When it comes to race, Bahá'ís have their work cut out for them -- working to eliminate what is described by the National Spiritual Assembly in its 1991 statement on the topic as “the most challenging issue confronting America.”

For Bahá'ís, conquering racism is more than just a good thing to do: It’s a core principle of the Faith. Indeed, one of Bahá'u'lláh’s best-known quotes reflects this belief:

"The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens."

Bahá'ís believe that until racism is eliminated, there can be no unity. Striving to eliminate prejudice and racism to achieve a just and unified society is considered the responsibility of all Bahá'ís.

"O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust?,” Bahá'u'lláh asks. “That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created."


Bill DeTally The oneness of humankind -- the pivot around which all the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh revolve -- is the impetus behind Race Unity Day, which Bahá'ís celebrated this year on June 14. Created by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States in 1957 and observed annually on the second Sunday in June, the day usually includes picnics, feasts and rallies, all geared to the public, to promote racial harmony and understanding.

“When I see diversity and unity, it brings tears to my eyes because I’ve longed for it so much,” says Lonnie Locke, an African-American Bahá'í in Olympia, Wash. Focusing on dispelling racial barriers, she says, has helped her heal from the indignities her family suffered while she was growing up in Alabama.

Returning to her hometown in 1994 after 30 years with her white husband caused mixed reactions in her community, she says. These reactions spurred her to form committees and create programs to bring diverse groups together when she got back to Olympia.

“Unity is the driving force behind being a Bahá'í,” Ms. Locke says. “It’s a big part of my life.” Like many others in the Faith, she’s involved in her community’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities.


Lonnie Locke Calling race unity “the law of God,” Ray Zimmerman, a Bahá'í in Orange, Calif., is a white man involved in a variety of African-American organizations in his community.

“We’re here to be friends and be of service to our entire community,” Mr. Zimmerman says. “We’re here to live out the teaching of race unity instead of just talking about it.”

In that vein, Richard Young, a lifelong Bahá'í in Olympia, Wash., is active on the board of Interfaith Works, which sponsors Study Circles on Race. Lisa Armstrong, a Bahá'í in North Little Rock, Ark., is part of Unity in the Community, whose goal is to “show the world how far our city has come since 1957 in terms of relationships and respect for diversity.”

That was the year of the Little Rock Nine: After attempting to enter a school that the federal courts had ordered to be desegregated, nine African-African students became national news when the state’s governor called out the National Guard to prevent them from entering.

Bahá'ís Michelle and Charles “Clay” Schieffelbein, and Linda S. Covey, all of Macks Creek, Mo., founded Thunder Eagle Ridge Youth Camp & Retreat, whose mission is to eliminate prejudice by bringing together people of diverse backgrounds to study the arts, virtues, health and well-being issues, and the environment. The camp is scheduled to open in 2010.


Esther Detally Even as they strive to eliminate racism in society, Bahá'ís continue to deal with it in themselves. Bill Detally, a Bahá'í in Pasadena, Calif., admits it took him a while after becoming a Bahá'í to recognize his own unconscious feelings of prejudice and work to eradicate them.

Mr. Detally eventually got involved in a series of programs devoted to improving race relations. He was the driving force in a successful program in Jamestown, N.Y., called “Downtown Dialogue on Race Unity” and continues to stay involved in race programs in the Pasadena area.

“Being a Bahá'í makes it easier to get rid of one’s own prejudices,” says Bill’s wife, Esther, who grew up in a “class-conscious family” in Boston and has been a Bahá'í for 42 years. But she believes you still have to work on it.
“Struggle is a gift,” she says. “It helps you feel someone else’s pain.”