A symposium by the Bahá’ís of the US explores how stories grounded in unity and justice can hold the country’s painful realities and shared aspirations in the same frame.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Over a century ago, the early American Bahá’í community held the first Race Amity conference—an unprecedented gathering to examine how consciousness of humanity’s fundamental oneness might heal seemingly intractable divisions. Today, as the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the “Advancing Together” symposium in Washington, D.C. recalled that legacy to explore the narratives through which Americans understand one another.
The symposium, convened by Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs of the United States, is envisioned to be an ongoing activity and had as its theme this year the Narratives of America. Many of the more than 40 participants—scholars, representatives of civil-society organizations, faith communities, and government officials—have been engaged in this conversation for some time, making the gathering a space for reflection on a shared learning process and the next step in a continuing endeavor.
Together, they examined how narratives grounded in unity and justice might hold the country’s painful realities and shared aspirations in the same frame—expanding the sense of collective belonging while calling each person to a constructive role in the nation’s unfolding story.
“This project invites us to imagine the as yet unimagined,” said P.J. Andrews of the U.S. Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs. “Narratives can help us see not only who we have been, but who we might become—rooted in our common humanity and inherent dignity.”
Constructive metaphors for harmony
The symposium highlighted a growing appreciation for moving beyond confrontational methods to social change toward what attendees described as “weaving” diverse narratives together.
“When I think about weaving as opposed to what I would typically do when dealing with matters of race, which is often fighting, I recognize that maybe it’s time to replace that action,” said Anika Prather, who teaches at the Catholic University of America, suggesting that confrontation might give way to deeper collaboration.
Drawing on her experience as an artist, she explained how different materials—each with distinct textures and qualities—create beauty when woven together, not despite their differences but because of them.
This metaphor of weaving resonated throughout the discussions, reflecting how the Bahá’í principle of unity in diversity informed the symposium’s approach. Rather than seeking uniformity, participants explored how America’s diverse experiences might be understood as complementary threads in a larger tapestry.
Universal human identity as a foundation
A central theme emerged around expanding conceptions of identity beyond traditional categories toward recognition of humanity’s essential oneness.
Shahrzad Sabet, co-director of the Center on Modernity in Transition, presented research suggesting that conventional social identities, while providing some security, also create persistent instability because they inherently exclude some people.
“A universal human identity, unlike all other identities, is non-exclusionary,” Dr. Sabet explained. “Insofar as the community of human beings goes... it has no parameters of otherness.” She stated that only by “embedding our Americanness firmly within the recognition of our essential oneness as human beings, can we finally free the American story from the instabilities and exclusions that have always plagued it.”
Discussions explored how prevailing frameworks of racial justice can inadvertently reinforce the very categories they seek to transcend. Sheena Mason, a professor and founder of Togetherness Wayfinder, cautioned against what she calls the “epistemic trap of racialization.”
“Many of the dominant narratives about identity in the United States,” she explained, “are not essences but stories—stories written into law, science, media, and education. They are designed to maintain lines of division and antagonism that benefit only a small percentage of people.”
Dr. Mason emphasized that while race is real in its effects, it is not real in essence: “The trap is that we start to believe it tells us something true about our humanity. Even fighting against it often keeps us within its frame.” She invited participants to imagine narratives that move beyond these inherited constructs, creating “actually humanizing, just, and better futures for all people.”
As Selvi Adaikkalam Zabihi of the Office of Public Affairs noted, “The pivotal principle from the Bahá’í Faith, is that we are a human family. This is an ontological truth... and we can only thrive on this planet to the extent that we can express that underlying reality in our lives collectively and individually.”
Individual potential and collective responsibility
Daniel Yudkin, a director of the Beacon Project at More in Common, a non-profit organization, explored how recognizing individual potential connects to collective responsibility.
He explored the idea that “everyone has a gift,” explaining that justice requires that society provide the conditions for all to flourish, while all persons have a responsibility to use their talents for the benefit of others.
“My own development is not just something I do for myself, but also something that I do for my community,” Dr. Yudkin explained, describing how individual flourishing and social progress are interconnected.
Honest storytelling and historical truth
Participants grappled with how to tell truthful stories about America’s past that neither obscure painful realities nor leave any group feeling permanently excluded from the nation’s future.
Adam Rothman, a historian at Georgetown University, framed this challenge: “How do we tell a true story that is also unifying and empowering? Sometimes history can leave people disillusioned or with a sense of helplessness. So what are the stories from history that we can tell that overcome those kinds of emotions and leave people feeling that they can do something to change the world?”
The Narratives of America Project has been working toward what participants called “language that elevates all”—developing vocabulary that acknowledges historical wrongs while giving everyone a constructive role in moving forward. This included concepts such as ‘orientation toward learning,’ and the idea of ‘a process of growth and maturation.’
Participants explored what characteristics might define a society that has reached greater stages of development both materially and spiritually, moving beyond adolescent patterns of competition toward more mature forms of collective responsibility.
Building toward 2026
As America approaches its 250th anniversary in July 2026, the symposium is among the various contributions of the Office of Public Affairs to the broader national discourse on racial justice.
Rebecca Shoot, co-convener of the Washington Working Group for the International Criminal Court, expressed appreciation for the gathering’s unique focus. “We so often have conversations in this town about policy, about ideology, but rarely do we have them about humanity,” she observed.
Plans are under way to reconvene the group in the coming months to assess progress and further develop insights from this shared learning process.
Reflecting on the symposium, Mr. Andrews emphasized constructive storytelling as a profound means of connection in a society where fragmentation, loneliness, and polarization run deep.
Drawing on insights from the Narratives of America Project, he said, “To share your story, and to listen deeply to another’s, is to recognize our interdependence.
“The effort to create honest and unifying stories of America,” he continued, “is generational work. Only by weaving narratives grounded in unity and justice can we plant seeds for a more cohesive and truthful future.”
The symposium was held just one block from where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to a gathering in Washington on April 24, 1912. His words from that occasion echo the themes explored by participants:
“A meeting such as this seems like a beautiful cluster of precious jewels—pearls, rubies, diamonds, sapphires. It is a source of joy and delight. Whatever is conducive to the unity of the world of mankind is most acceptable and praiseworthy; whatever is the cause of discord and disunion is saddening and deplorable. Consider the significance of unity and harmony.”
