Racial UnityShowing the way to surviveOnce you deal with people who are persecuted you never really stop.
Racial DiscriminationA society built for othersThe perceptions as that kids at my school wouldn’t amount to anything. But my peers had talents, abilities and intelligence that just weren’t being tapped by the system.
Baha'i Community BuildingTeaching math and spiritual empowermentI met a student and his mom at their home, and as soon as I walked in I knew they couldn’t afford $25 an hour for tutorials.
Racism in AmericaA lack of diversityThe national conversation on race wasn't on my radar when I was growing up.
Baha'i CommunityA choice for the agesMy grandparents could have passed for white – but they were proud of being African-Americans and were active in Civil Rights.
Racial DiscriminationTrading in white privilegeThe border official couldn’t believe my white fiancee and I were getting married. We had to show him the wedding dress.
Racism in AmericaMoving to the SouthLiving in Tallahassee was one of my most difficult experiences – I had never experienced racism in that way.
Baha'i Community BuildingBeing the changeWe saw that more of our African-American brothers and sisters engaged as we educated ourselves about race in America.
Racial IdentityMothers of black sonsYou have to be a warrior to raise black children in America today.
Racial DiscriminationLike climbing Mount Everest, only harderI had to always fight against that feeling of I'm not good enough.
Interracial RelationshipsLife as an interracial couple in 1960s North CarolinaJack Guillebeaux: The worst thing that could happen is for Fafar or I to show fear.
Interracial RelationshipsChanging hearts through grocery shoppingFarzaneh Guillebeaux: We were looking for somewhere to live and I told landlords, I’m white, my husband is African-American, is that a problem? They would bang down the phone.
Racial DiscriminationPraying for world peace – or to dieI was just wiped out by what I saw of what the Nazis had done to the Jewish people.
Racial DiscriminationBuses, trains and unconscious biasesI sat by the African-American all the rest of the way to Washington D.C. because I didn't want to be put off the bus.
Racial UnityLearning about how it feelsMy mother took me to a black Baptist church and told me to go to Sunday school.
Racism in AmericaFighting oppression with loveThe president of AT&T’s best friend was an African-American doctor – his heart broke when he heard how he was treated.
Racism in AmericaGrowing up during white flightAnthony Vance: Suddenly the managers of our housing project didn't care about it anymore.
Slavery in AmericaSacrificing differences to commit to unityAnthony Vance: The legacy of slavery in the US had a parallel with imperialism in Africa.
Racial IdentityFrom North Carolina to the University of PennsylvaniaMichael Penn: Like so many of the African-Americans, we moved from the South to the North and we became New Yorkers.
Baha'i Community BuildingCreating the world – or destroying itMichael Penn: Embodying spiritual qualities is part of the process of creating racial unity.
Baha'i Community BuildingLearning to readMichael Penn: If we’re going to overcome prejudice, we have to become the kinds of people who are prejudice-free.
Racial IdentityFeeling like an outsiderI just wanted a sense of belonging – so I thought I’d become a Christian. But then I went to Baha’i youth groups.
Racial DiscriminationIncarceration, race & class as a careerLabelling young people as irredeemable doesn’t help them to come out of prison and to contribute to society.
Racial UnityFinding and eliminating prejudicesI had no idea of the reality of what it meant to be black in the United States of America.
Baha'is in IranFrom mobs in Iran to the Ku Klux KlanHussein Ahdieh: Our dog was stoned outside our front door in Iran because we were Baha’is.
Baha'is in IranComing to AmericaHussein Ahdieh: I always thought “aliens” came from another planet, I didn’t know it applied also to human beings.
Baha'i CommunityMore stories from Harlem PrepHussein Ahdieh: There was a kid at our school walking around with a gun in his hand.
Segregation in AmericaHow race and class intersectTavoria Kellam: Our Baha’i Center is in a neighborhood of a certain class, it doesn’t always attract people from uptown.
Racial IdentityDebunking color-blindnessTavoria Kellam: In the real world, the most salient thing about me is that I am black.
Baha'i FaithPurifying character to uproot racismTavoria Kellam: I’m done with reading about the Central Park Five, or Tamir Rice, because I know already.
Racial DiscriminationA loving community surrounded by dangerGrowing up in Boston, you didn’t go into Irish or Italian neighbourhoods. You’d be taking your life into your hands.
Racial DiscriminationHard times and harder questionsThirty of us were among the first American-Americans to go to Massachusetts University – they called us the “Dirty Thirty”.
Baha'i Community BuildingOvercoming injustice through service not contentionThe Baha’i writings forbid conflict – we must oppose oppression by falling in love with people of other backgrounds.
Racial DiscriminationPushing back against mediocrity and racismA lot of artists had great careers because they slept with the right people – I had to decide what kind of person I wanted to be.
Racial IdentityRacism at home and abroadSouth African Baha’is of different races would meet and be visited by the police.
Racial IdentityBorn in the Midwest – and in the Far EastMy parents were sometimes told to go back where they came from – I would always try to defend my parents.
Racial DiscriminationTurning anger into searchMy interest in social issues and injustice was my soul searching for answers and the truth.
Racial DiscriminationLearning from incarcerated African-AmericansMaya Mansour: There's not a lot to do in prison. You're left with a lot of time for reflection.
Racism in AmericaSharing the burden of racismKen Bowers: America really is the story of struggle, horrific in many ways, and it needs to be acknowledged.
Baha'i FaithFrom South Carolina to MichiganMy church was filled with Civil Rights protestors – one of them said I should explore the Baha’i faith.
Segregation in AmericaA domestic, a laundryman & a professorMy parents sent me to an integrated school but I was too mischievous – so I returned to an all-black community.
Racial IdentityHollow options in the 1960sWe had friends who were Black Panthers – there was a lot of fronting with bullets and guns.
Racial IdentityBlack is beautifulThere was a deeply entrenched self-hate among dark-skinned African-Americans – it dated back to slavery.
Baha'i Community BuildingBuilding new communities in the inner citiesWhat’s facing us now in achieving race unity is that some people are privileged – many others are severely disadvantaged.
