Robert Wilson, first African-American Baha’i?
Tuesday, February 28th, 2006Racing to get this one in under the wire, but I just came across this article from the Virginian-Pilot about Robert Wilson Turner, believed to be the first African-American Baha’i:
After the Civil War, an African American middle class began to emerge in the South. Before long, its members were filling out deeds and drawing wills. In old age, many passed on savings and property to their children.
Such economic progress was not what professional genealogist Langdon Hagen-Long, 55, had been taught before she started researching the Portsmouth connections of Robert
WilsonTurner, who is believed to be the first African American to join the Bahai faith.
…
Hagen-Long, who grew up in Portsmouth’s Westhaven neighborhood, undertook the study on commission from a customer in California. The man, who she said wishes to remain anonymous, plans to write a book about the Bahai faith and include RobertWilsonTurner as the first African American to join the religion. Bahai began in Persia in the mid-1800s and teaches the essential unity of the world’s great religions.
Seemed like a good way to finish off Black History Month (check out an earlier post here). Oh, and it should be pointed out that this is for the American Black History Month. Over in the UK they were doing this back in October.
[update from mr. mcgee: "I’m not sure what the source for that information is, but the first African-American Baha’i is generally acknowledged to be Robert Turner. The strange thing is that all the information in that article seems to be about Turner, only they’re calling him “Wilson.”
Fortunately, I just finished editing a book about the history of African-Americans in the Baha’i community, so I’ve e-mailed Richard Thomas to ask about it. . . ."
Um yeah, so sorry about that. Good thing I have people smarter than me watching my back.]
For those of us who came into the Baha'i Faith through the ever popular 
