Free Event | Is There a Cure for Racism?

359 South Kalamazoo Mall,Kalamazoo MI 49007

17 April, 2023

Description

Can a new perspective on the root cause of racism help us finally discover a cure? Is racism, at its core, actually a moral and even spiritual disease that will require more in addition to just changing laws and reforming institutions? Does the cure to finally eradicate it also demand profound changes in how we think and see each other, ultimately requiring a transformation of hearts? Almost no aspect of our society is untouched by racism. Laws have been changed and some progress has been made, but how far can those solutions take us on their own? After slavery came Jim Crow. After Jim Crow came mass incarceration and institutional racism. Attempts at remedies through Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Act were not enough – the disease simply found new ways to thrive, mutating its form to infect our education, judicial, health, economic and other institutions and systems in ways – overt & covert – that continue to persist today. So what else is called for? Is a spiritual remedy also needed to help heal what is at its core a moral and spiritual disease? Humanity is not a collection of laws or social regulations; rather, we are defined by our common nobility as spiritual beings. While finding strength in our “unity in diversity”, might recognition of our essential oneness help bring about the transformation of human hearts that no change in law could ever achieve on its own? Come join a different kind of conversation – one that welcomes every perspective in a search for the truths that unite us all – as we discuss the spiritual perspective offered by the Bahá’i Teachings on the elimination of racism. Please join us for a lively discussion as we explore how centering our beliefs and actions on the oneness of humanity can lead to a restructuring of society that could finally cure the disease. “We must lay aside all prejudice—whether it be religious, racial, political or patriotic; we must become the cause of the unification of the human race.” – Bahá’i Teachings *** This event is free and open to all regardless of background or belief. Donations will not be accepted. How to get to our venue, the Public Media Network: The Public Media Network is located on the third floor of the Epic Center Building, suite 300. You may park on the Kalamazoo Mall street, in front of the building, or in the Epic Center Parking Garage. The garage entrance address is 136 E. South Street. From the Epic Center front door: take the elevators down the hallway to your right and go to the third floor. From the Epic Center parking garage: parking on the west side ground level or level one is best, as the only way to enter the Epic directly from the garage is through the door in the southwest corner of the ground level. From that entrance there will be a hallway on your left, where the elevators are located. Take them to the third floor. Bring your parking ticket in with you for free validation!