Racism in America A few white men on the other side Barbara Talley: The second time I ran into the Ku Klux Klan was at a wedding outside a firehouse.
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 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 Building Creating the world – or destroying it Michael Penn: Embodying spiritual qualities is part of the process of creating racial unity.
Racial Discrimination Incarceration, race & class as a career Labelling young people as irredeemable doesn’t help them to come out of prison and to contribute to society.
Racism in America The spiritual roots of racism Hopelessness comes from not knowing how to change root problems – the Baha’i writings have the power to transform our hearts.
Bahai Community A new Harlem generation I was horrified that so many Baha’is in Harlem were white – but then I saw they were reaching out to their neighborhoods of color.
Racial Identity Growing up with change Tavoria Kellam: I don’t identify in terms of race, but because this is America, I don’t have a choice.
Segregation in America How race and class intersect Tavoria Kellam: Our Baha’i Center is in a neighborhood of a certain class, it doesn’t always attract people from uptown.
Racial Discrimination A loving community surrounded by danger Growing up in Boston, you didn’t go into Irish or Italian neighbourhoods. You’d be taking your life into your hands.
Bahai Religion History Mr Gregory’s legacy My grandmother was a mother of her church – and she was very happy for me to investigate the Baha’i faith.
Bahai Community A hotbed of political activity My sense of how to be a person and a Baha’i moved me to leave a legacy behind.
Bahai Community Building Maywood, near Chicago Four young people recently took their lives in our community – these are spiritual problems that need spiritual solutions.
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 Sharing the burden of racism Ken Bowers: America really is the story of struggle, horrific in many ways, and it needs to be acknowledged.
Segregation in America Growing up in "black world" Van Gilmer: It was scary to participate in the Civil Rights Movement because we had no clue what would happen. I was arrested many times.
Bahai Religion From South Carolina to Michigan My church was filled with Civil Rights protestors – one of them said I should explore the Baha’i faith.
Segregation in America A domestic, a laundryman & a professor My parents sent me to an integrated school but I was too mischievous – so I returned to an all-black community.
Bahai Community Leaving home If you’ve been in a black church you know how dynamic it is – leaving it for an inter-racial community was traumatic.
Civil Rights Movement Three years of harassment and ostracism I was part of the vanguard of black students who integrated my high school – I rode in a police car to go to class.
Racism in America The Orangeburg massacre It was so close – if I’d been standing on the front steps of my church at that moment I would’ve seen everything.
Bahai Community Growing up as a Civil Rights warrior The Baha’i community taught racial unity and they also lived it – which was the goal of the Civil Rights movement.
Bahai Religion Applying Baha’i ideas to scholarship & academia White students felt guilty and didn’t know what to do, and students of color would feel extremely angry.
Racism in America Urban redevelopment and race My field, urban planning, has destroyed many African-American communities. I saw it as my charge to address that.
Bahai Community Building Building new communities in the inner cities What’s facing us now in achieving race unity is that some people are privileged – many others are severely disadvantaged.
