Crossing Ethnic Boundaries

Families also benefit from periodically meeting in a retreat setting, where units of families from various immigrant populations spend a weekend together. The conversations at family retreats are often on the application of the Bahá’í teachings to the challenges of their lives. Families develop friendships across language and culture as they prepare food, observe their children engaging in activities together, and pray throughout the weekend. Stirrings of social action emerge from an environment of mutual support and interaction with the Word of God. One parent, departing a retreat said: “thank you for saving our culture.”
Mexican American youth encourage reaching out to African immigrant families in order to embrace diversity and build community, leading to Mexican American and African families coming together through children’s classes and then a family camp where all share cultures despite language barriers and open to overcome racial biases.

This video is part of A Rich Tapestry, a video storytelling collection that expresses and illustrates how love is being translated into action to address questions of race and culture in the United States. This collection of video stories provides authentic examples of how individuals, communities and institutions are weaving together a rich tapestry of community life in neighborhoods across America. The strands of this tapestry include efforts to expand and consolidate vibrant patterns of Baha’i community life, to contribute to public discourse on topics of race and diversity, and to take direct social action in collaboration with like-minded groups and individuals.

New videos will be added to this collection regularly, exploring the different facets and threads that weave a rich tapestry of community life. We invite you to view these videos at home and in community gatherings. Share them with friends and neighbors as a way to spark conversations and envision the possibilities for building communities that bridge all racial and cultural differences.

And most importantly, share with us your thoughts, experiences, and ideas for other stories that could be included in this series.

https://www.bahai.us/a-rich-tapestry/