The real means of eliminating race prejudice, is to spread and establish the Faith; for in it, there is no prejudice whatsoever, as the Faith itself holds as its cardinal principle, the Oneness of Humanity.

~ Written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in The Power of Unity: Beyond Prejudice and Racism, pp. 105

I was reminded of this quote when I ran across an article yesterday in the University of Wisconsin-Madison student newspaper (coincidentally enough) The Daily Cardinal, that there is no biological basis for racial distinctions. There is only one race, the human one, but unfortunately we seem to allow petty distinctions to classify us.

In 1998, Alan R. Templeton, a biology professor at Washington University, published a paper demonstrating that “race is a real cultural, political and economic concept in society, but it is not a biological concept, and that, unfortunately, is what many people wrongfully consider to be the essence of race in humans—genetic differences.”

Race is an invented concept that is used to define, to limit and to separate the “others.”  The Baha’is believe in the elimination of racial discriminations and prejudices of all kinds.  If the faith were to spread and more people to adopt this particular viewpoint, than humanity would have the opportunity to come together, to unite, and put it’s attention towards solving larger problems.

So-called "interracial marriage" is also encouraged in the Bahá’í teachings, which stress the essential oneness of the human race.

~ Baha’i International Community, 1992, Magazine – The Baha’is

It is very interesting to me that the Baha’i Faith promotes interracial marriage as a form of world unity, bringing the world one step closer.  I have found an additional effect, however.  Meeting so many interracial couples when I first entered into the Baha’i community challenged some of my own conceptions.  I would meet people of different races and make assumptions about their spouses, and/or not realize who was married to whom.  Although it was a bit embarrassing and sometimes frustrating, it also helped me to grow more accepting of something that I had thought I already accepted.  I did not object to such unions, but because I had such little previous experience with them, I was not accustomed to them.

When do kids lose that natural curiosity and begin to use those differences to separate them from others?  Why does this happen?  What kinds of things can teachers and parents do to encourage that curiosity?

Teachers often say they learn a lot from their students.  Maybe kids can show adults how to live together.

I was listening to the song "We Can Show You How" from One World by the Children’s Theatre Company when I thought of this post.  You can listen to this song and 4 others on their MySpace page.

While one question may be, Can they show us how?, perhaps the larger unknown is, Will we listen?

Note: This entry is cross-posted on my other blog – TeacherJay’s EduBlog.

But there is need of a superior power to overcome human prejudices, a power which nothing in the world of mankind can withstand and which will overshadow the effect of all other forces at work in human conditions. That irresistible power is the love of God. It is my hope and prayer that it may destroy the prejudice of this one point of distinction between you and unite you all permanently under its hallowed protection. Bahá’u'lláh has proclaimed the oneness of the world of humanity. He has caused various nations and divergent creeds to unite. He has declared that difference of race and color is like the variegated beauty of flowers in a garden. If you enter a garden, you will see yellow, white, blue, red flowers in profusion and beauty — each radiant within itself and although different from the others, lending its own charm to them. Racial difference in the human kingdom is similar. If all the flowers in a garden were of the same color, the effect would be monotonous and wearying to the eye.

Therefore, Bahá’u'lláh hath said that the various races of humankind lend a composite harmony and beauty of color to the whole. Let all associate, therefore, in this great human garden even as flowers grow and blend together side by side without discord or disagreement between them.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 68

The elimination of prejudices is one of the core beliefs of the Baha’i Faith.  We are not expected to do this on our own, as mentioned in this quote.  Abdu’l-Baha confirms that this endeavor is so great that we require the love of God in order to accomplish it.

A beautiful analogy follows—the variegated skin colors of humans as different types of flowers.  Different, yes, but all equal and all contributing to one great mosaic.  In this way, our diversity can lead to our unity.