Bahai Community Building A realization at Wounded Knee Race unity dances weren’t enough – I saw that we have to help communities deal with the problems they’re facing.
Bahai Community Larry & Lurenza McGhee Larry McGhee was born in 1952, became a Baha'i as a young man and worked as an academic counsellor. He introduced the Baha'i faith to Lurenza when they met. Lurenza Wesley McGhee was born in 1972 and has worked in behavioral sciences research and education administration.
Racial Identity Unapologetically black James Brown, Civil Rights, the assassinations of JFK, MLK and RFK, the Black Panthers, were all ingrained in my personality.
Racism in America Education instead of war We had no role models and I became a high school dropout – but I wanted to avoid Vietnam.
Racial Unity Learning then sharing the good news Black people were the most downtrodden in the world – I was all for anything that encouraged us.
Bahai Community Finding a husband and a new religion This handsome young lad introduced me to the Baha’i faith – I was overjoyed when I became a Baha’i.
Racial Identity Home and school – two different worlds I lived in an African-American community and went to a white school – you lose your sense of identity.
Bahai Community Building Maywood, near Chicago Four young people recently took their lives in our community – these are spiritual problems that need spiritual solutions.
Racism in America Racism and how to overcome it I’ve gone through hardships but I wouldn’t do it any other way – people like to feel that you’re passionate.
Racial Identity Where are African-Americans going? The Baha’i writings compare us to the “pupil of the eye” – I find it amazing to share that with young people who are in despair.
Bahai Community Maya Mansour Maya Mansour was born to African-American and Iranian-Palestinian parents, and grew up in the Baha'i community. She received her BA from Evergreen State College, where she studied the intersection of the art world and the prison system.
Racial Identity Nashville via Iran, Palestine and Black Wall Street Maya Mansour: They built a highway straight through my mom’s thriving black neighbourhood in the Midwest.
Racial Identity There is something exceptional about black people Maya Mansour: The Baha'i writings compare black people to the “pupil of the eye”.
Racial Identity Identifying with the black and immigrant experiences in America Maya Mansour: People get thrown when I say I am Persian because they don’t expect Persian people to be black.
Racial Discrimination Learning from incarcerated African-Americans Maya Mansour: There's not a lot to do in prison. You're left with a lot of time for reflection.
Bahai Community African-Americans and Iranian Baha'is are both treated unjustly Maya Mansour: Tahirih was the first woman to be incarcerated in Persia.
Bahai Community Ken Bowers Ken Bowers currently serves as a member of the national governing body of the Baha'is of the United States. He was born into a Baha'i family in Harrisonburg, VA, in the years just before the Civil Rights Movement.
Integration came to the South years after it became law Ken Bowers: My grandmother’s grandfather was a veteran of the American Civil War.
Segregation in America Transcending social pressure to segregate Ken Bowers: It was a time of extreme apartheid between the black and the white races.
Racism in America Taking a stand against racism – and violence Ken Bowers: My mother saw people getting into a pickup truck carrying shotguns and dynamite.
Bahai Community Growing up as a white Baha'i in a segregated world Ken Bowers: Growing up, everybody in our Baha’i community, black and white, was my family.
Racism in America Learning how all races can come together Ken Bowers: There are multitudes in this country who wish for America to realize the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
Racism in America Sharing the burden of racism Ken Bowers: America really is the story of struggle, horrific in many ways, and it needs to be acknowledged.
Bahai Community Building Building community to achieve race unity Ken Bowers: We're challenged to think consciously about the implications of justice and of building a united community.
Racial Unity Van Gilmer Van Gilmer grew up in Greensboro, NC, at the height of Segregation. He was a musician, architectural engineer and active in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s, when he became a Baha&
