WINTER 2020 PROGRAM INFORMATION
Check here for answers to your TBS program questions.
Also check on our Tennessee Baha'i School Facebook page for periodic updates: https://www.facebook.com/tennbahaischool/
Also check on our Tennessee Baha'i School Facebook page for periodic updates: https://www.facebook.com/tennbahaischool/
A Statement on racial justice by 'Abdu'l-Baha:
Every human creature is the servant of God. All have been created and reared by the power and favor of God; all have been blessed with the bounties of the same Sun of divine truth; all have quaffed from the fountain of the infinite mercy of God; and all in His estimation and love are equal as servants. He is beneficent and kind to all. Therefore, no one should glorify himself over another; no one should manifest pride or superiority toward another; no one should look upon another with scorn and contempt; and no one should deprive or oppress a fellow creature. All must be considered as submerged in the ocean of God’s mercy. We must associate with all humanity in gentleness and kindliness. We must love all with love of the heart.
—‘Abdu’l-Bahá, from an April 25, 1912, talk quoted in The Promulgation of Universal Peace
Every human creature is the servant of God. All have been created and reared by the power and favor of God; all have been blessed with the bounties of the same Sun of divine truth; all have quaffed from the fountain of the infinite mercy of God; and all in His estimation and love are equal as servants. He is beneficent and kind to all. Therefore, no one should glorify himself over another; no one should manifest pride or superiority toward another; no one should look upon another with scorn and contempt; and no one should deprive or oppress a fellow creature. All must be considered as submerged in the ocean of God’s mercy. We must associate with all humanity in gentleness and kindliness. We must love all with love of the heart.
—‘Abdu’l-Bahá, from an April 25, 1912, talk quoted in The Promulgation of Universal Peace
TBS Winter School 2020's Program Theme
Racial Amity: A Key to the Future
The Winter School program will focus on how indivdiuals, families and communities can come together to learn from each other's experiences and gain new insights into addressing racial prejudice, and how each of us plays a pivotal role as protagonists towards the emergence of a society that recognizes the nobility of all and our inherent oneness.
Achieving race unity will be the common thread of study for attendees of all ages, with age-appropriate materials for the children's classes and junior youth program; youth and adults will study the same core material, but in separate programs. It is hoped that families, including children and friends, will take the opportunity during meals and open times to discuss together what they are learning. A final session will bring everyone together again--children, junior youth, youth and adults--for families, neighbors and local community members to share new insights gained, engage in visioning, and plan for how they will "address the issues of racism afflicting themselves, their families, their communities, and the wider society ... through their efforts of community building, social action, and involvement in the discourses of society."
A key role that the Baha’i community must play in our nation is to help others understand how to walk together towards racial harmony. Thus, we all need to learn how to speak in a language that promotes unity, act in ways that unite disparate elements, and engage in discourse that brings healing and understanding. This winter school is designed to encourage systematic unity-building within and around our communities. Shoghi Effendi noted that building unity across racial divides requires “genuine love, extreme patience, true humility, consummate tact, sound initiative, mature wisdom, and deliberate, persistent, and prayerful effort.”
Racial Amity: A Key to the Future
The Winter School program will focus on how indivdiuals, families and communities can come together to learn from each other's experiences and gain new insights into addressing racial prejudice, and how each of us plays a pivotal role as protagonists towards the emergence of a society that recognizes the nobility of all and our inherent oneness.
Achieving race unity will be the common thread of study for attendees of all ages, with age-appropriate materials for the children's classes and junior youth program; youth and adults will study the same core material, but in separate programs. It is hoped that families, including children and friends, will take the opportunity during meals and open times to discuss together what they are learning. A final session will bring everyone together again--children, junior youth, youth and adults--for families, neighbors and local community members to share new insights gained, engage in visioning, and plan for how they will "address the issues of racism afflicting themselves, their families, their communities, and the wider society ... through their efforts of community building, social action, and involvement in the discourses of society."
A key role that the Baha’i community must play in our nation is to help others understand how to walk together towards racial harmony. Thus, we all need to learn how to speak in a language that promotes unity, act in ways that unite disparate elements, and engage in discourse that brings healing and understanding. This winter school is designed to encourage systematic unity-building within and around our communities. Shoghi Effendi noted that building unity across racial divides requires “genuine love, extreme patience, true humility, consummate tact, sound initiative, mature wisdom, and deliberate, persistent, and prayerful effort.”
Can my family and friends who are not enrolled as Baha’is come to TBS?
Absolutely! You are encouraged to invite guests. TBS and this season's program are structured for Baha’is as well as for friends of the Faith and other individuals in the wider community. It is suggested, but not required, that these friends be familiar with the basic tenets of the Faith and standards set for all school attendees.
Absolutely! You are encouraged to invite guests. TBS and this season's program are structured for Baha’is as well as for friends of the Faith and other individuals in the wider community. It is suggested, but not required, that these friends be familiar with the basic tenets of the Faith and standards set for all school attendees.
Can I take what I have learned back to my community?
Participants should use the fresh insights and skills gained in the winter school to find and create opportunities in their homes and communities to form genuine friendships, establish new connections, and be models of unity and harmony. Together with our family, friends and neighbors, we can strive to apply the Word of God toward uprooting the intractable racism and prejudice that infects so many aspects of life in America.
Participants should use the fresh insights and skills gained in the winter school to find and create opportunities in their homes and communities to form genuine friendships, establish new connections, and be models of unity and harmony. Together with our family, friends and neighbors, we can strive to apply the Word of God toward uprooting the intractable racism and prejudice that infects so many aspects of life in America.