‘Abdu’l-Bahá: a NAACP man of the month in 1912

I’m so proud to belong to a religion that has valued unity and equality (race & gender) from day 1. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of the prophet of the Baha’i Faith, was even named one of The Crisis’ (NAACP’s official publication) “Men of the Month” for May 1912 by W. E. B. Du Bois. (read more here)  

April 30, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave a talk at the 4^th Annual Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at Handel Hall, Chicago, Illinois . He clearly states that ones color does not matter. What matters is ones heart:

“Color or race is of no importance. He who is the image and likeness of God, who is the manifestation of the bestowals of God, is acceptable at the threshold of God — whether his color be white, black or brown; it matters not. Man is not man simply because of bodily attributes. The standard of divine measure and judgment is his intelligence and spirit.

The character and purity of the heart is of all importance. The heart illumined by the light of God is nearest and dearest to God, and inasmuch as God has endowed man with such favor that he is called the image of God, this is truly a supreme perfection of attainment, a divine station which is not to be sacrificed by the mere accident of color.” 

Read the entire talk here