African American

Baha'is winning Olympics song celebrates world unity

glen — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:33:33 -0500

Blend American jazz, Brazilian samba and Chinese traditional sounds and what do you have? A song played at the Olympics in Beijing.

Audio Feature: The Black Men's Gathering

glen — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:59:22 -0600

Dr. Billy Roberts discusses what led him to found the Black Men's Gathering, an organization of Baha'i men of African descent who encourage and mentor each other on their path of service to their families, communities and the world (10 minutes). Download

Robert Hayden: Baha'i and first black Poet Laureate

shane — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:59:59 -0600

Robert Hayden surmounted an impoverished childhood to become the first African-American to be appointed Poet Laureate.

H. Elsie Austin: a woman of many ‘firsts’

shane — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:36:18 -0600

Helen Elsie Austin, a Baha'i who devoted her life to justice and truth, was a woman of many “firsts.” She was one of the first African-American women lawyers in the United States, the first African-American woman to receive a law degree from the University of Cincinnati and the first African-American woman to serve as an assistant to a state attorney general.

Louis Gregory: a dedicated promoter of racial harmony

shane — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:28:10 -0600

Louis Gregory reached more people than any other advocate of racial harmony in the first half of the 20th century, says Gayle Morrison, a Baha'i who has researched the life and contributions of Mr. Gregory, an early U.S. Baha'i.

‘I Have a Dream’ march and its ideals inspired him to become a Baha'i

shane — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:24:29 -0600

Van Gilmer vividly remembers participating in the March on Washington (for Jobs and Freedom) on Aug. 28, 1963, while a student at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

Realizing Dr. King’s dream, Baha'i style

shane — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:28:45 -0600

If you’re a member of a minority, and you’re not involved in decision-making at an administrative level, then society is still far from realizing the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., says Phillipe Copeland, a Baha'i in Boston who examines social issues from an African-American perspective on his blog, Baha'i Thought.

Dizzy Gillespie, bebop Baha'i, continues to inspire

shane — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:47:01 -0500

John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, who became a Baha'i in 1968, would have been 90 this Oct. 21. He was at the forefront not only of the bebop jazz phenomenon, the most vital music of its age, but of a jazz generation that included Thelonious Monk, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald.

Celebrated African-American parade of pride boasts Baha'i connections

shane — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 14:47:06 -0500

For the 78th year, the Bud Billiken Parade will step off at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 11, on Chicago's South Side.

For Tuskegee Airman, the Baha'i Faith healed the wounds of racism

shane — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:10:53 -0500

Myron Wilson joined the Air Force to fight the Good War. He joined the Baha'i Faith to fight, and heal from, the racism he experienced as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African-American fighter pilots in the United States and the only group of African-American fighter pilots in World War II.