Inspired
by the
Baha’i Faith
The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith. The official website of the Baha'i Faith is: Bahai.org. The official website of the Baha'is of the United States can be found here: Bahai.us.
GOT IT
The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith.
How do I become Baha’i?
A Conversation About Race with My Father

A Conversation About Race with My Father

Masud Olufani | Jan 15, 2021
mins
A Conversation About Race with My Father
Dr. Anthony Lee and the Excavation of Buried Racial Narratives
America’s Most Challenging Issue

Dr. Anthony Lee and the Excavation of Buried Racial Narratives

Kathleen Cross: Claiming Her Identity as a Mixed Race Woman
America’s Most Challenging Issue

Kathleen Cross: Claiming Her Identity as a Mixed Race Woman

Black Fathers Raising Black Roses
America’s Most Challenging Issue

Black Fathers Raising Black Roses

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. 

My father, stepmom and I

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.

You May Also Like

Black Fathers Raising Black Roses
America’s Most Challenging Issue

Black Fathers Raising Black Roses

Dr. Anthony Lee and the Excavation of Buried Racial Narratives
America’s Most Challenging Issue

Dr. Anthony Lee and the Excavation of Buried Racial Narratives

Bahia Overton: Revealing the Latent Potential in Children
America’s Most Challenging Issue

Bahia Overton: Revealing the Latent Potential in Children

From Sit-ins to Spirituals: The Baha’i Activism of Van Gilmer
America’s Most Challenging Issue

From Sit-ins to Spirituals: The Baha’i Activism of Van Gilmer


Comments

characters remaining
x
x
Connect with Baha’is in your area
Welcome!
What's your name?
Thanks my friend ! We want to connect you with a Baha’i in your area, where would that be?
Thank you so much! How can they best reach you?
To put you in touch with a Baha’i in your area who can answer your questions, we would like to kindly ask for a few details about yourself.
Connect with Baha’is in your area
Connect with Baha’is in your area
Get in touch with the Baha’is in your community.