Race Unity in Benicia and Beyond
Forging a Path to Racial Justice
The Baha’is of the United States join our fellow-citizens in heartfelt grief at the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others whose lives were suddenly taken by appalling acts of violence. These heartbreaking violations against fellow human beings, due only to the color of their skin, have deepened the dismay caused by a pandemic whose consequences to the health and livelihoods of people of color have been disproportionately severe. This has come to pass against a backdrop of longstanding racial injustice in virtually every aspect of American life. It is clear that racial prejudice is the most vital and challenging issue we face as a country.
Race Unity Action
The Baha'i view is that racial prejudice, while baneful and pernicious, is but one "symptom and side effect of the basic disease—disunity." True unity, founded on the "Oneness of Humanity," expressed in varied and diverse ways within the framework of action is the only long-term cure to this ill. Each individual must investigate this truth and how to embody its reality.