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Our nation has reached a crossroad concerning racism and has started in a new direction. The history of America will reflect a coming-to-terms with long-standing, unequal treatment of people. Inequity and injustice have fragmented people’s relationships with one another. We must not go backward into denial, but instead must go forward into healing by championing the inherent dignity of all people. Awareness of the past coupled with action in the present will guide us in building new patterns of community life based on equality and fairness. Bahá'u'lláh, the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, says, “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.”
The Bahá’is applaud and are thankful for the efforts that people are making locally for the betterment of society. Bahá'ís are only a small part of our community. We embrace a posture of learning and reflect carefully upon where our energies are most useful, and then join in as many forward-looking activities as we can. We’d like to share our reflections here.
In Champaign County, individual and social action group efforts focused on anti-racism have resurged since 2009. Concerted efforts to engage in meaningful conversations about improving education, housing, the business environment, and leisure by eliminating the pernicious effects of racism are leading us toward better lives for all who live, work, and visit our county. We name a few representative endeavors here to celebrate their range and variety. Multiple showings of the film Racial Taboo, followed by discussions and sharing of experiences, have stimulated deep examination of our collective spiritual and emotional health. People’s activity reports at the monthly Champaign County Community Coalition meetings reflect deeply-rooted concerns about fairness and justice. Book study groups in homes, faith-based spaces, and libraries are fostering discussions on dozens of titles such as Where Do We Go From Here by Martin Luther King, Jr., The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Waking Up White by Debby Irving. The NAACP is actively challenging unfair practices in the public schools and in the justice system. The local Bend the Arc Jewish Action chapter has partnered with other groups to fight prejudice in all forms. Bethel AME Church is host to First Followers, a locally envisioned and supported re-entry program. The Unitarian-Universalist Church, home to the Racial Justice Project, is showing films such as 13th and The Hate You Give as well as hosting discussions and workshops about institutional racism. The Bahá'í community hosts Second Sunday programs and discussions on the oneness of humankind. UIUC instructors conduct participatory workshops on the mechanics of white privilege. Seminars and workshops on trauma resiliency and restorative circles provide support for traumatized people to learn and to heal. Interfaith groups gather in unity and with mutual respect to discuss common tenets, including the Interfaith Day of Gratitude (observed each May), the Ministerial Alliance, the Interfaith Alliance of Champaign County, the Sisters in Faith Leadership, and the Religious Workers Association at UIUC. This is not an exhaustive list of such efforts.
Recently, youth are arising everywhere in the world to transform our communities. Locally, youth have formed Paign for Peace to actively fight racism by supporting changes in policing, education, and justice. They work with the 40 Days of Peace and Community Building Initiative against violence to form strong positive, connections among people. Midnight Basketball continues to draw middle and high school youth together to pray and play to build healthy relationships. The Housing Authority of Champaign County has implemented a local Youth Build program which includes construction work on housing and educational certifications for participants helping the whole community.
Recognizing and working against racism has become a worldwide movement that our African American friends, neighbors, and family members have long hoped for. Solutions call for strong and unending support from every person. This movement will not, and should not, go away. We are being forged, at long last, into one human family. A new pattern of community life is generating hope as “countless citizens have arisen to proclaim the truth that we are one nation, and to demand specific actions to address the pervasive inequities.”* We are determined to make this change for the better.
What can we do now? Contact the Coalition https://www.champaigncommunitycoalition.org to ask where your energies are needed or to get contact information for the above efforts. Join groups that you are interested in. Initiate community projects with friends and neighbors to support education and fairness in Champaign County. Form new personal and family relationships with people of diverse races, cultures, and backgrounds. Actions that we each take in our daily lives affect everyone.
"We have come to a moment of great public awareness and rejection of injustice. Let us not lose this opportunity. Will we commit to the process of forming 'a more perfect union'? ... Let us then join hands with each other in commitment to the path of justice. Together we can surely achieve this."*
*From a letter released on June 19, 2020, by the Baha'is of the United States
https://www.bahai.us/path-to-racial-justice/
Signed by
The Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá'ís of Champaign
The Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá'ís of Urbana
The Bahá'í Community of Mahomet
https://cu-bahai.org