Selected profiles
of African-American Baha'is
In observance of Black History Month, we pay tribute to some notable African-American Baha’is who have made significant contributions to American society. John Birks Gillespie, jazz trumpeter extraordinaire, was among the top kings of bebop, a style of jazz popular in the 1940s characterized by fast tempos and improvisations. Read more about Dizzy and other African-American Baha'is in this article. |
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Featured book: Lights of the Spirit: Historical Portraits of Black Baha'is in North America 1898-2000
A sizeable number of African-Americans were early members of the Baha'i Faith in the United States, a fact ignored by most scholars who study the religious history of African-Americans, say the editors of Lights of the Spirit: Historical Portraits of Black Baha'is in North America: 1898-2000, due out this spring. |
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Featured Course:
The Origins of the Baha'i Faith in Black America
This fascinating multimedia presentation offers a glimpse into the lives of some of the first African-Americans to declare their belief in Baha'u'llah's teachings as a way to universalize their struggles and give them a sense of human dignity. |
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Ayyam-i-Ha a time of giving and hospitality
Baha'is celebrate the festival of Ayyam-i-Ha each year from sunset on Feb. 25 to sunset of March 1 as a preparation for the Fast, which begins March 2 and ends March 20. During Ayyam-i-Ha, members of the Faith perform acts of charity, give gifts to friends and family, and attend social gatherings. |
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Beyond the Bottom Line:
A New Vision of Human Prosperity
That's the theme of the Fourth Annual Baha'i Business Forum of the Americas (BBFA) Conference, to be held Feb. 17-19 at the Hyatt Regency Reston in Reston, Va. The conference is open to both Baha´i and non-Baha'i business leaders. |
