Gathered with friends, the Greater Little Rock Baha’i community celebrated Race Unity Day at Burns Park in North Little Rock with a Sunday picnic dedicated to love and unity between all the world’s races.
Baha’u’llah, the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, implored people to “close your eyes to racial differences and welcome all with the light of oneness.” To that end, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States inaugurated Race Unity Day in 1957 to promote racial harmony and understanding.
The purpose of Race Unity Day is to focus attention on racial prejudice, which Baha’is believe is the most challenging moral issue facing our nation. Writing in the mid-1800s, Baha’u’llah stated unequivocally that humanity is a single race and called on the world to recognize the principle of human oneness in all spheres of life.
Worldwide, Baha’is have sought to build a model of racial integration by embracing people from all races, backgrounds and classes of society. Since its inception, the Greater Little Rock Baha’i community has held Race Unity Day celebrations in addition to its other work to address racial prejudices, including “Healing Racism” workshops.
To learn more about Race Unity Day and the Baha’i community’s work to eliminate racial prejudice, visit http://www.bahai.us/social-action/race-unity/.