RACISM IS THE MOST CHALLENGING ISSUE
confronting America. A nation whose ancestry includes every people on earth,
whose motto is E pluribus unum, whose ideals of freedom under
law have inspired millions throughout the world, cannot continue to harbor
prejudice against any racial or ethnic group without betraying itself. Racism is
an affront to human dignity, a cause of hatred and division, a disease that
devastates society.
Notwithstanding the
efforts already expended for its elimination, racism continues to work its evil
upon this nation. Progress toward tolerance, mutual respect, and unity has been
painfully slow and marked with repeated setbacks. The recent resurgence of
divisive racial attitudes, the increased number of racial incidents, and the
deepening despair of minorities and the poor make the need for solutions ever
more pressing and urgent. To ignore the problem is to expose the country to
physical, moral and spiritual danger.
Aware of the magnitude and the urgency of the issue, we, the National Spiritual
Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, speaking for the entire U.S.
Bahá'í community, appeal to all people of goodwill to arise without further
delay to resolve the fundamental social problem of this country. We do so
because of our feeling of shared responsibility, because of the global
experience of the Bahá'í community in effecting racial harmony within itself,
and because of the vision that the sacred scriptures of our Faith convey of the
destiny of America.
I
The oneness of
humanity is the pivot round which revolve all the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith.
It is at once a statement of principle and an assertion of the ultimate goal of
human experience on the planet. More than a century ago, Bahá'u'lláh, the
Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, wrote: "The well-being of mankind, its
peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly
established." It is a principle that issues naturally from the
genesis and purpose of human existence. The Word of God as presented in the
Bahá'í writings offers compelling insights as in the following examples:
Veiled in My
immemorial being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My love for
thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to
thee My beauty.
Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should
exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts
how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is
incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with
the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your
deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be
made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this
counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.
All men have been created to carry forward an
ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the
beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are
forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and
kindreds of the earth.
Having gone through the
stages of infancy and turbulent adolescence, humanity is now approaching
maturity, a stage that will witness "the reconstruction and demilitarization of
the whole civilized world -- a world organically unified in all the essential
aspects of its life...." In no other country is the promise of organic unity
more immediately demonstrable than in the United States because this country is
a microcosm of the diverse populations of the earth. Yet this promise remains
largely unrealized even here because of the endemic racism that, like a cancer,
is corroding the vitals of the nation.
For too much of its
history and in so many places the human race has squandered its energy and
resources in futile efforts to prove the unprovable: that one portion of itself,
because of separation by geography, a difference in skin color, or the diversity
of cultural expression, is intrinsically distinct from another portion. The
ignorance and prejudice on which such efforts are founded have led to endless
conflicts in the name of the sanctity of tribe, race, class, nation, and
religion. Paradoxical as it may seem, in the consistency of these negative
efforts across the spectrum of the race, humanity has proved the exact opposite:
it has affirmed its oneness. The proof is in the fact that, given the same
circumstances, all people, regardless of ethnic or cultural variety, behave
essentially the same way. In the futility of its efforts to classify and
separate its diverse elements, humanity has become disoriented and confused.
Unaided by the divine influence of religion, people are incapable of achieving a
proper orientation to their innermost reality and purpose and are thus unable to
achieve a coherent vision of their destiny. It is in this respect that the
Bahá'ís find relevancy, direction, and fulfillment in the teachings of
Bahá'u'lláh, the Founder of their Faith.
The oneness of humanity is
a spiritual truth abundantly confirmed by science. Recognition of this truth
compels the abandonment of all prejudices of race, color, creed, nation, and
class -- of "everything which enables people to consider themselves superior to
others." The principle of the oneness of humankind " is no mere outburst of
ignorant emotionalism or an expression of vague and pious hope.... It does not
constitute merely the enunciation of an ideal.... It implies an organic change
in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet
experienced." |