Highland Park Baha’is

Race & Healing

Now Is The Time

Reaching for a new level of consciousness has been painfully slow and marked with repeated setbacks.

“If you desire with all your heart, friendship with every race on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it will become the desire of others, growing stronger and stronger, until it reaches the minds of all men.” —‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Race and Healing Highland Park Baha'is

Racism: America’s Most Vital and Challenging Issue

Racism hurts everyone. The daily dose of microaggressions, suspicion, and distrust that span racial lines in both directions—in addition to the horrifying acts we see on our nightly newsfeed—eat away at human potential.

Racial healing is a passion within our Highland Park Baha’i community. One by one, we work to build new friendships and partner with other organizations and institutions.

The unwavering dedication of our Baha’i youth to promoting race unity gives us enormous motivation in the face of enduring difficulties like systemic racism and discrimination. Through tireless efforts in education, collaboration, and community-building, our young people are making a remarkable impact in advancing the cause of unity and justice in our society. We take immense pride in their dedication and achievements. Raised with Baha’i teachings, our kids embrace and enjoy friendships of diversity. Baha’i youth are our best “agents of change.”

Our community members host race healing initiatives and social discourse events, like “Turn Love Into Action” events. We participate in a variety of activities to advance racial harmony, including working with other organizations like RAIN-Racial Awareness in the NorthShore, participating in community events, and planning race unity conferences with keynote speakers.

MLK Day of Service

https://youtu.be/JTXcaM14pho
2:49

At an early age, kids are raised to show courage, be thoughtful, and knowledgeable about race.

North Shore Baha’i youth created a video for the virtual MLK Jr’s Annual City Day of Service event.

Dr. Joy Angela DeGruy

Photo of African American activist Joy DeGruy

Joy DeGruy: Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome

Dr. Joy DeGruy is an author, academic, researcher and Baha’i. Joy works tirelessly to raise awareness and reconcile history—and is known for her “tell-it-like-it-is” honesty. Her published Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (P.T.S.S.) is a theory that explains the etiology of many of the adaptive survival behaviors in African American communities throughout the United States and the Diaspora. Check out her website.

Search for her books on Amazon.

Words We Try to Live By

“Be kind to those of different races and colors; don’t withdraw into conventionality. Think of them as different colored roses growing in the beautiful garden of humanity, and rejoice to be among them…” —`Abdu’l-Bahá

An essential mission in the teachings of the Baha’i faith is to bring about a consciousness in the peoples of the world regarding the oneness of humankind. In his writings, Bahá’u’lláh emphasizes that the oneness of mankind cannot be achieved through individual and societal understanding alone. Bahá’u’lláh highlighted that the attainment of the oneness of humanity necessitates two fundamental elements: a deeper understanding of our shared identity, and the establishment of new social structures.

To achieve true unity, it is crucial to complement individual and societal efforts with structural changes that embody the values of justice and unity. By pursuing these two interdependent goals, we can move towards creating a society where every person is treated with respect and dignity.

Individual and societal efforts alone cannot fully achieve true unity; complementary structural changes that embody justice and unity. By pursuing these complementary objectives, we can work towards a world in which all individuals are valued and empowered to contribute to the betterment of society.

Show Some Love

You may have seen these yard signs popping up in yards around Highland Park. One side reads, “No Room In My Heart for Prejudice,” and the other side reads, “WORLD CITIZEN.”

We can support North Shore African American residents and fight racism by displaying FREE yard signs.

If you would like a FREE sign, go to our contact page. Stand included. Limited time offer.

Highland Park members support Rise Up and Stand – a tribute to our mothers who have lost a child to police brutality and police shootings.

Bahá’ís believe the crucial need facing humanity is to find a unifying world vision. To learn more visit Bahai.org

Want To Know More About Highland Park Baha’is Community Life? GET IN TOUCH

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