Bahai Community Kim Wu Kim Wu was born in 1988 in New York City, where she grew up. Multiple generations of her Taiwanese family lived under one roof – and in their neighborhood they were one of just a few Asian-American families. Kim became a Baha’i in college and today is active in community-building work.
Bahai Community Meeting Baha’is in action You can be pulled in many directions at college – my Baha’i friends showed me that faith and action go together.
Bahai Community Building Bridging communities of color through service First Nations Baha’is offered community-building activities to their friends and neighbors – even the prayers were in Navajo.
Bahai Community Building The intersection of race, class and young people The Baha’i junior youth program helps develop powers of expression – so that young people become aware of injustice and how to address them.
Bahai Community Wilma Ellis Kazemzadeh Wilma Ellis Kazemzadeh was born in 1929 in Altamont, Illinois, in the town’s only black family. Wilma grew up between Baptism and Methodism – her parents became Baha'is when she was still a child. Wilma later worked on racial harmony, education and on human rights in the US and around the world.
Racial Identity A family’s legacy My eighth-grade teacher taught us as if the eighth grade was going to be our last year of education.
Bahai Community Building Pushing forward as Baha’is When Emmett Till was killed, many Baha’is said it was too bad, but we did not have the experience to address it.
Racial Unity Showing the way to survive Once you deal with people who are persecuted you never really stop.
Bahai Community Antonio Smith Antonio Smith, 27, grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, lived in 15 homes and attended 10 schools, met his biological father at the age of 17, was twice hit by a car and nearly lost his hearing, before finding Christ, winning a scholarship to Brown and discovering the Baha'i faith.
Bahai Community Becoming a Baha’i, 10% at a time At the end of my first year of university, I saw that I was doing more Baha’i things than other things and I was okay with that.
Bahai Community Eric Dozier Eric Dozer was born in Bakewell, Tennessee in 1969, and grew up as the son of two pastors and the grandson of a deacon. He was a Baptist minister and music director at his church in Durham, North Carolina, when he became a Baha'i 25 years ago. Today Eric is an activist, educator and blues preacher.
Bahai Religion From Christian to Baha’i – via Christ In the Bible we’re told to watch and pray, that Christ will come again like a thief in the night.
Bahai Community Learning to pray in a diverse community Worship is an intimate act – you’re opening your heart to encounter the divine in the presence of others.
Bahai Community Filling institutions with the spirit of oneness The Baha’i teachings say it’s mandatory for our spirits and hearts to eradicate racism.
Bahai Community Carol Mansour Carol Mansour was born in 1957 in Indianapolis, IN, in a religious Christian household and had little interaction with white Americans throughout her childhood. She worked as a broadcast journalist and met the
Bahai Community A variety of races What attracted me was the Baha’i principle to actively work for the elimination of prejudice.
Interracial Relationships Giving God a deadline I met Suhail and it was mutual disinterest at first sight. But when he hugged me I thought, “I could get used to this.”
Bahai Community Building The opposite of love isn't hate - it's apathy If truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues, what does it look like to apply that to eliminating racial prejudice?
Bahai Community Karen Streets Anderson Karen Streets Anderson, born in 1960, grew up in a Baha’i family. Her paternal grandparents were African-Americans, but could have "passed" as white; their choice to identify as African-Americans shaped Karen's own life. Today she lives in Nashville, TN, and is active in race unity work.
Bahai Community A choice for the ages My grandparents could have passed for white – but they were proud of being African-Americans and were active in Civil Rights.
Racial Identity Committed to the truth My fourth-grade teacher referred to First Nations people as “savages” – my mother then told him to get his facts straight.
Bahai Community Finding hope in a hopeless time Growing up in a Baha’i family in the 1960s gave me hope – otherwise I wouldn’t believe there could be justice for people of color.
Bahai Community Living the integrated life The Baha’i community in Nashville was a third black, a third white and a third Iranian. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
Bahai Community How Baha’i institutions can address race A high number of African-Americans get elected to our Local Spiritual Assembly – and the majority of voters are Iranians.
Bahai Community Sue St. Clair Sue St. Clair, born in 1947 in South Bend, Indiana, was raised under difficult conditions before moving to Chicago and becoming a Baha'i as an adult. She later trained as a nurse, lived in Liberia, and had four sons.
