April 17, 1912 Race unity!

The unity of the races! That is the topic Abdu'l-Baha addressed today, in 1912.

With the Kinney family at their home

Mahmud writes: "An important meeting was held today at the home of Mr Kinney. It was attended by many Bahá'ís and non-Bahá'ís and demonstrated a strong bond of unity between whites and blacks. The Master said that the East has always been the dawning place of light, that this gathering of blacks and whites is like the gathering of many colored flowers and that the variety of colors enhances the beauty of the garden and brings about the loveliness of each.

In the evening the Master invited everyone to dinner, which He Himself prepared. He spoke about unity and love and demonstrated to everyone how to serve at the threshold of the Blessed Beauty. Indeed, it was a blessed evening and a wonderful example of generosity and bestowal in the highest degree."

Servant of the Glory. Perfect Exemplar. How are we so lucky, in this Dispensation, to have such a Figure? So accessible--yet so noble, majestic, forward-thinking.

In 239 Days Allan Ward (my Bahá'í teacher) notes that today was also the day that "Miss Quimby" became the first woman pilot to fly across the English channel in an "aeroplane."

Isn't it marvelous that Abdu'l-Baha stood so clearly for both race unity and women's emancipation? The world, of course, still has a ways to go to catch up with these essential ideas. Yet PEACE--another topic that underlines the whole visit of Abdu'l-Baha to America--is so utterly dependent upon them!