Baha’is believe in the power of prayer and you’ll find Baha’is and their friends, throughout the world, getting together to pray. This is often referred to as a ‘devotional gathering’ or ‘devotional meeting’, and they happen in diverse settings, whether in cities or villages.
In this talk, the first part of a presentation titled “Race Unity: Advancing the Conversation”, Tod Ewing and Ken Bowers explore some guidance from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States and the Universal House of Justice. They examine how we can contribute to race amity and engage with the elimination of prejudice within the current framework for action, public discourse, and social action. They discuss how we can address racism and prejudice within ourselves, within our Baha’i communities, and within the greater community.
Tod Ewing has been a trainer and consultant in racial unity and justice work for almost 30 years. His current professional work focuses on applying spiritual solutions to racial justice work through his co-founded non-profit The Race Story ReWrite Project and through his work based on his book Seeing Heaven in the Face of Black Men.
Ken Bowers currently serves as the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, the annually elected body governing the activities of Baha’is in the 48 contiguous states. Prior to being elected to the National Assembly, he served as an appointed member of the National Teaching Committee, the principal arm of the National Assembly, acting as its Secretary for nearly 10 years. Until 1991, Mr. Bowers owned and operated a business in Atlanta. He is the author of God Speaks Again, an introductory book about the Baha’i Faith which can be found here on Amazon.
This talk was given at the Grand Canyon Baha’i Conference, 24 December, 2017.
You can find another of Ken Bower’s talks from this same conference, titled “America’s Destiny: Insights from the Baha’i Teachings”, here on Baha’i Blog’s YouTube Channel.
In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.
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