# Vision of Race Unity: America's Most Challenging Issue

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Section:   Introduction
>    I  
> II  
> III  
> IV    
> Addendum
> 
> 
>  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 affecting 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."
> 
> 
>  II
> 
>  The application of the spiritual principle of the oneness of
> humanity to the life of the nation would necessitate and make possible
> vast changes in the economic status of the non-white segments of the
> population. Although poverty afflicts members of all races its
> victims tend to be largely people of color. Prejudice and
> discrimination have created a disparity in the standards of living,
> providing some with excessive economic advantage while denying others
> the bare necessities for leading healthy and dignified lives. Poor
> housing, deficient diet, inadequate health care, insufficient
> education are consequences of poverty that afflict African Americans,
> American Indians, and Hispanic Americans more than they afflict the
> rest of the population. The cost to society at large is heavy.
> 
> 
> 
>  Evidence of the negative effect of racial and ethnic conflict on
> the economy has prompted a number of businesses and corporations to
> institute educational programs that teach conflict resolution and are
> designed to eliminate racial and ethnic tensions from the workplace.
> These are important steps and should be encouraged. If, however, they
> are intended primarily to save the economy, no enduring solution will
> be found to the disastrous consequences of racism. For it cannot
> suffice to offer academic education and jobs to people while at the
> same time shutting them out because of racial prejudice from normal
> social intercourse based on brotherly love and mutual respect. The
> fundamental solution -- the one that will reduce violence, regenerate
> and focus the intellectual and moral energy of minorities, and make
> them partners in the construction of a progressive society -- rests
> ultimately on the common recognition of the oneness of humankind.
> 
> 
> 
>  It is entirely human to fail if that which is the most important to
> people's self-perception is denied them -- namely, the dignity they
> derive from a genuine regard by others for their stature as human
> beings. No educational, economic, or political plan can take the
> place of this essential human need; it is not a need that businesses
> and schools, or even governments, can provide in isolation from the
> supportive attitude of society as a whole. Such an attitude needs to
> be grounded in a spiritual and moral truth that all acknowledge and
> accept as their own and that, like the oxygen that serves all equally,
> breathes life into their common effort to live in unity and peace.
> Absence of the genuine regard for others fostered by such truth causes
> hopelessness in those discriminated against; and in a state of
> hopelessness, people lose the coherent moral powers to realize their
> potential. This vitalizing truth, we are convinced, is summarized in
> the phrase: the oneness of humankind.
> 
> 
> 
>  So essential is the principle of the oneness of humanity to the
> efficacy of educational programs that it cannot be overemphasized.
> Without its broad influence such programs will not contribute
> significantly to the development of society. The very fact that
> businesses are themselves implementing educational programs is
> indicative of the glaring deficiency of the entire educational system.
> As we have already said, beyond the mechanisms of education lies the
> essential prerequisite of a proper attitude on the part of those
> dispensing curricula and, even more important, on the part of society
> as a whole. On this basis, education is not only the shortest route
> out of poverty; it is the shortest route out of prejudice as well. A
> national program of education, emphasizing the values of tolerance,
> brotherhood, appreciation for cultures other than one's own, and
> respect for differences would be a most important step toward the
> elimination of racism and, as a consequence, the bolstering of the
> economy.
> 
> 
>  III
> 
>  The persistent neglect by the governing bodies and the masses of
> the American people of the ravages of racism jeopardizes both the
> internal order and the national security of the country.
> 
> 
> 
>  From the day it was born the United States embraced a set of
> contradictory values. The founding fathers proclaimed their devotion
> to the highest principles of equality and justice yet enshrined
> slavery in the Constitution. Slavery poisoned the mind and heart of
> the nation and would not be abolished without a bloody civil war that
> nearly destroyed the young republic. The evil consequences of slavery
> are still visible in this land. They continue to affect the behavior
> of both Black and White Americans and prevent the healing of old
> wounds.
> 
> 
> 
>  Healing the wounds and building a society in which people of
> diverse backgrounds live as members of one family are the most
> pressing issues confronting America today. Her peace, her prosperity,
> and even her standing in the international community depend to a great
> extent on the resolution of this issue.
> 
> 
> 
>  That the virulence of the race issue in America attracts the
> attention of the entire world should spur this country to an
> unprecedented effort to eliminate every vestige of prejudice and
> discrimination from her midst. America's example could not fail to
> have a profound influence on world society nor could it fail to assist
> the establishment of universal peace. "For the accomplishment of
> unity between the colored and white," the Bahá'í
> writings proclaim, "will be a cause of the world's peace."
> 
> 
> 
>  The responsibility for the achievement of racial peace and unity in
> the United States rests upon both Black and White Americans. To build
> a society in which the rights of all its members are respected and
> guaranteed, both races must be animated with the spirit of optimism
> and faith in the eventual realization of their highest aspirations.
> Neither Black nor White Americans should assume that the
> responsibility for the elimination of prejudice and of its effects
> belongs exclusively to the other. Both must recognize that unity is
> essential for their common survival. Both must recognize that there
> is only one human species. Both must recognize that a harmoniously
> functioning society that permits the full expression of the potential
> of all persons can resolve the social and economic problems now
> confounding a society wracked with disunity.
> 
> 
> 
>  It is evident that both Black and White Americans in large numbers
> are feeling deeply disappointed and frustrated by what each group
> perceives to be a failure of the efforts in recent decades at
> effecting progress in the relations between the races. To rationalize
> this failure, both have been reacting by retreating to the more
> familiar ground of racial separation. As the problems with crime and
> drug addiction mount, the tendency is to use the seeming
> intractability of these problems as a measure of the failure of years
> of struggle on the part of both to overcome the barriers of centuries.
> Formidable as is the challenge yet to be met, can it fairly said that
> no significant progress has taken place since the days of the sit-ins
> at lunch counters across the South?
> 
> 
> 
>  Similarly, the victims of a protracted and entrenched racial
> discrimination seek relief in the notion that Black Americans, White
> Americans, American Indians, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans are
> so distinctly different from one another that all of them must stake
> out there own cultural and social territories and stay within them.
> Would this be sensible? Would it not be a retreat from the reality of
> our common humanity? Would it not be a formula for the total
> breakdown of civilization? Those who raise the call for separation
> preach a grim doctrine indeed. If the nation is seriously to submit
> to such a view, where exactly will either the Black or the White
> Americans divide their cultural heritage, one from the other?
> 
> 
> 
>  Racism runs deep. It infects the hearts of both White and Black
> Americans. Since without conscious, deliberate, and sustained effort,
> no one can remain unaffected by its corrosive influence, both groups
> must realize that such a problem can neither easily nor immediately be
> resolved. "Let neither think that anything short of genuine love,
> extreme patience, true humility, consummate tact, sound initiative,
> mature wisdom, and deliberate, persistent, and prayerful effort can
> succeed in blotting out the stain which this patent evil has left on
> the fair name of their common country."
> 
> 
> 
>  Both groups must understand that no real change will come about
> without close association, fellowship, and friendship among diverse
> people. Diversity of color, nationality, and culture enhances the
> human experience and should never be made a barrier to harmonious
> relationships, to friendship, or to marriage. "O well-beloved ones!"
> Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "The tabernacle of unity has been
> raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of
> one tree and the leaves of one branch."
> 
> 
>  IV
> 
>  Our appeal is addressed primarily to the individual American,
> because the transformation of a whole nation ultimately depends on the
> initiative and change of character of the individuals who compose it.
> No great idea or plan of action by the government or other interested
> organizations can hope to succeed if the individual neglects to
> respond in his or her own way as personal circumstances and
> opportunities permit. And so we respectfully and urgently call upon
> our fellow Americans of whatever background to look at the racial
> situation with new eyes and with a new determination to lend effective
> support to the resolution of a problem that hinders the advance of
> this great republic toward the full realization of its glorious
> destinity.
> 
> 
> 
>  We mention the experience of the Bahá'í community not
> from any feeling of pride and ultimate victory, because that which we
> have accomplished still falls short of that to which we aspire;
> nonetheless, the results to date are most encouraging, and it is as a
> means of encouragement that we call attention to them.
> 
> 
> 
>  From its inception in 1863 the Bahá'í community was
> dedicated to the principle of the unity of humankind.
> Bahá'ís rely upon faith in God, daily prayer,
> meditation, and study of sacred texts to effect the transformation of
> character necessary for personal growth and maturity; however, their
> aim is to create a world civilization that will in turn react upon the
> character of the individual. Thus the concept of personal salvation
> is linked to the salvation, security, and happiness of all the
> inhabitants of the earth and stems from the Bahá'í
> belief that "the world of humanity is a composite body" and that "when
> one part of the organism suffers all the rest of the body will feel
> its consequence."
> 
> 
> 
>  Guided and inspired by such principles, the Bahá'í
> community has accumulated more than a century of experience in
> creating models of unity that transcend race, culture, nationality,
> class, and the differences of sex and religion, providing empirical
> evidence that humanity in all its diversity can live as a unified
> global society. Bahá'ís see unity as the law of life;
> consequently, all prejudices are perceived as diseases that threaten
> life. Rather than considering that the unity of humankind can be
> established only after other problems afflicting it have been solved,
> Bahá'ís believe that both spiritual and material
> development are dependent upon love and unity. Therefore, the
> Bahá'ís offer the teachings of their Faith and the
> example of their community for examination, convinced that these can
> make a contribution toward the eradication of racism endemic in
> American society. We do so with firm faith in the assistance of our
> Creator, Who, out of His infinite love, brought forth all humanity
> from the same stock and intended that all belong to the same
> household. We believe, moreover, that the day of the unification of
> the entire human race has come and that "the potentialities inherent
> in the station of man, the innate excellence of his reality, must all
> be manifested in this promised Day of God."
> 
> 
> 
>  ADDENDUM
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the
> United States is the national administrative body for the
> Bahá'ís of the United States. The Assembly, has nine
> members and is elected annually by delegates from the forty eight
> contiguous states. It directs, coordinates, and stimulates the
> activities of local Bahá'í administrative bodies and of
> the 110,000 Bahá'ís in the United States.
> 
> 
> 
>  The Bahá'í Faith is an independent world religion
> with adherents in virtually every country. The worldwide
> Bahá'í community, numbering more than five million,
> includes almost all nationalities and classes. More than 2,100 ethnic
> groups and tribes are represented. There are 155 National Spiritual
> Assemblies.
> 
> 
> 
>  Bahá'u'lláh was the Prophet-Founder of the
> Bahá'í Faith. The central principles of His religion
> are the oneness of God, the oneness of religion, and the oneness of
> humanity. His religion "proclaims the necessity and the inevitability
> of the unification of mankind.... It, moreover, enjoins upon its
> followers the primary duty of an unfettered search after truth,
> condemns all manner of prejudice and superstition, declares the
> purpose of religion to be the promotion of amity and concord,
> proclaims its essential harmony with science, and recognizes it as the
> foremost agency for the pacification and the orderly progress of human
> society. It unequivocally maintains the principle of equal rights,
> opportunities and privileges for men and women, insists on compulsory
> education, eliminates extremes of poverty and wealth, abolishes the
> institution of priesthood, prohibits slavery, asceticism, mendicancy
> and monasticism, prescribes monogamy, discourages divorce, emphasizes
> the necessity of strict obedience to one's government, exalts any work
> performed in the spirit of service to the level of worship, urges
> either the creation or the adoption of an auxiliary international
> language, and delineates the outlines of those institutions that must
> establish and perpetuate the general peace of mankind."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Copyright 1991 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of
> the United States; proofread and corrected Jan 1994
>
> — *Vision of Race Unity: America's Most Challenging Issue (Used by permission of the curator)*