Today begins the Festival of Ridvan. For Baha'is across the globe this marks 12 days of celebration. In April 1863 Baha'u'llah, which means Glory of God, shared publicly for the first time, He was the latest Messenger from the Creator. He had been exiled from his country, now Iran, ten years previous to Baghdad and was being sent into exile again even farther away, to what is now Turkey.
For me, it reminds me of many happy days spent with my family. The Baha'i communities we have lived in; San Jose, Lapwai, Tacoma, Alaska, Sahka, Ann Arbor and now Suquamish. It reminds me of my beloved Grandmother Ruby, a Killer Whale Clan woman of the Tsimshian nation whose father was Filipino. She was the first Baha'i in our family. She was befriended by the Tyler Family in Neah Bay and it was their sharing of Baha'u'llah's Life and Teachings that made her fall in love with the Baha'i Faith. She became a Champion of His Cause because she believed it was the healing message not only for all of humanity, but especially for Indian People.
She is known throughout the country for her dedication to prayer and the elimination of Racism. When she died in December 2010,
I found myself at a Baha'i conference on Social and Economic development in Orlando, Florida.
In the lobby of the hotel I saw a long time friend of my Grandma and Family and she shared how she prays every day for my Grandmother because she knew my Grandmother prays for her.
Over the last few years my own spiritual journey has been centered on the principle of Baha'u'llah's the Individual Investigation of Truth. I have been studying our Sacred Writings and how to apply them into my daily life.
At times it conflicts with other's opinions and their own interpretation of the Sacred Writings. And the conflict has left me uneasy. Until I realized that we are each responsible to reflect the Teachings into our lives and because humanity is so diverse how we choose to reflect these principles will manifest in a wide range of practices. And there is no right and wrong way to choose.
Living in a culture dominated by Western culture, European culture, it is only logical that individuals coming from diverse cultures would see conflict in how we choose to practice Baha'i Principles in our daily lives.
Let's take the principle of Eliminating Racism and Prejudice. Coming from a Native American culture how I apply this into my life would be different than if I was of European descent. How I discuss/consult about this topic would be different than if I was of European descent. My ideas for how to talk about this sensitive topic would differ from persons of European descent.
I have found that the Baha'i community is currently struggling to have this conversation because of the diversity of understanding, experiences, and personal interpretation of our Sacred Writings. Rather than valuing the rich diversity of interpretation and application in our daily lives, we seem to be uncomfortable with the reality that we have different and sometimes conflicting opinions.
It's my opinion that in 2015 we have not accomplished the tasks given to us by Shoghi Effendi regarding the most vital and challenging issue of the American Baha'i community which he identified as Racism. Of course it's not realistic to think that we have solved this challenging issue. I think there are tasks and systems and conversations that we are fully capable of today that we are not doing. I also believe if we as a community don't have regular analysis of our community about what progress we have made and what areas need strengthening and make sustainable goals, we are not honoring the privilege given to us by Shoghi Effendi.
I also believe because we do not have systems that enable minority voices to be heard we lose out on the wealth that comes from diversity of thought, opinion and experience. We actually are handicapping our community's health and growth by not valuing the true diversity our community reflects. Diversity does not just mean that we have a wide range of skin shades, but that we have a wide range of intellectual and spiritual practices that may conflict in harmony. Finding ways to honor this diversity and make it an asset for our community seems to be a challenge.
Gunalcheesh for letting me share my celebration of Ridvan and how the Blessed Beauty enriches my life every day. 
