above, who has edited the Freethinker for 20 years, is to receive a Lifetime’s Achievement Award from the National Secular Society as part of this year’s Secularist of the Year celebrations in March.
Announcing the award, NSS President Terry Sanderson said:
The National Secular Society is to award a Lifetime Achievement honour to Barry Duke, editor of two online atheist/humanist magazines – the Freethinker and The Pink Humanist – as part of this year’s Secularist of the Year celebrations on March 18, 2017.
I am very pleased that the NSS is honouring Barry in this way.
He has been a consistent voice for many years in the fight for justice and secular humanist principles. From resisting apartheid in his native South Africa to fighting for gay rights in Britain and Spain. Barry, who celebrated his 70th birthday in February, has always provided a strong rationalist voice.
We are glad that Barry is able to join us in London and look forward to being able to recognise his many and varied contributions to the cause of secularism, humanism and his spirited opposition to religious intolerance and irrationality.
The event will also include the presentation of the £5,000 Irwin Prize for Secularist of the Year, the shortlist for which is:
• Professor Ted Cantle for his advocacy of integrated education and social cohesion.
• Asma Jahangir (former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion) for her principled advocacy of universal human rights and commitment to secular justice.
• Prof Steve Kettell for co-ordinating the secular response to the Commission on Religion and Belief.
• Houzan Mahmoud/Kurdish Culture Project for their initiative in providing a platform for Kurdish writers, feminists, artists and activists to advance gender equality, freedom and universal rights;
• Scott Moore/Let Pupils Choose – a Northern Ireland humanist campaign for challenging compulsory worship and religious privilege in Northern Ireland’s schools;
• Yasmin Rehman – for her advocacy of a secularist approach to tackling hate crime and promoting the human rights of women.
The prizes will be presented by writer and commentator Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.
The Secularist of the Year lunch and awards will be held in central London on Saturday 18 March from 12 noon to 4pm. Tickets include a three course meal and welcome drink. Tickets are available here: