RACE AMITY
Gregory—who was a Bahá’í from his declaration in 1909 to his death in 1951—was at the epicenter of a distinct, ongoing approach to diagnose and overcome the racial disunity that Shoghi Effendi so aptly termed “the most vital issue confronting America” (Advent 33). The Bahá’í vision of how to approach racial injustice and build racial unity has always been somewhat unique for its emphasis on the need for spiritual, as well as political, legal, social, economic, and cultural transformation. While governments and some of the public discourse have tended to emphasize themes of law, politics, and order, the Bahá’í community has argued for an integrative and comprehensive approach in which the challenges of overcoming racial oppression and building social unity are viewed as one and the same. This overall theme of this project is Race Amity.
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The distinct elements of the Bahá’í approach were exemplified at the time the leader of the Bahá’í Faith - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visited America. On April 9, 1912, President William Howard Taft stated in his address to Howard University alumni that “the only way by which [lynching] can be suppressed is that some time we shall have men as sheriffs and as governors and as prosecutors and as jurors who will see to it that the men who are engaged in pulling the rope under those conditions shall themselves swing by the rope” (Du Bois 12). Two weeks later, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá delivered a speech at Howard University that contrasted sharply with President Taft’s. He explained that a spiritual solution is required to challenge the souls of people, to enlist individuals ready to blaze the trail of human amity, to overcome suspicions and “mix together completely,” and to “become very loving toward” and “enhance [the] honor” of the other (44). In other words, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá provided the vision that to overcome racial disunity we must change our mindsets, worldviews, and ways of acting, challenging the very social meanings that divide one from another—a theme that the subsequent leader of the Bahá’í Faith, Shoghi Effendi emphasized in his Bahá’í writings:
No less serious is the stress and strain imposed on the fabric of American society through the fundamental and persistent neglect, by the governed and governors alike, of the supreme, the inescapable and urgent duty—so repeatedly and graphically represented and stressed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His arraignment of the basic weaknesses in the social fabric of the nation—of remedying, while there is yet time, through a revolutionary change in the concept and attitude of the average white American toward his Negro fellow citizen, a situation which, if allowed to drift, will, in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, cause the streets of American cities to run with blood. (Citadel 125)
Showcasing Gregory as a prime example of the Bahá’í approach to racial healing is the subject and vital contribution of the “Louis Gregory Across America” project. This initiative reveals to us Gregory’s unique formation and role as an example of American Racial Amity, and it vividly illustrates how, motivated by love, justice, and equality, he worked to build racial amity—something we can all do in our communities and neighborhoods. It also reminds us of the audacity and courage that was inspired by Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings on questions of race. Gregory was a trailblazer of racial amity. For example, he married interracially before interracial marriage was legal in many states.
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Gregory has been the principal subject of other books in the past, such as Elsie Austin’s groundbreaking Above All Barriers and Gayle Morrison’s historical and archival work, To Move the World. Both studies provide valuable insights into the life of the American Race Amity role model. Another significant work that discusses Gregory’s impact is Gwendolyn Etter-Lewis and Richard W. Thomas’s edited collection, Lights of the Spirit: Historical Portraits of Black Bahá’ís in North America, 1898-2000, which focuses more expressly on how Gregory was “standing at the heart of the most challenging issue for the American Bahá’í community—the problem of obliterating racial prejudice”. Significant research is ongoing that continues to build upon these works and others.
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The “Louis Gregory Across America” project also prompts us to broaden our understanding of Gregory’s formative social context. When defining Gregory’s closest companions as symbols of guidance, the project highlights his family, the Noisettes. It is worth noting that in 2011 a gathering of the Noisette family in Charleston, South Carolina, received an address from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. In attendance was Gregory’s great-niece Patricia Banks Edmiston, who knew Gregory personally, emulated his example, and successfully fought to desegregate the flight attendant career path through her 1957 lawsuit against Capital Airlines.
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The “Louis Gregory Across America” project speaks to a timely narrative of hope and inspiration that will certainly help the rising generations emulate his example. We live in a time when racial violence is making names like Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Oscar Grant, Montrell Jackson, Trayvon Martin, Patrick Zamarripa, and too many others part of our public discourses. We are reminded daily that the very destiny of America—as the Bahá’í Writings state—is tied up with the challenge of racial injustice. This project inspires us all with Gregory’s energy and spirit to make our contribution by teaching racial amity. It will inspire individuals and communities to renew and quicken our centuries-old commitment to interracial collaboration to advance racial justice in our nation. In this respect, the project encourages its participants to pursue America’s proud “other tradition” that is worthy of further study for the betterment of America and the world.
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The “Louis Gregory Across America” project seeks to impact the public discourse on race - to move it from the “blame/grievance/rejection” cycle to one of “amity/collaboration/access and equity.” Most discussions focus exclusively on racist traditions; this project presents a moral counterweight of close, loving, friendship and collaboration, which is “the other tradition.”
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“The Other Tradition” is those actions that have taken place during the course of our national history that are based on the moral principle of the organic oneness and unity of humankind. “The Other Tradition” has been a constant parallel counterweight to the social construction of racism in America. A key element of “The Other Tradition” and the propellant for its success is amity. Amity is one of the hallmarks of “The Other Tradition.” In the context of human relationships, it is easily understood why amity or, more familiarly, friendship, is a central ingredient to the conduct of progressive action for racial equity and justice. This is because there are two primary affinity relationships in human affairs. The first is love and caring for family. The second is love and caring for friends. To the extent that amity exists among people, there is a genuine commitment and support that includes willingness to take risks and engage in personal sacrifice.
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The “Louis Gregory Across America” project offers participants the opportunity to reflect on the events and instructions Louis Gregory’s life offers to the conduct of contemporary work to promote access, equity, and social justice. Participants will be reinforced in resolve to take ongoing actions to ensure the continuation of this race amity dynamic, which is critical to overcoming racial and cultural prejudice.
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We have long since reached the point in the history of race relations in the United States where we realize that race relations will not improve without a concerted effort to foster understanding, collaboration, and unity. The “Louis Gregory Across America” project aims to be a catalyst for this change, inspiring individuals and communities across the nation to work together towards a more just and unified society.
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