Growing up in a Baha’i household I was raised with the concept of global unity – that no one group/ethnicity/race/gender is superior to another. So many of the beautiful writings speak to this:

The oneness of humankind is the foundation of this faith, and I assumed that by accepting these ideas I was living this life. Now, 30 something years on, I am opening my eyes to the knowledge that we actually have to do the work. No matter who you are, and what beautiful beliefs you hold, we are all affected, and influenced by the cultural norms and built in social racism and prejudices that have existed. Whatever they may be and where ever you may be.

 

I rarely write on these topics because it is hard for me to find the words. The right ones. And mostly because I feel like I am wading through deep water myself. I am in the work myself, so I don’t know what I can really offer to others. Today, after reflecting on the heaviness of more tragedy based on prejudice, I realize that even if I don’t have much to contribute, I can at least acknowledge that I am in process.

 

The last few years have been a deeper dive for me on many issues, including my complicity in maintaining the status quo of racial divides. One thing that has struck me as so important, within the Baha’i community now, is this conversation about being in a “learning mode”. This to me is everything. Learning mode means we recognize where we hope to be and see that we have a ways to go, and so we must learn. And continue to learn. We need to let our eyes be opened, and stop assuming we already know. And this leads me to the quality of humility. It takes humility to say “I don’t know”. It takes humility to see that we may some where and somehow be part of the problem, even when we have thought and worked not to be. It takes humility to let ourselves be wrong so that we can grow and learn.

 

Some may wonder why a “brown” person is writing this. This is because as I do the work to examine my prejudices, I acknowledge that while I can sometimes be considered brown and have experienced moments of racial discrimination, I am most often treated as white. I hold privilege. And the truth is, we all need to examine our privilege.  I recognize that socio-economic privilege has allowed me to have access to great education, to travel and see the world, to pursue things I love rather than hold down a job to make ends meet. I have been able to live with a blind eye to much of my fellow human being’s suffering, and this is what we all need to examine and shift. We cannot create a world where all are treated equally as long as we can’t see how some are oppressed while others, including ourselves gain.

 

Saying all this is hard, because I’m not there. I haven’t moved through all of it yet. But I am doing it. Slowly, painfully, I am trying. This is our work.