Draft for Council review. The opening paragraph is adapted from the Council’s message on the old Race Unity page. That page also offered the National Spiritual Assembly’s letter of 3 June 2021, which is addressed to the Bahá’ís of the United States and has no public copy online; it is left out until the Council confirms it may be shared publicly.
As we labor with our families, friends, and neighbors to eliminate every form of prejudice—above all racism, the most vital and challenging issue in America—the Regional Bahá’í Council offers these resources to guide study, consultation, action, and reflection. Understanding and overcoming prejudice is a process of learning that grows stronger as more people take part in it. Through that process we can begin to overcome this blight on our society and build justice, peace, and well-being for all.
A Common Endeavor
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, the Bahá’ís of the United States have offered A Common Endeavor: Realizing the Promise of America. The message invites thoughtful conversation about the nation’s founding ideals and the oneness of the human family, and about how people of every background can work together to overcome racism and the other ills that divide us.
- Explore A Common Endeavor: the message, with stories and resources for conversation, on its own website.
- Read about the letter on the website of the Bahá’ís of the United States.
Guidance on racial justice
- The Advent of Divine Justice: Shoghi Effendi’s 1938 letter to the Bahá’ís of North America, which calls racial prejudice “the most vital and challenging issue” before them.
- Letter of the Universal House of Justice, 22 July 2020: to the Bahá’ís of the United States, on racial prejudice and the distinctive contribution their community can make to eliminating it.
- “Forging a Path to Racial Justice”: the National Spiritual Assembly’s statement to the American people of 19 June 2020.
Learning and action
- Racial Justice and Unity: the work of the Office of Public Affairs of the Bahá’ís of the United States.
- Race Unity Action: guidance, ideas for action, and study materials for individuals and communities.
- Race Unity in America: an oral history of the Bahá’í community and the struggle for race unity in the United States since 1912.
Further reading
- In Pursuit of a More Superb Mission: exploring a framework for the elimination of racial prejudice in America, in print from the Bahá’í bookstore.
- Books on racial equality from the Bahá’í bookstore.
Share your experience
The Council is eager to hear of your efforts to learn about and overcome these challenges, and of other resources you have found helpful. Write to the Council Secretariat.