L.W.B.=Living While Black: Updated

"How long will humanity persist in its waywardness? How long will injustice continue? How long is chaos and confusion to reign amongst men? How long will discord agitate the face of society?... The winds of despair are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divideth and afflicteth the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appeareth to be lamentably defective."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 216)


Some of you have probably heard of the phenomenon known as "driving while black". Like the anguished phrase "suicide bomber" it has become another entry into the 21st century lexicon of a world gone seriously wrong. Basically, it's the tendency of police to pull over vehicles being driven by blacks on the chance that they might catch us doing something we aren't supposed to do. People call this racial profiling, which in some circles has become a four-letter word. I had this experience once several years ago. I was going home from a gospel choir rehearsal in one of those parts of the city usually referred to as bad (translation, large numbers of non-whites live there) when I notice a police cruiser approaching. I always have the same feeling when I see one, my stomach turns into a knot of anxiety. I say a little prayer that they leave me alone. On this night, the answer to my prayer appeared to be "no". The lights flashed and I pulled over. Shortly thereafter I had a bright flashlight beam right in my eyes. Apparently the officer had noticed I had a Connecticut license plate. I thought, did Connecticut declare war on Massachusetts or something? Why did it matter whether or not I had a Connecticut license plate? I asked what the problem was. He didn't answer and asked for my license and registration, all the while with that flashlight searching, searching all around my car. He asked me what I was doing in Boston. I replied "I came here for school." He asked me what happened. I replied "I graduated." I had a moment of crystal clear realization while this was happening, it didn't matter that I was middle class, didn't matter that I had graduated from Harvard, didn't matter that I had no criminal record, didn't matter that I was a Baha'i. All that mattered was that he had a gun and I did not. He could do whatever he wanted and make up some story and probably would be believed. I decided in that moment that getting out of this situation intact was more important than my pride. I gave him what he asked for and waited patiently. He returned and sent me on my way without incident.

In 21st century American race theater, this kind of drama gets played out day after day, night after night with varying degrees of tragic endings. But you don't have to be driving a car or even own a car to be reminded that race still matters in America. You just have to be living while black. I've been reading all kinds of social science that makes this point quite clear, but I'll just share one story with you to illustrate what I'm talking about. One of the things I've gotten interested in recently is racial and ethnic disparities when it comes to health. Here's a little something from the LA Times:

"Statistically, black males in America are at increased risk for just about every health problem known. African Americans have a shorter life expectancy than any other racial group in America except Native Americans, and black men fare even worse than black women. Some of it can be chalked up to poverty, the most powerful determinant of health, or to lifestyle factors. But even when all those factors are accounted for in studies, the gap stubbornly persists. Now researchers are beginning to examine discrimination itself. Racism, more than race, may be cutting black men down before their time. It is possible, they believe, that the ill health and premature deaths can be laid -- at least in part -- at the feet of continuous assaults of discrimination, real or perceived. "We have always thought of race-based discrimination as producing a kind of attitude," says Vickie Mays, psychologist and director of the UCLA Center on Research, Education, Training and Strategic Communication on Minority Health Disparities. "Now we think we have sufficient information to say that it's more than just affecting your attitude. A person experiences it, has a response, and the response brings about a physiological reaction." The reaction contributes to a chain of biological events known as the stress response, which can put people at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and infectious disease, says Namdi Barnes, a researcher with the UCLA center. That protective response includes the release of cortisol, often called the stress hormone. It increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels and suppresses the immune system. Those are all good things when it comes to fleeing a wild beast or a suspicious sound in a dark parking lot. But for many African Americans, these responses may occur so frequently that they eventually result in a breakdown of the physiological system. "This whole phenomenon of cumulative biologic stress is real," says Nicole Lurie, director of the Rand Center for Population Health and Health Disparities." Read the whole thing here

Ironically I recently joked with someone that I didn't succumb to violence or stress related disease (the stats are just not on my side) I might actually live a long time. Then I read this article and it was hard to laugh about anymore. One of the things that amuses me in 21st century America is the chorus of voices who claim loudly that racism is no longer really a problem. Blacks should just get over it and take advantage of their "freedom" and acquire as much material wealth and social status as they can and then drop dead (this is the American way). This view is usually voiced by white Americans. This is my question, why should those who have suffered the least from the impact of racism, get to decide when it is over? It's like an abusive spouse getting to decide whether or not his/her behavior is abuse anymore. This is my suggestion, when there is no longer a negative correlation between a person's skin color and their quality of life, then we might be able to say with confidence that racism is no longer a problem. Until then, we have some work to do.

"If ye stay not the hand of the oppressor, if ye fail to safeguard the rights of the down-trodden, what right have ye then to vaunt yourselves among men? What is it of which ye can rightly boast? Is it on your food and your drink that ye pride yourselves, on the riches ye lay up in your treasuries, on the diversity and the cost of the ornaments with which ye deck yourselves? If true glory were to consist in the possession of such perishable things, then the earth on which ye walk must needs vaunt itself over you, because it supplieth you, and bestoweth upon you, these very things, by the decree of the Almighty. In its bowels are contained, according to what God hath ordained, all that ye possess. From it, as a sign of His mercy, ye derive your riches. Behold then your state, the thing in which ye glory! Would that ye could perceive it! Nay! By Him Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of the entire creation! Nowhere doth your true and abiding glory reside except in your firm adherence unto the precepts of God, your wholehearted observance of His laws, your resolution to see that they do not remain unenforced, and to pursue steadfastly the right course."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 252)

UPDATE: Orlando Patterson, a fellow Harvard man, weighs in on the Jailing of Black America

Human Spirit and the Social World

"He [Baha'u'llah] bore these ordeals, suffered these calamities and difficulties in order that a manifestation of selflessness and service might become apparent in the world of humanity; that the Most Great Peace should become a reality; that human souls might appear as the angels of heaven; that heavenly miracles would be wrought among men; that human faith should be strengthened and perfected; that the precious, priceless bestowal of God, the human mind, might be developed to its fullest capacity in the temple of the body; and man become the reflection and likeness of God, even as it hath been revealed in the Bible: "We shall create man in Our own image."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 223)









I've returned from the Baha'i Association of Mental Health Professionals Conference, "Human Spirit and the Social World" and have been immediately sucked into Hurricane Phillipe (in other words, my life). I promised to finish letting you know about the conference, though I failed miserably at so called "live blogging". Luckily I have a high self-esteem.

I'll just offer a brief synopsis of each of the presentations that took place after the ones I have already described. I getting ready for another post soon so want to clear the deck so to speak.

Dr. John Grayzel, (a wicked cool guy) gave a wonderful and humorous presentation on "Cross Cultural Paradigms of Health". Unlike the usual rhetoric we hear about "cultural competence" he directly questioned whether Western paradigms of health actually help people of any culture to get healthier. His main message is that we need to start listening to the voices of the people we are trying to serve who might actually teach us healthier ways of approaching health itself. Having spent 27 years of so in Africa, he used the example of the approach to health used by two different tribal groups in the Congo to offer insight into non-western views of how people heal.

Dr. William (Billy) Roberts, who helped to found and has guided the activities of the Black Men's Gathering for over two decades, talked about how the Gathering began as a kind of psychospiritual intervention with black males, within the context of challenges facing them both in the society at large and within the Baha'i community. He emphasized the healing power of prayer and the creation of a safe space for black males.

Friday evening, Jack Guillebeux and John Grayzel participated in a panel discussion. Particularly noteworthy was an experiential exercise led by Jack Guillebeux to demonstrate how quickly one can create bonds between people as well as change how they feel inside.

On Saturday morning, Drs. Barbara and Rick Johnson, the co-administrators of Louhelen Baha'i School led an experiential exploration of the Four Valleys, a mystical text written by Baha'u'llah, and its implications for education and mental health. This was one of the most fascinating of the presentations as far as a way of interacting with the Holy Writings. What emerged was the Four Valleys as a kind of metaphor for health as a cycle that involves both mind and spirit in a developmental process.

Dr. Elena Mustakova-Possardt discussed the concept of "Authoritative Communities" which are essential communities that are organized in such a way that the conditions are created to optimal health. The importance of principle based patterns of behavior and relationships characterized by love were central to the presentation.

Dr. Jenni Menon Mariano, gave a magnificent presentation on the role of purpose in moral development, looking at a sample of youth and young adults from around the country to understand the impact of purpose was in their lives. Bottom line: Purpose makes a difference.

Saturday night all the of the Saturday speakers participated in a panel. The overall theme that emerged was understanding the role of balance in health and weighing that against the high value placed on sacrifice in Baha'i teaching.

Sunday morning we had the great blessing of hearing thoughts from Counsellor Stephen Birkland who it turns out is a social worker! (Hoorah for social workers). The focus of his remarks was on the relationship between individual action and institutional authority in Baha'i thought and the implications that has for our efforts to promote an ever advancing civilization.

So I have to run and do some homework. Catch you later!

Values and Health

As I promised I'm going to do my first installment of blogging about the Baha'i Association of Mental Health Professionals annual conference. This year's conference is called, Human Spirit and the Social World. The focus of the sessions this morning was Values and Health and featured Elizabeth Marquardt, author of Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce, and Jack Guillebeaux who is an international known diversity trainer and educator. Both presentations were remarkable in their own way. Dr. Marquardt, who is herself and adult child of divorce offered a mixture of both data and narrative to dramatize that people have not payed sufficient attention to the spiritual and moral impact of divorce on the inner lives of children. One of the things she helped us to understand is that there is no such thing as a "good divorce" when you consider the experience of the child who has to navigate the two worlds that now exist between their parents and make sense of what that means, often with no support from the adults in their lives. I'll include my notes later tonight, but I just wanted to give you a taste. Jack Guillebeaux had a very engaging style of talking with us and there was much humor. He did a masterful job of discussing the role of mental health professionals in the context of the effort of the Baha'i community to embrace new members, while attending to the spiritual and psychological needs of current members. He reminded us that our training provides us with specific tools that can be used to address the psychospiritual challenges that block many Baha'is from living the kinds of lives they would prefer. I have to run and eat and get ready for chairing the next session which is about Cross-Cultural Paradigms of Health.

A New Creation: Black Americans

Advertisement for "fine, healthy negroes".

In a day or so I will be off to Michigan for the annual Baha'i Association of Mental Health Professionals Conference entitled, Human Spirit and The Social World. It looks to be truly awesome and I will be blogging the whole event with of course a focus on how it relates to black Americans. I was recently meditating on a selection from the Writings of Baha'u'llah that I think bears an interesting relationship to the experience of black Americans and our destiny as described in Baha'i Scripture as well as some of the insights from the June 3rd, 2007 Letter from the Universal House of Justice addressed to an individual believer. The verse from Baha'u'llah is the following:

"I testify that no sooner had the First Word proceeded, through the potency of Thy will and purpose, out of His mouth, and the First Call gone forth from His lips than the whole creation was revolutionized, and all that are in the heavens and all that are on earth were stirred to the depths. Through that Word the realities of all created things were shaken, were divided, separated, scattered, combined and reunited, disclosing, in both the contingent world and the heavenly kingdom, entities of a new creation, and revealing, in the unseen realms, the signs and tokens of Thy unity and oneness."
(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 295)

All of my reading in the past year regarding the historical, psychological and spiritual impact of slavery on the Africans who experienced it and people like myself who are descended from them, seem to be captured in the imagery used in the above passage. Through the experience of American chattel slavery, African people were "shaken", "divided", "separated", and "scattered", on every level, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual. Every conceivable aspect of their humanity was laid waste. Yet it was in the fires of racial oppression that these souls were beaten, literally and figuratively into a new form, "combined", "reunited", disclosing in both the contigent world and the heavenly kingdom, entities of a new creation, and revealing, in the unseen realms, the signs and tokens of Thy unity and oneness." This "new creation" was something that had never existed on earth before, black Americans. A significant contributer to this new creation was the power of the Word of God, in this case the Bible which was embraced in the greatest numbers during the very century in which, in a far away land, the Baha'i Faith would emerge, the 19th century. In the June 3rd Letter, the Universal House of Justice offered this comment on the response of enslaved Africans to the Word of God:

"For the Africans brought to America as slaves, believing in the religion of their oppressors was in a sense ironic but not surprising. The message to which their souls responded came, after all, from a divine Source. So despite all that was wrong with the ill deeds of so many that claimed to believe in that creed, the fact that Black people, notwithstanding their geographical and cultural origins, did recognize the Manifestation of God in Christ was a mark of the divine favor vouchsafed to them by a merciful Providence. This clearly enabled them to endure and transcend the dire circumstances in which they were mired. The history of slavery in that land testifies abundantly of feats of their spiritual transcendence in outstanding examples of courage, fortitude and creativity, which demonstrate the profound effect of the Christ spirit on their lives."

As a new creation, the fruit of historical and spiritual forces, black Americans have ample experience in becoming something new and unique in the world, it is a reflection of the genius of our race and the love of God. Who better than members of this new creation, to provide leadership in the unfoldment of a new world order? Again, the Universal House of Justice:

"The "pupil of the eye", Baha'u'llah's metaphoric reference to Black people, will no doubt acquire clear meaning as they conscientiously strive over time to fulfill the divine purpose for which the Blessed Beauty came. There can be no doubt that Americans of African descent can find in themselves the capacity, so well developed as a result of their long encounter with injustice, to recognize and respond to the vision of love and justice brought by the Promised One of all ages. Imbued with that vision, past and present sufferings are transformed into measures of patience, wisdom and compassion-qualities so essential to the effort to moderate the discordant ways of a confused world and aid in the healing of its spiritual ills. What better than the transformed character of a bruised people to smooth the course, to offer perspectives for the new beginnings toward world order!"

This issue becomes especially profound when one considers the destiny of America as described in the Baha'i Writings:

"Likewise, the continent of America is, in the eyes of the one true God, the land wherein the splendors of His light shall be revealed, where the mysteries of His Faith shall be unveiled, where the righteous will abide and the free assemble."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 61)

If it is true as the Baha'i Writings suggest, that America is destined to play a significant role in establishing a new, global civilization, then black Americans, as a group within the African diaspora also have a significant role to play. To ponder deeply the implications of this possibility for ones life is not an exercise in ego inflation, but is about assuming full responsibility for those implications. The call made by the Universal House of Justice for Baha'is of African descent in America to arise and advance the Cause of God in Africa may offer one example of this point:

"We direct the attention of the believers of African descent, so beloved by the Master, to the pressing need for pioneers, who will contribute to the further development of the Cause in distant areas, including the continent of Africa for which they were assigned a special responsibility by the Guardian when the first systematic campaign was launched for its spiritual illumination. Although their contributions to all aspects of Bahá'í service on the home front and elsewhere will be of great value, they can be a unique source of encouragement and inspiration to their African brothers and sisters who are now poised on the threshold of great advances for the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh."

Letter from the Universal House of Justice, dated Ridvan, 1996, to the Followers of Bahá'u'lláh

As a black American, I have to recognize who I truly am, who God calls for me to be on this planet and act accordingly. It is the only response worthy of my ancestors and my Creator, without whom I would not be here.

Say What?

Question Mark courtesy of Google Images

I finally got a copy of Na'im Akbar's, Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery. Whether or not you agree with the contents (I'm still thinking about it) it's a nice example of the way one Black psychologist makes sense of the contemporary crises in black America. I also recently got a copy of Dr. Joy Leary's book, CD and DVD called Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome. Go and get it immediately if you are familiar with it and tell me what you think, in fact watch the DVD with some friends and tell me about that too. As I've been pondering the work of these two devoted scholar/clinicians, various thoughts have been bouncing around in my mind. There is something very peculiar that goes on in America among both blacks and whites when people talk about why black people do what they do. Simply put if a black person does something (usually something bad) it is because they are black. If a white person does something (positive or negative) it's for all kinds of other reasons that have nothing or little to do with their race. Ever notice that? The one exception to this is racism, if a white person is racist well then it's absolutely because they are white. I'll give you an example, white people kill white people all the time. In fact a white person is killing another white person right this minute! When you hear about it on the news tomorrow, I challenge you to find single person in the media, academia or in your personal life who will say that the murder happened because of race. There will be no collective hand wringing and soul searching about the negative influence of "white culture" or "white poverty" or "white music" or single "white mothers" or being the descendants of "white slave masters" and how white people need to take responsibility for "white on white" violence. If you find a single mention of the "whiteness" of the person killed or the killer leave a comment right away. Remember Columbine? Did you hear even one person say that those kids did what they did because they were white? No, it was because people at school picked on them. If my observation is accurate, then why is that when a black person kills a black person, it's all about their race and what's wrong with black people, culture, communities, families, values, world view and on and on? Remember how after the whole Imus nonsense people suddenly decided we all needed to talk about rap lyrics and videos and so on? When was the last time you heard a lunch room discussion about whether or not the Sopranos or Sex and the City were bad influences on young white kids and how those "artists" should take responsibility for the way they are glorifying violence and sex? Now you may have heard people say they thought the Sopranos was too violent or Sex and the City was trashy, but what you probably didn't hear was anything about the race of the characters in those shows! Are you feelin' me here?

I want to make myself clear. I do not want to in any way minimize the impact of institutional and internalized racism on the thinking, feeling and behavior of black people or the importance of the historical experiences of blacks in America. However I think that we have to ask some hard questions about the notion that somehow everything a black person does is determined by their race, especially when we do not apply a similar analysis to whites. Is it not plausible that blacks are actually human beings capable of behaviors both good and bad, endowed with free will and moral reasoning capacity? Is it not possible that like whites, blacks don't always do well in school, make good decisions about their sexual behavior, or exercise restraint when they want to hurt someone? Race certainly influences the behavior of blacks, but it also influences the behavior of whites. Why not start talking about that for a change? Ultimately justice does not simply demand changes in public policy or personal behavior regarding race. It requires changes in the way we talk about the "most vital and challenging issue".

"Oh, friends of God, be living examples of justice! So that by the Mercy of God, the world may see in your actions that you manifest the attributes of justice and mercy. Justice is not limited, it is a universal quality. Its operation must be carried out in all classes, from the highest to the lowest. Justice must be sacred, and the rights of all the people must be considered. Desire for others only that which you desire for yourselves. Then shall we rejoice in the Sun of Justice, which shines from the Horizon of God."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 159)

The Other One Drop Rule

First I have to say hooray, for having reached the milestone of the two year anniversary of Baha'i Thought as of today. Can you believe it? It seems that only yesterday I was making my first post in the first of several different designs of this blog. I hope you will join me in celebrating this modest achievement.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I've been thinking very hard for some time about a phenomenon I call the "other one drop rule". For those of you who are not familiar, the original one drop rule is a great American tradition springing from the pseudo-science of racial "bloodlines". Simply put, for a period of time as a matter of law and today as a matter of belief, a person with any African ancestry would be considered, "black" even if the ancestry represented a mere "drop". Interestingly enough the one drop rule does not work in the reverse. For example I cannot claim to be white even though I have more than a drop of European ancestry. I know it doesn't make sense when you think about it, but in my experience this idea is not questioned very deeply.

The other one drop rule works like this: If you are a black person and have even a drop of talent or capacity, you are treated as if you are extraordinary, especially by whites. You may have encountered this in your own journey as far as race goes. Perhaps it is someone in your workplace or school or faith community. People, usually white people make a tremendous fuss over the person and you find yourself thinking, "So and so is not all that. In fact they are pretty mediocre if not incompetent." You may wonder if it is right for you to be thinking this way, especially if the person in question is afflicted with the social disorder called "the only syndrome". For instance they may be the only black faculty member, or the only black administrator or the only black person who owns a business in your neighborhood etc. You get the feeling that there is something very wrong with the level of praise being given to this person, but you're not quite sure what bothers you about it. You might even feel a little sorry for the individual in question as it dawns upon you that they believe their own hype! I've had this experience several times in my life and chosen to hold my tongue, but wondered what this was all about. This is what I have concluded, the other one drop rule is at heart about the low expectations that both whites and blacks have of blacks. If a white person is mediocre, they are mediocre. If a black person is mediocre, they are extraordinary. It's sort of like when people praise someone about how wonderful their English is believing that it is a compliment. Translation: Most people like you don't speak English well. I'm sooooo amazed and relieved you are not one of those people. In the case of blacks, it goes like this: Most black people are incompetent, immoral and stupid. I'm soooo amazed and pleased to know that you're not like that! The irony about how the other one drop rule operates is that the black person in question may very well be incompetent, immoral or stupid (not because they are black but simply because they are human), but relatively speaking they are considered less so than other black people so they must be "special". The attitude represented by this kind of thinking is breathtakingly patronizing and I believe that it is the 21st century version of what Shoghi Effendi was talking about in the Advent of Divine Justice:

"Let the white make a supreme effort in their resolve to contribute their share to the solution of this problem, to abandon once for all their usually inherent and at times subconscious sense of superiority, to correct their tendency towards revealing a patronizing attitude towards the members of the other race, to persuade them through their intimate, spontaneous and informal association with them of the genuineness of their friendship and the sincerity of their intentions, and to master their impatience of any lack of responsiveness on the part of a people who have received, for so long a period, such grievous and slow-healing wounds."
(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 526)

One of the things that I love about the Baha'i Faith as a black American is that it holds the highest expectations for me, the same expectations that are held for every human being. My experiences of "grievous and slow-healing wounds" do not earn me lowered expectations or exaggeration of my capacities. How refreshing, in a society that confuses low expectations with love and mediocrity with magnificence. I'll close with a quote I often refer to, but I find healing and empowering whenever I read it. It is an excellent antidote to the poison of the other one drop rule:

"As we neither feel nor acknowledge any distinction between the duties and privileges of a Bahá'í, whoever he may be, it is incumbent upon the negro believers to rise above this great test which the attitude of some of their white brethren may present. They must prove their innate equality not by words but by deeds. They must accept the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh for the sake of the Cause, love it, and cling to it, and teach it, and fight for it as their own Cause, forgetful of the shortcoming of others. Any other attitude is unworthy of their faith. Proud and happy in the praises which even Bahá'u'lláh Himself has bestowed upon them, they must feel He revealed Himself for them and every other down-trodden race, loves them, and will help them to attain their destiny.
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, February 9, 1942)

Baha'u'llah and the Black Elite

More beautiful kids I met in Ghana. What will I do to see to it that they have the same opportunities I have had and more?

I've been thinking for a long time about privilege and power and how it relates to Baha'i thought. Because of my focus, which is black Americans, I've particularly been meditating on the black elite in this country, which is the strata of African America to which I belong. I'm an Ivy League educated, advanced degreed middle class black male and grew up that way, unlike my parents who came from backgrounds of rural and urban poverty in the South. I'm a first generation, post-Civil rights baby, part of that "privileged class" whose rage was eloquently documented by Ellis Cose and whose sanity has been questioned by no less than Michael Eric Dyson. I just got finished reading a fascinating essay by Cornel West called The Paradox of the African American Rebellion, which is part of a cool anthology entitled, Is It Nation Time? If you have some spare time, go out and get it right away. It's not light reading, but it offers some critical reflections on the issue of black nationalism. Cornel West has some choice remarks regarding members of the black elite that emerged near the close of the Civil Rights era:

"beneath the rhetoric of Black Power, black control, and black self-determination, was a budding "new", black, middle class hungry for power and starving for status. Needless to say, most young black intellectuals were duped by this petit bourgeois rhetoric, primarily owing to their own identity crisis and self interest. In contrast, the "new" black business, professional, and political elites heard the bourgeois melody behind the radical rhetoric and manipulated the movement for their own benefit. The rebellious black working poor and the underclass often either became dependent on growing welfare support or seduced by the drug culture." (page 31)

On our long walk to freedom, it appears, at least to West and similar critics, that the black elite has lost its way, seduced by those same worldly pursuits that fueled the Atlantic slave trade and built a paradoxical republic on the "backs of blacks". Many prophetic voices have thundered against this kind of idolatry, often in explicitly religious terms. Prophetic voices such as my man James Cone, one of the fathers of black theology. Thinkers like Cone have long mined the theological implications of the social status of Jesus to comment on the significance of His life for Christian identity.

"The meaning of Jesus Christ is found in God's will to make liberation not simply the property of one people but of all humankind. God became a poor Jew in Jesus and thus identified with the helpless of Israel. The cross of Jesus is nothing but God's will to be with and like the poor. The resurrection means that God achieved victory over oppression, so that the poor no longer have to be determined by their poverty." (page 6) Check out the book this selection is from here.

What is the meaning of Baha'u'llah for members of the black elite in America? Unlike Jesus who was born into poverty, in the humble setting of a manger, Baha'u'llah was born into a world of privilege. He belonged to an ancient and well known family of the Persian nobility and His father was a favored minister in the court of the King. You could say that the life into which Baha'u'llah was born offers a parallel to the lives of the children of middle and upper class black families of my generation. At an early age Baha'u'llah showed a deep affection for the poor and dispossessed of His country and preferred serving them to engaging in the pageantry of the Persian nobility, winning Him the title "Father of the Poor". Even at this early stage of life He embodied the standard that He would demand of His followers:

"O CHILDREN OF DUST! Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor, lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive them of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues."
(Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

"O YE RICH ONES ON EARTH! The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease."
(Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

Baha'u'llah's love for the poor would go far beyond admonishing the rich or acts of charity. Ultimately He would sacrifice a life of privilege and comfort, chosing to place Himself in the position of the oppressed of the earth in pursuit of His mission of universal salvation for humanity:

"The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness. This is of the mercy of your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of God, that ye may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish. He Who hath come to build anew the whole world, behold, how they that have joined partners with God have forced Him to dwell within the most desolate of cities!"
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 99)

In one passage, testifying to God of the sufferings involved in the first of His several banishments after the horrors of imprisonment in the "Black Pit" of Tehran, He states:

"The throat Thou didst accustom to the touch of silk Thou hast, in the end, clasped with strong chains, and the body Thou didst ease with brocades and velvets Thou hast at last subjected to the abasement of a dungeon. Thy decree hath shackled Me with unnumbered fetters, and cast about My neck chains that none can sunder. A number of years have passed during which afflictions have, like showers of mercy, rained upon Me.... How many the nights during which the weight of chains and fetters allowed Me no rest, and how numerous the days during which peace and tranquillity were denied Me, by reason of that wherewith the hands and tongues of men have afflicted Me! Both bread and water which Thou hast, through Thy all-embracing mercy, allowed unto the beasts of the field, they have, for a time, forbidden unto this servant, and the things they refused to inflict upon such as have seceded from Thy Cause, the same have they suffered to be inflicted upon Me, until, finally, Thy decree was irrevocably fixed, and Thy behest summoned this servant to depart out of Persia, accompanied by a number of frail-bodied men and children of tender age, at this time when the cold is so intense that one cannot even speak, and ice and snow so abundant that it is impossible to move."
(Quoted in, God Passes By, p. 108)

As a privileged black American, Baha'u'llah's life offers me an example of a person of privilege, Who for the sake of love, willingly sacrificed the comforts of His status and took on the pain of the vast majority of people on this earth of all races. Like Christians who are challenged to take up their cross and follow the example of Jesus, I am challenged to accept my chains, my exile, my imprisonment and follow Baha'u'llah from worldly privilege to the heaven of justice for all those who are denied it.

"If ye stay not the hand of the oppressor, if ye fail to safeguard the rights of the down-trodden, what right have ye then to vaunt yourselves among men? What is it of which ye can rightly boast? Is it on your food and your drink that ye pride yourselves, on the riches ye lay up in your treasuries, on the diversity and the cost of the ornaments with which ye deck yourselves?"
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 252)


What do you think reader?

PS I just have to add this poem that is on my man Malik's site the Struggle Within. Take a Listen

Army of White?

Some beautiful Black American Baha'is I recently saw in Atlanta, Georgia


For a while Fort Tabarsi Mix Tape Volume Two was the personal soundtrack of this Baha'i thinker. On one of my favorite tracks, the masterful MC rhymes, "American Baha'is and the stars and stripes/Baha'i Americans in the Army of Light." Most recently I've had the pleasure of listening to the new CD from the Dawnbreaker Collective that also invokes the army of light imagery in its emphasis on Baha'is arising to fulfill the world transforming mission of their Faith. If you haven't heard this CD, go out and get it right now. You can read a Baha'i World News story about it right here. I was listening to my favorite song from this album this morning on my way to work. My car vibrated with the muscular chanting of the young Baha'i artists, "It goes move, step, left, right, Army of Light don't ever lose sight." I found myself thinking about a conversation I had last night with a group of us who are organizing the first ever (in my memory) African American weekend at the Greenacre Baha'i school. A recurring theme in this conversation was the need for Baha'is of African descent to take full ownership of their Faith and their destiny of providing spiritual leadership in the creation of a new civilization. This was also the theme of the remarks made by Mr. and Mrs. Ali and Violette Nakhjavani at the gathering for Black Baha'is in Atlanta that I went to. One of the quotes from the Baha'i Writings that was shared at this memorable evening was the following:

"The qualities of heart so richly possessed by the Negro are much needed in the world today-their great capacity for faith, their loyalty and devotion to their religion when once they believe, their purity of heart. God has richly endowed them, and their great contribution to the Cause is much needed..."
(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 532)

The question I have to ask myself continually, is whether or not as a Black American Baha'i, I see myself as a soul who is richly endowed by God, with a great contribution to make to building God's kingdom on this earth. If so, do I actually act as if that were true? Do I maintain that "worthy attitude" referred to in the Baha'i Writings?:

"As we neither feel nor acknowledge any distinction between the duties and privileges of a Bahá'í, whoever he may be, it is incumbent upon the negro believers to rise above this great test which the attitude of some of their white brethren may present. They must prove their innate equality not by words but by deeds. They must accept the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh for the sake of the Cause, love it, and cling to it, and teach it, and fight for it as their own Cause, forgetful of the shortcoming of others. Any other attitude is unworthy of their faith. "
(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 533)

When I do not respond to the challenges inherent in the building of a new civilization with actions that reflect the attitude being described in this passage, I eventually fall prey to those very thoughts, feelings and behaviors that Baha'u'llah has warned will cause the greatest harm to the mission of His Faith:

"Every eye, in this Day, should seek what will best promote the Cause of God. He, Who is the Eternal Truth, beareth Me witness! Nothing whatsoever can, in this Day, inflict a greater harm upon this Cause than dissension and strife, contention, estrangement and apathy, among the loved ones of God. Flee them, through the power of God and His sovereign aid, and strive ye to knit together the hearts of men, in His Name, the Unifier, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 8)

If I continue to have an "unworthy" attitude and don't drift away from the Baha'i community altogether, I regress from being a passionate teacher of the Cause to a passive participant in the Faith assuming the posture of a member of a congregation:

"To mistakenly identify Bahá'í community life with the mode of religious activity that characterizes the general society -- in which the believer is a member of a congregation, leadership comes from an individual or individuals presumed to be qualified for the purpose, and personal participation is fitted into a schedule dominated by concerns of a very different nature -- can only have the effect of marginalizing the Faith and robbing the community of the spiritual vitality available to it. "
(The Universal House of Justice, 2002 Aug 22, Advancement of the Cause an Evolutionary Process, p. 2)

To adopt such a posture is to cede the arena of service and teaching to other members of the Baha'i community, which in the United States tends to be the believers of European or Persian background. Through my lack of ownership of the Cause, the Army of Light turns into an Army of "White". If black people are the pupil of the eye, "the very wellspring of the light", then it is impossible to have an Army of Light without our full participation. However, we must remember that our participation is in no way contingent upon the behavior of others in our Baha'i community, whatever their race. As Baha'u'llah has told us all:

"Suffer not yourselves to be wrapt in the dense veils of your selfish desires, inasmuch as I have perfected in every one of you My creation, so that the excellence of My handiwork may be fully revealed unto men. It follows, therefore, that every man hath been, and will continue to be, able of himself to appreciate the Beauty of God, the Glorified. Had he not been endowed with such a capacity, how could he be called to account for his failure? If, in the Day when all the peoples of the earth will be gathered together, any man should, whilst standing in the presence of God, be asked: "Wherefore hast thou disbelieved in My Beauty and turned away from My Self," and if such a man should reply and say: "Inasmuch as all men have erred, and none hath been found willing to turn his face to the Truth, I, too, following their example, have grievously failed to recognize the Beauty of the Eternal," such a plea will, assuredly, be rejected. For the faith of no man can be conditioned by any one except himself. "
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 142)

Black Baha'is, we are living in the Promised Day of God. Will we honestly cede the field of glory to our white brothers and sisters in the Cause and pass from this world having been content with the mediocrity of a congregational consciousness? Will we spend our days hating our selves and blaming white people for the as yet, unfulfilled destiny given us by Almighty God? Are we "foolish and faint of heart"?

"This is not a Cause which may be made a plaything for your idle fancies, nor is it a field for the foolish and faint of heart. By God, this is the arena of insight and detachment, of vision and upliftment, where none may spur on their chargers save the valiant horsemen of the Merciful, who have severed all attachment to the world of being. These, truly, are they that render God victorious on earth, and are the dawning-places of His sovereign might amidst mankind."
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 84)

I refuse to believe that we are foolish or faint of heart. I refuse to believe the things that have long been said about us in America and that we too often say about each other. I chose to believe the Word of God and live the Word of God.

"The Word of God hath set the heart of the world afire; how regrettable if ye fail to be enkindled with its flame! Please God, ye will regard this blessed night as the night of unity, will knit your souls together, and resolve to adorn yourselves with the ornament of a goodly and praiseworthy character. Let your principal concern be to rescue the fallen from the slough of impending extinction, and to help him embrace the ancient Faith of God. Your behavior towards your neighbor should be such as to manifest clearly the signs of the one true God, for ye are the first among men to be re-created by His Spirit, the first to adore and bow the knee before Him, the first to circle round His throne of glory. I swear by Him Who hath caused Me to reveal whatever hath pleased Him! Ye are better known to the inmates of the Kingdom on high than ye are known to your own selves. Think ye these words to be vain and empty? Would that ye had the power to perceive the things your Lord, the All-Merciful, doth see -- things that attest the excellence of your rank, that bear witness to the greatness of your worth, that proclaim the sublimity of your station! God grant that your desires and unmortified passions may not hinder you from that which hath been ordained for you."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 316)

Readers, whatever your race, what do you think?