A Conversation About Race with My Father

This is a very personal show for me. 

In previous episodes of this program I have unpacked the issue of race in light of the teachings of the Baha’i Faith, speaking with scholars, artists, professionals in related fields and mentors, all of whom continue to make valuable contributions to our collective understanding of the reality of the oneness of humanity. 

These discussions have necessarily been viewed from our guests’ perspective, with occasional anecdotes offered by your host which, hopefully, enhanced the discussion for the listening audience. 

RELATED: A Lesson in Courage: Confronting Racism with My Father

For this episode however, I thought it would be interesting to shift the lens just a bit and examine the dynamics of racism through a powerful personal experience, one that occurred in the summer of 1977 when I was an eight year-old boy traveling across this vast country in my father’s blue and gray Oldsmobile Cutlass to visit family in California. 

It was a moment in my life that I shall never forget, not merely because it was my first extended road trip with my dad, but rather because the circumstances of this one experience would awaken me to the social complications of race and arouse within me an enduring determination to help to eradicate the evils of bigotry and injustice. 

Joining me today for what I know will be an engaging conversation is a very special guest, my dad, Milton John Bolds. For the record, my father is not a Baha’i, and during our discussion I will quote selections from the writings of the Baha’i Faith on the issue of race and invite his perspective.From the Baha’i point of view truth is one, so whether a person is a Baha’i or not has no bearing on one’s ability to acknowledge the scintillating spark of truth when one encounters it. That capacity, encoded in the spiritual DNA of all humanity, belongs to us all regardless of our beliefs. My father draws on a wealth of personal and professional experiences that have informed his views on the issue of race, and I know he will offer some powerful reflections that will inform and inspire. I look forward to learning from him, as I always have, during this very special episode of America’s Most Challenging Issue.