June 2022
A monthly electronic Newsletter
News, Web Talks, live events,
upcoming courses
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Great Webinars
and Podcasts
The talks are live web video programs and are free. Just click to register, or go to our Facebook or YouTube page to watch live. The video will be available later on our YouTube account; the audio may be available as a podcast on our SoundCloud channel.
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Candace Moore Hill Retires
The Wilmette Institute is immensely grateful to Candace's twelve years of service to the Wilmette Institute, assiting faculty to set up courses that are user-friendly, handicap accessible, and attractive.
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Welcome to Ymasumac Maranon-Davis
The Wilmette Institute is pleased to announce that Ymasumac Maranon-Davis will be the new course designer. She comes with a strong educational background and considerable experience in course design. We look forward to her contributions to the steady improvement of our online offerings.
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Report: Addressing Anti-Black Racism in the U.S.
Eleanor Mitten reports on the ongoing results of our course Anti-Black Racism in the U.S. and Building a Unified Society, which has been offered eleven times to 930 participants. One faculty has created "The Project Center" where participants can continue to reflect and build relationships, and organizes Zoom gatherings to share results. All nine members of the Regional Council for the Northwestern States took the course in the spring of 2021 and subsequently invited local Spiritual Assembly members in the region to take the course as well; to date, 140 LSA members from 24 LSAs have participated. Ruha Temlock is helping Haitian and African Asylum-Seekers in Arizona. Ding-Jo and Mark Currie helped stop plans to destroy an important city park in Huntington Beach, CA., and brought people together consultatively to discuss future plans for it.
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Anti-Black Racism Course is Open to All
Invite Your Friends! The Wilmette Institute is happy to share that the course Anti-Black Racism in the US and Building a Unified Society has been offered to almost 1,000 participants over the past several years. Some participants have truly demonstrated community building on various levels - exemplifying protagonism in the face of apathy. This article captures some recent inspiring initiatives rooted in a profound understanding of the oneness of humankind.
Wilmette Institute extension courses (community courses) are generally open to the wider community, so we are encouraging Baha'i friends to take advantage of this opportunity to invite friends from the wider community to enroll in the upcoming Anti-Black Racism course (Jun. 9 - Aug. 24) as it will have a more intimate number of friends participating. Anyone can request a scholarship to take the course. Finances should not deter anyone from enrolling. Share the course on social media, in your social circles, and get ready for deep discussion this summer!
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Becky Figgins took the course Anti-Black Racism in the U.S. and Building a Unified Society and reports that it has awakened the "inner activist" in her. The course was life-changing, an ongoing lesson in humility, and has helped her have rich discussions about race with friends and associates.
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Phyllis Sinex grew up learning about Jesus suffering, but thanks to taking Introduction to the Writings of Baha'u'llah she now has a profound understanding of Baha'u'llah's decades of suffering for hunanity. She now feels the profound reality of the Faith and plans to continue her study of the Writings.
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Thank You From a Previous Skeptic!
Chidimma Ozor Commer took Anti-Black Racism in the U.S. and vows to continue to use her voice, power, and privilege in service to others. She was co-lead of a Conversation Circle about Revolutionary Love and is reading a series of books that will be subjects of future Circles. This was her first Wilmette Institute course and she will serve as a Teaching Assistant in the next one.
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Tips for Sustainable Living | |
Encourage Social Action in Your Community!
on
Your community can get involved in social action in the course of your other activities; use reusable dishes in your meetings, avoid plastic water bottles, hold meetings in places that will allow use of public transportation, avoid foods (like meat) that require a lot of resources to produce . . .
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Anti-Black Racism in the U.S. and Building a Unified Society
June 9 - Aug. 24, 2022
This course will examine anti-Black racism and racial prejudice in North American society in some of its most serious manifestations, explore the content and significance of relevant Baha'i authoritative texts, and consider how Baha'is can initiate meaningful conversations and public discourse in a variety of contexts. It will begin with an exploration of definitions of race, racism, and prejudice. It will then turn to such subjects as understanding colonialism and slavery; the prison/industrial complex; Black Lives Matter and policing issues; white privilege and bias/stereotyping; housing and education segregation; violence against black women; Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement; and "one human family"—the experience of the Baha'i community.
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The Baha'i Faith and the Arts
June 16 - July 27, 2022
In The Baha'i Faith and the Arts we will explore the purpose of the arts from a Baha'i perspective. Among other topics, we will discuss how art and religion have harmonized and conflicted in the past; how the Baha'i dispensation will be similar to and different from the past; the artist as a person with an important gift to share with the world; and how the Baha'i writings encourage artists. We will also consider how to reframe imagination, creativity, and risk-taking within a Baha'i context; how to prioritize the positive aspects of creativity to enhance our lives, our communities, the Baha'i Faith, and the future; and how to develop a serviceable language about the arts that enables us to integrate the arts more fully into Feasts, Holy Days, core activities, commemorations, and so on and to include more people in art making and appreciation of the arts.
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Cultivating Capabilities of Transformative Leadership
July 7 - Aug. 31, 2022
Building an ever-advancing civilization calls for action imbued with concepts, skills, attitudes, and qualities that contribute to personal transformation and positive social change. People from all backgrounds, cultures and traditions long for a world filled with justice, peace, and unity. The world is tired of words.
Cultivating Capabilities of Transformative Leadership, the second course of the Transformative Leadership series, offers participants continued collaborative support in the development and application of the 18 capabilities of the conceptual framework. We develop and use these capabilities to enhance our personal transformation, improve relationships, and contribute more effectively to social transformation.
Requirement for Participation: Participants get the most out of this course when they have studied and applied the first 4 chapters of Transformative Leadership: Developing the Hidden Dimension.
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The Writings of the Bab
July 7 - Aug. 31, 2022
This course is an introduction to the principal writings of the Bab. Among the works we will study are the Commentary on the Surih of Joseph (Qayyumu'l-Asma); tablets to secular and religious leaders; The Seven Proofs (Dala’il-i-Sab`ih); the Persian Exposition (Bayan-i-Farsi); the Arabic Exposition (al-Bayan al-‘Arabi), the Book of Names (Kitab-i-Asma’); and the Book of Five Grades (Kitab-i-Panj-Sha’n).
Our study will be both historical and thematic: We will study the Bab’s writings in the order in which He revealed them (between 1844 and 1850), and we will also focus on selected themes: the station of the Bab, His major teachings, His announcement about Baha’u’llah (His prophetic successor Whom He referred to as “He Whom God will make manifest”), and the role the themes played in preparing for the revelation of Baha’u’llah.
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Practices and Principles of Baha'i-Inspired Education
July 14 - Sept. 7, 2022
This course reviews the guidance contained in the writings of Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Baha, and Shoghi Effendi on education and suggests ways to implement it in formal and informal educational settings. Through a structured study of both Baha'i and secular sources, learners will increase their understanding of the unique wisdom found in the Baha'i texts as it applies to both the education of children and to lifelong learning by everyone. Topics include defining the meaning of education from the Baha'i perspective, 'Abdu'l-Baha's "Four Criteria of Comprehension," combining material, human, and spiritual education, and promoting education that unifies in secular or morally challenging environments. This course will appeal to anyone developing materials for, encouraging, or teaching youth, junior youth, and children.
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Buddhism for Deepening and Dialogue
July 21 - Aug. 31, 2022
Buddhism for Deepening and Dialogue will survey the life and teachings of the Buddha, the development of Buddhist concepts and practices, and the dissemination of Buddhism throughout Asia and eventually to the West. We will read excerpts from Buddhist texts and examine similarities and differences between Buddhism and the Bahá’í Faith (and other religions), including the emphasis both place on personal transformation. The course will deepen your understanding of an important world religion and will prepare you for discussing spiritual concepts and practices with Buddhist friends and neighbors.
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The Wilmette Institute eNewsletter | | |
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The Wilmette Institute eNewsletter is published monthly by the Wilmette Institute, which offers quality online courses on the Baha'i Faith. The Wilmette Institute is committed to engaging a broad and diverse international community of learners in deep study of the Faith and to fostering love for study of the Faith. The Wilmette Institute was established in January 1995 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States.
Information from the eNewsletter may be copied or reproduced, provided that the following credit is given: "Reprinted from the eNewsletter of the Wilmette Institute," followed by the issue's date. Recipients are encouraged to forward the eNewsletter to friends. If you have questions, please email us at learn@wilmetteinstitute.org.
Editor
Robert H. Stockman
Production
Robert H. Stockman
Niki Daniels
Mim Gottschalk
Debra Lilly
Contributors
Chidimma Ozor Commer
Becky Figgins
Eleanor Mitten
Christine Muller
Phyllis Sinex
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