The Soul of Mankind: Prerequisites for the Elimination of Racial Prejudice

Leonard Bell is a resident of Portland Oregon. He has been a member of the Bahá’í Faith for well over forty years. He served on the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Portland, Oregon for over twenty years. He has also served as an Assistant to the Auxiliary Board for Protection. Leonard has studied and taught the Bahá’í Writings and Teachings at Baha’i Summer Schools in Oregon and the State of Washington as well as at Bosch Baha’i School in California. He has also taught at Indigenous Peoples Gatherings in Idaho and Western Washington. Leonard served as a member of the National Race Unity Committee charged with assisting the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís  of the United States in the writing and production of the document entitled “The Vision of Race Unity, America’s Most Vital and Challenging Issue.” During his many years as a Bahá’í he has pioneered and taught the Faith in Southern Africa as well as many states throughout the United States and the Caribbean. His talks and lectures have ranged from discussions on Eternal Life, The Soul of Man, The Dawning of a New Age and Race Unity. Leonard attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Redlands.

I am a native New Yorker, raised in Bedford–Stuyvesant, (a.k.a. Bed–Stuy) Brooklyn and the South Bronx. I have lived a significant number of years in New England and various parts of California. My undergraduate degree focused on Ed Philosophy & Theory, and Multicultural Education. Graduate studies were in Public Administration and Leadership; and Adult Education with focuses on Program Planning & Development. My professional career as an administrator and instructor was primarily spent in colleges and universities, both public and private, on both the east and west coast, ending in Arizona, where I am currently retired. I continue to use my professional skills as a consultant providing coaching and mentoring. My community activities have been geared towards programming in Race Unity and Racism Awareness, youth leadership and empowerment, affordable housing, and early childhood education. I am active in my Bahá’í community serving on my Local Spiritual Assembly. Pre-COVID-19, I enjoyed traveling and sharing home-cooked meals with extended family and friends. Favorite places, anywhere with large bodies of water, New England autumn foliage, and awe-inspiring scenery!See Faculty Bio