Planet Bahá'í

Imagine the scene. It's April 23, 1912. In Washington, D.C., a luncheon and reception in honor of 'Abdu'l-Bahá is taking place. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, an aging man from Persia, is the head of the Bahá'í Faith, a minority religion little-known in the United States. He has come to America for a prolonged tour that will take Him from coast to coast. He will speak before audiences of all kinds, spreading through deeds and words the Message of His Father, Bahá'u'lláh.

At this luncheon, about nineteen guests have gathered, some of them Bahá'í and some not, most of them representing Washington's political and cultural elite. 'Abdu'l-Bahá is speaking with a small group of people. One member of the group is Louis G. Gregory, an African-American lawyer. Mr. Gregory had embraced the Bahá'í Faith in June, 1909 and is already one of its outstanding proponents. First in the Washington community and then in communities in the south, he has worked to spread the revitalizing message of Bahá'u'lláh. In 1911, he traveled to the Holy Land at the invitation of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and now has arranged a few speaking engagements for the Master.

But now, as the time for the luncheon draws near, Mr. Gregory attempts to quietly steal away. He had not been invited, nor is this the sort of gathering accustomed to dining with black people. Although one might expect the capital city to be a bit more cosmopolitan, a bit more urbane, Washington is strictly segregated. Only a decade before, President Theodore Roosevelt had created a scandal by inviting Booker T. Washington to dine with him. In the intervening ten years, nothing has changed.

Luncheon is announced, and everyone is seated. Suddenly, 'Abdu'l-Bahá rises from his place at the head of the table and looks about. He asks His host, Ali-Kuli Khan, a Bahá'í and the chargé d'affaires of the Persian Legation, "Where is Mr. Gregory? Bring Mr. Gregory!" Mr. Khan rushes out to find him. In his absence, 'Abdu'l-Bahá rearranges the place settings, which of course have been laid out in strict accordance with social protocol, in order to accommodate the new guest. When Louis Gregory is at last located and brought into the room, 'Abdul-Bahá seats him at His right, and the meal continues as though nothing unusual had happened. 'Abdu'l-Bahá then speaks to the group in general about the oneness of mankind.

The accounts of those present don't betray any shock or surprise at this act, but one can well imagine the inward consternation that might have been felt by at least some of the attendees! And although 'Abdu'l-Bahá's action was meant to teach the Washington believers something of how an ideal society behaves, we shouldn't look upon it as merely a social statement. 'Abdu'l-Bahá perceived the spiritual qualities of Louis Gregory, and held them in high regard. For ultimately it is the spirit that is the measure of a person in God's eyes, not skin color, social rank, national origin or any other accident of physical reality.

Later in His journey to America, 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave Mr. Gregory another chance to be an example when He suggested that he and his dear friend Louisa Matthew, an Englishwoman who had come to live in America, should marry. At the time, interracial marriage was a crime in twenty-five states. Louis and Louisa were married in New York City on September 27, 1914. Despite the hardships imposed by an unaccepting and often uncaring society, their relationship blossomed and thrived.

Through his extensive travels, the many talks he gave before religious and secular groups of all kinds, as a member and Chairman of the Bahá'í National Committe for Race Unity and as the organizer of Unity Conferences at Green Acre, Mr. Gregory proved to be a tireless and selfless servant of God. He became the first black member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada (in the days before the two countries had their own NSA's). He served on the NSA for many years, but always put teaching work first, arranging his trips so that he would be in the right place for NSA meetings when they occurred. His prominence in the Bahá'í community was underscored by some of the contacts he made, including Booker T. Washington and Dr. George Washington Carver, both of whom learned much of the new religion as a result.

Louis Gregory passed away on July 30, 1951. In a cablegram sent from the Holy Land on August 6, a few days after Mr. Gregory's funeral, Shoghi Effendi wrote, "Profoundly deplore grievous loss of dearly beloved, noble-minded, golden-hearted Louis Gregory, pride and example to the Negro adherents of the Faith. Keenly feel loss of one so loved, admired and trusted by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Deserves rank of first Hand of the Cause of his race. Rising Bahá'í generation in African continent will glory in his memory and emulate his example."