Image: The National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, DC. Photo by Alan Karchmer
Course: Anti-Black Racism in the U.S. (Fall 2020)
Lead Faculty: Jeanais Brodie
Editor’s Note: What follows is Nina Dini’s self assessment. Nina lives in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, and this was her first course with the Wilmette Institute.
I accomplished the goals I set for my Personal Learning Plan. My primary goal was to increase my knowledge and understanding of the different aspects related to the most vital and challenging issue facing America and the Bahá’í community. This course helped greatly in raising my awareness about this issue.
Every unit (1-10) of this course imparted the knowledge I needed to better understand the construct and history of racism in America, the painful atrocities inflicted on the enslaved, and the shameful bigotry and systemic racism that continue to this day in the United States of America.
Since taking this course, I am better equipped to engage in meaningful conversations regarding race relations in America and the systemic abuse of basic human rights. I plan to improve my skills by reviewing the units once more, taking notes, and putting what I learn into action.
I now feel a deep love and appreciation for my black brothers and sisters in America. I will make a greater effort to build deeper friendship and strengthen my associations with people of color in my Bahá’í community and neighborhood.
I have also developed a new lens through which I see more clearly the reality, the value, and the remarkable contributions of people of African descent to the building of this nation.
I plan to apply the knowledge I gained in this course to raise awareness about this most vital and challenging issue through meaningful conversations with family, friends, and neighbors; as a member of the Interfaith Council of the Greater Springfield Area; as a member of the Bahá’í community and Bahá’í institutions; and through engagement in core activities with a focus on race unity.
