Pauline and Joseph Hannen were the prime movers of racial integration in…
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When in Bahá'í history
Pauline and Joseph Hannen were the prime movers of racial integration in Washington in the early years of the Faith there. Initially, Pauline feared black people, but her study of Bahá’u’lláh's writings forced her to change her attitude. Pauline taught the Faith to her black washerwoman, then she and Joseph began inviting blocks to meetings in their home a rather daring thing to do at that time.
Source: Earl Redman, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Their Midst, p. 91-92
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: race-unity).
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For adults
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
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- Where do you see faith appearing — visibly or quietly — in this passage?
For teens
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- Which line in this story surprised you the most?
Reflection
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- Where in your own life are you being asked to practice faith?
- Take one line from this story and let it stay with you today.
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "Pauline and Joseph Hannen were the prime movers of racial integration in…" drawn from?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Which virtue does this story most clearly illustrate?
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/race-unity
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