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The Vision Of Race Unity
America’s Most Challenging Issue
A Statement by the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United States
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.
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| Copyright © 1991 by the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United States— All rights reserved. |
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