L
’AtSÜMWlKx
Page A6
MAY 13,1998
ï l j r IJortlanb (Observer
R a c e
B\ P atricia C’ ampi zano
Because little is known about
the Bahai Faith. I will begin with
some background before getting
on to the topic o f Racial Unity,
w hich is one o f its ordinances. The
Baha'i Faith teaches us that all
Messengers o f God have had an
important role in human evolution.
They have all given us what was
appropriate at the time. But the
process is a continuous one, hu
mans are forever getting closer to
achieving spiritual maturity and
closeness to God. In 1817, another
Messenger was bom, with a mes
sage appropriate for this age. His
nam e is B ah a’u 'lla h . His son
• A bdu’l-Baha (1844-1921), con
solidated the Faith and interpreted
His w ritin g s. M ore re c e n tly ,
‘A bdu’IBaha’s grandson Shogi
Effendi (1897-1957) translated
these writings into English and
wrote some books o f his own.
In the “The Advent o f Divine
Justice’’, written in 1938, Shogi
Effendi addresses the American
community, giving guidelines to
practitioners o f the Faith: “To dis
criminate against any race, on the
grounds o f its being (perceived as)
socially backward, politically im
mature, and (its being) numerically
in a minority, is a flagrant violation
o f the spirit that animates the Faith
U
n it y
zens.
Shogi Effendi goes on to address
specifical ly the black and white races
ofthis country: "A tremendous effort
is required o f both races...casting
away once and for all the fallacious
doctrine o f racial superiority, with
all its attendant evils, conf usion and
miseries...
-Let the w hite make a supreme
effort to correct the tendency toward
a patronizing attitude...
-Let the w hite persuade the black
through their intimate, spontaneous
and informal association with them
ofthe genuineness of their friendship
and the sincerity o f their intention...
-Let the w hite master their impa
tience o f any lack o f responsiveness
on the part o f a people who have
received, for so long a period, such
grievous and slow-healing wounds.
-Let the black, through corre
sponding effort on their part, show
by every means within their power
the warmth o f their response...
-Let the black show by every
means within their power, their readi
ness to forget the past...
-Let the black show by every
means within their power, their abil
ity to wipe out every trace o f suspi
cion that may still linger in their heart
and minds.
...Let neither think that anything
short o f genuine love, extreme pa
o f Baha’u ’llah...any division isalien
to its very purpose... every differen
tiation o f class, creed or color must
be autom atically obliterated and
never, under any pretext and how
ever great the pressure o f events or
public opinion, be allowed to reas
sert itself”. This is very clear and
precise advice. It exhorts us to re
member that Baha’u'llah compared
the different races o f man to the dif
ferent kinds o f flowers in a garden,
the variety is necessary to bri ng about
the potential beauty ofthe whole. All
the flowers, as the races, have their
very own beauty and theirown indis
pensable contribution to make.
And this exhortation applies to
both, the individual who has to fight
the prejudices polluting his or her
heart, and the community who must
protect its members: “Unlike the na
tions whoeither ignore, trample upon,
or extirpate the racial, religious, or
political minorities within their ju
risdiction, every community under
the banner o f Baha’u ’llah should feel
it to be its first and inescapable obli
gation to nurture, encourage, and
safeguard every minority belonging
to any faith, race, class, or nation
within it.” We cannot deny that these
words have relevance today, given
the recent and unfortunate violent
acts committed by some o f our con
temporary nations against their citi
Meyer Memorial Trust
Grants $1.5 Million for
PSU Urban Center Project
tience, true humility, consummate
tact, sound initiative, mature wis
dom, and deliberate, persistent and
prayful effort, can succeed in blot
ting out the stain which this patent
evil (of division) has left on the
name o f their common country” .
Further on, in an invitation to a
place we have not seen, a future
w e must create, he goes on to list
the benefits o f such changes: "...
be firmly convinced that on their
mutual understanding, their am
ity, and their sustained coopera
tion. m ust depend, more than on
any either operating force..., the
deflection o f a dangerous course...
and the m aterialization o f the
hopes H e(B ah a’u ’llah)cherished
for their jo in t contribution to the
fulfillm ent o fth is country’s glori
ous destiny... I wish to impress
upon you not only the urgency o f
this holy task but the lim itless
possibilities which it possesses o f
raising to such exalted level not
only the life o f your com m unity,
but the m otives and standards that
govern the relationships among
(all) people (belonging) to these
tim es, so fraught with peril, so
full ofcorruption, and yet so preg
nant with the prom ise o f a future
so bright that no previous age in
the annals o f m ankind can rival its
glory”.
The M eyer M em orial T rust has
g ran ted $1.5 m illio n to w a rd the
c o m p le tio n o f P o rtla n d S ta te
U n i v e r s i t y ’ s U rb a n C e n te r
p ro ject, w hich b egins c o n s tru c
tion this sum m er.
T he gift is one o f the largest
ev er given by the P o rtla n d based
c h a r ita b le o r g a n iz a tio n , an d
b rings the total am ount o f c h a ri
table gifts raised tow ard the U r
ban C e n te r p ro ject to ju s t over
$3.2 m illion.
It is also the la rg e st g ift ev er
If you want to know more about
Racial Unity
Or about The Baha’i Faith
Send us a self-addressed envelope at:
The Baha’is of Portland
P.O. Box 83297
Portland, OR 97283
or visit our web site:
www.pdx-bahai.org
Event to Help Hispanic, Latino Students Prepare for Col lege
Oregon State University student, fac
ulty and administrative leaders will host a
special event in Salem on Fhursday, May
21, to help Hispanic-Latino students in
area high schools begin preparing for
college.
The event, "Si, Se Puede,” is aimed at
students in grades 9-12. I l will run from
6-9 pm at the Oregon State Fair and
Expo Center’s Cascade Hall, 233017th
St. NE in SaIem.“We are inviting His
panic-Latino students, their parents and
community leaders to learn more about
what it takes to begin preparing for a four
year university, regardlessofwhich uni
versity that may be," said Louan J ohnson.
marketing assistant at OSU.
Scheduled speakers include Clara
Padilla Andrews, publisher o f El His
panic News; Orcilia Zuniga-Forbes,
vice president for university advance
ment at OSU; ErlindaGon/ales-Berry.
chairofO SU ’s Department of Ethnic
Studies; Larry Griggs, director of the
received by the PSU F oundation.
“ The U rban C e n te r is a w o n
derfu lly a p p ro p ria te w ay o f e x
tending P ortland S ta te 's o rie n ta
tion to the city w hile sh o w casin g
its n atio n ally know n C o lle g e o f
U rban and P ublic A ffa irs,” said
John T hom pson, a m em ber o f the
M eyer M em orial T ru s t’s B oard
o f T ru stees, and C E O o f N orm
T hom pson. “T his is an e x citin g
project that should stim u la te d e
velopm ent o f a part o f dow ntow n
th a t’s been too long o v e rlo o k e d .”
Select
Educational Opportunities Program
(F.OP) at the university; O scar
Montemayor, counselor and academic
advisor for EOP and the College As
sistance Education Office.
For more information, contact Luis
Juarez, 5 4 1 -73 7-0484, or Rudy Flores
at 541-737-9031.
Pam A r d e n
County Commissioner
M ultnom ah C ounty, D istric t 2
Experienced - Thoughtful - Effective
Third Annual
BLACK ACHIEVERS RECOGNITION BANQUET
Gloria Cabine
Bank M a n a g e r, Wells F argo
W ednesday , M ay 1 3 , 1 9 9 8
5 :3 0 pm - S ocial 6 : 4 5 pm - D inner
Kedrlch Jackson
Project M anager, Hewlett Packard
'Special Guest Buffalo Soliders and Allen
Temple CME Choir Youth'
Master of Ceremonies
Ken Boddie
Guest Speaker:
Melvin D. Oden-Orr
Beverly Edmondson
Attorney a t Law
Lane-Powell-Spears-Lubersky
Sales, Recruiting & HR Manager,
IKON Office Salotlons
News Anchor
KOIN-TV
Manuel Houston
Owens C orning
Store M a n a g e r, Fred M eyer
D oubletree H otel at the C olumbia R iver
1 4 0 1 N . H ayden I sland D rive
Please RSVP TODA Y at 221-5333
¥
■■
Michelle Hurdle
Chastity Pratt
YMCA
Northsidc Family YMCA
V ice President/Area M a n a g e r
Bank o l A m e ric a
i
lie build strong kids,
strong families,
®
fit) . strong communities.
i
Reporter
The O reg o n ia n
1