Jan Mauras was born in Tulsa, OK, in 1943 and grew up in a community with few people of color. Her world changed when she became a Baha'i in 1972 – an experience that introduced her to people from various backgrounds and gave her a way to be more engaged in social issues. Jan has lived in Harlem, New York City, for several decades; she is active in race unity activities in New York, where she also serves at the New York City Baha'i Center.
1.Discovering diversity and spiritual solutions
My downstairs neighbors were Baha’is. We talked for three days and then I was one too.
2.Finding and eliminating prejudices
I had no idea of the reality of what it meant to be black in the United States of America.
3.Learning to pray from African-Americans
The Harlem Baha’i teaching institute didn’t do anything until they had properly prayed up the room.
4.Putting African-Americans in the center
We had a race unity workshop where white people surrounded African-Americans and listened to their truth.
5.Just undo it
We got a grant from the Mayor’s Stop the Violence fund to run race unity discussions.
6.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.