Given the current events in our country, we are going to offer several posts that highlight passages in the Baha’i Writings bearing on the issue of race in American society. Baha’is have been actively engaged in working with others to solve what is regarded as “the most vital and challenging issue” facing the American democracy for over a century.  In this first post, we highlight a quote in which Baha’u’llah reminds us that is it the wish of God that we eliminate all forms of racial discrimination and oppression.  Baha’u’llah states this in several passages of His Writings and Abdu’l-Baha’ references it again and again in his travels in America. We will highlight several of those passages in future posts.

This particular quote has been made into a song that is frequently sung in Baha’i gatherings. Unfortunately, there is not a high quality recording of the song available, so we went with the best we had!- a recording made at a Baha’i summer school event. The song is lovely. Teach it to your kids! Only by infusing these ideas into our children and teaching them to live them will we finally be rid of this evil.

Lyrics are:

“Close your eyes to racial differences and welcome all with the light of oneness. Be as brilliant as the light, as splendid as the fire, show the  brightness of the fire of your love.”

Enjoy!