Racism in America Teaming up with Santana, Ricky Martin, Common, Sarah McLachlan and B.B. King A lot of people in Los Angeles said – do we really still have racism in America?
Bahai Community Building Love and Faith Community Cafe A white woman complained to me about the African-American kids we’d invited to have free ice cream.
Bahai Community Building Sincere friendships and boots on the ground We must have sincere friendships if we want to include everyone in our community.
Racism in America Fighting oppression with love The president of AT&T’s best friend was an African-American doctor – his heart broke when he heard how he was treated.
Bahai Community Anthony Vance Anthony Vance is a lawyer and currently serves as Director of Public Affairs for the Baha’is of the United States.
Racism in America Growing up during white flight Anthony Vance: Suddenly the managers of our housing project didn't care about it anymore.
Bahai Community Finding a new religion through white Baha’is Anthony Vance: My father was impressed by how he was treated by white Baha’is.
Bahai Religion The pupil of the eye Anthony Vance: The Baha’i writings say that black people are “like the pupil of the eye” through which the light of the spirit shines.
Slavery in America Sacrificing differences to commit to unity Anthony Vance: The legacy of slavery in the US had a parallel with imperialism in Africa.
Bahai Community Embracing diversity to overcome residential segregation Anthony Vance: 7 out of 10 white Americans have no close black friends, and 4 out of 10 African-Americans have no close white friends.
Bahai Community Michael Penn Michael Penn became a Baha'i as a student at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Franklin & Marshall College.
Racial Identity From North Carolina to the University of Pennsylvania Michael Penn: Like so many of the African-Americans, we moved from the South to the North and we became New Yorkers.
Racism in America A punch to the soul Michael Penn: A group of locals surrounded me, seven young white boys, and everything went blank.
Bahai Community Ye shall know them by their fruits Michael Penn: I started to cry, but I wasn’t sure why I was crying.
Racism in America Thinking ourselves free Michael Penn: My wife is a white American – it’s startling to see how comfortable people are with her.
Racism in America Addressing racism through constructive resilience Michael Penn: In addition to dismantling destructive processes, we have to build what we think is right.
Bahai Community A spiritual assembly Michael Penn: I was moved by the sweetness, the humility, the frankness and the love that they had for me.
Bahai Community Building Creating the world – or destroying it Michael Penn: Embodying spiritual qualities is part of the process of creating racial unity.
Bahai Community Building Making communities better Michael Penn: The junior youth said they were concerned about the way their mothers were being treated.
Bahai Community Building Learning to read Michael Penn: If we’re going to overcome prejudice, we have to become the kinds of people who are prejudice-free.
Bahai Community Makeena Rivers Makeena Rivers was born in St. Paul, MN, and today lives in New York City. She recently graduated from Columbia University's School of Social Work, where she focused on race, incarceration, education, and class. She currently works on community activities that use creativity for justice and healing.
Racial Identity Super minority My school was whittling our classes down to math, reading and gym – so my mom switched me to a rich white school.
Racial Identity Feeling like an outsider I just wanted a sense of belonging – so I thought I’d become a Christian. But then I went to Baha’i youth groups.
Bahai Community Building Believing in race unity demands work Today’s world influences our thinking in terms of race and class – even if we already believe in unity in diversity.
Bahai Community Standing up for the wellbeing of all Baha’is are supposed to be champions of justice – to stand up for humanitarian issues.
