I recently spoke with comedian and state senate hopeful for US District 21, Steven Hill, about several topics, from his experiences being an open atheist, to what he would do to rein in on what he perceives as “corruption” on Wall Street.
“I’ve ALWAYS been an atheist, ever since I started thinking,” says comedian Steven Hill. “Ever since I started thinking [I have been…]”
Hill was born on the north side of St. Louis to a family of eleven. His mother was a nurse’s aid, while his father was a soldier in the U.S. Marine Corps. Inspired by his family, he would serve as a Marine for five years, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a job in the aerospace industry.
After working for the California Department of Corrections for around 11 years, Hill would begin a career in real estate, which still continues to this day. Some time after seeing the effects that the mortgage crisis and Wall Street had on the middle class, he would become a comedian, and later, a politician.
Steven says that coming out about his atheism to his family was not quite as difficult for him, as he came out in quite a candid manner. “Well, when you’re in a black family, it never comes out as ‘I’m an atheist.’ It usually comes out as ‘I don’t believe none of this sh*t.’ How could one worship the same God as the people who owned you?”
I asked him to elaborate on what appeared to be his allusion to slavery in his statement, citing a Pew Research statistical figure that found that only a combined 6% of Black Americans are atheist or agnostic. “Given what you said about slavery,” I questioned, “do you feel that number (of black atheists and agnostics) should be higher? What is stopping that number from being higher, given the tumultuous history of Christianity and African Americans?”
“Stockholm Syndrome,” he replied. “It was done out of our survival mechanism. [We were] brainwashed… [We] can’t break the cycle. The name of the first slave ship should have tipped us off.”
Hill is quite an avid supporter of labor unions, and is a former member of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, or CCPOA. His website, www.hill2015.com, features a mission statement containing language which reads: “The backbone of a strong middle-class is America’s labor unions. Fighting for job security, higher wages, retirement and healthcare benefits, I will work every day to strengthen labor unions, while keeping them accountable to their members.” Hill is also strongly against the privatization of state-run prisons.
“I will call attention to our need for more and stronger bargaining powers for all state workers. I will fight to get rid of every private state prison in the state.”
He also expressed concern with the current political system in Washington involving the deregulation of Wall Street by politicians, in return for lobbying in Washington DC. Hill expressed that the issues of Wall Street corruption and deregulation could only be fixed through the means of “limited access to law makers” and “publicly funded campaigns.”
Toward the end of the interview, I asked Congressman Hill what advice he would give to those who were struggling to be open about being atheist or agnostic to their family. “BE FREE,” he says. “Never allow anyone to tell you to worship ANYONE! Worship the people who love you!”
(1) Lipka, M. (2015, July 27). The most and least racially diverse U.S. religious groups. Retrieved December 26, 2015, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/27/the-most-and-least-racially-diverse-u-s-religious-groups/
(2) see “Jesus of Lubeck” – Adventurers and Slavers. (n.d.). Retrieved December 26, 2015, from http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/early_times/adventurers.htm
