Baháʼí Faith in Haiti

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The Baháʼí Faith in Haiti began in 1916 when

National Spiritual Assembly[8] and soon took on goals reaching out into neighboring islands.[9] The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying mostly on the World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 23,000 Baháʼís in Haiti in 2005,[10] and about the same in 2010.[11]

Early phase

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the religion, wrote a series of letters, or

Star of the West magazine on December 12, 1919.[1]

His Christ Holiness says: Travel ye to the East and to the West of the world and summon the people to the

Watling Island, have great importance…[12]

In 1922 Harriet Gibbs Marshall accompanied her husband to Haiti, where he was sent by President Warren G. Harding to be a part of the U.S. legation. They lived there for six years, during which time she founded the Jean Joseph Industrial School in Port-au-Prince and worked extensively with Haitian social welfare charities.[2] She had been a Baha'i since 1912 and is famous for having provided the venue for the first integrated Baha'i Feast in the Southern United States at her 902 T Street Music School. She also opened schools serving those of African Descent in Kentucky in 1900 and DC in 1902.

Five years later, Leonora Armstrong visited Haiti in 1927 as part of her plan to complement and complete Martha Root's unfulfilled intention of visiting all the Latin American countries for the purpose of presenting the religion to an audience.[3] In 1929 Keith Ransom-Kehler visited Haiti.[13]

Seven Year Plan and succeeding decades

Shoghi Effendi, head of the religion after the death of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, wrote a cable on May 1, 1936 to the Baháʼí Annual Convention of the United States and Canada, and asked for the systematic implementation of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's vision to begin.[14] In his cable he wrote:

Appeal to assembled delegates ponder historic appeal voiced by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá in Tablets of the Divine Plan. Urge earnest deliberation with incoming National Assembly to insure its complete fulfillment. First century of Baháʼí Era drawing to a close. Humanity entering outer fringes most perilous stage its existence. Opportunities of present hour unimaginably precious. Would to God every State within American Republic and every Republic in American continent might ere termination of this glorious century embrace the light of the Faith of Baháʼu'lláh and establish structural basis of His World Order.[15]

Following the May 1 cable, another cable from Shoghi Effendi came on May 19 calling for permanent

National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada appointed the Inter-America Committee to take charge of the preparations. During the 1937 Baháʼí North American Convention, Shoghi Effendi cabled advising the convention to prolong their deliberations to permit the delegates and the National Assembly to consult on a plan that would enable Baháʼís to go to Latin America as well as to include the completion of the outer structure of the Baháʼí House of Worship
in Wilmette, Illinois. In 1937 the First Seven Year Plan (1937–44), which was an international plan designed by Shoghi Effendi, gave the American Baháʼís the goal of establishing the Baháʼí Faith in every country in Latin America.

Establishment

Just before this plan was announced, the next Baháʼís to visit were Louis George Gregory and his wife, who could speak French, in January 1937. While there they had a chance to meet Oswald Garrison Villard.[4] Gregory indicated a community of at least 5 active members who had French translations of Some Answered Questions, and that the community was refused permission to hold public meetings. Several Baháʼís then made stops of varying lengths in Haiti.[16][17][18]

Ruth and Ellsworth Blackwell are noted as

Saint Marc
and elsewhere and gave public talks.

By 1949 Baháʼís of Port-au-Prince had a working center which served to have children and adult oriented events including classes, free medical, dental, and legal services as well as chances to hear about the religion.[32] The Blackwell's returned to Haiti in 1950.[33]

Growth

Internationally

From the early period of development the Baháʼí community in Haiti grew in relation to its regional neighbors as well as internally. The Baháʼís of the region of northern Latin America were first organized under the regional national assembly of Central America, Mexico and the Antilles from 1951.

Liancourt later in 1971.[42]

Internally

Internally in 1953 Guillermo Aguilar, former chairman of the Lima, Peru local assembly, directed the establishment of a technological school for Haiti on behalf of the

Cayemites island's population made a decision to adopt the religion for the island[66] and a school was established in 1989.[67]

Socio-economic development projects

Since its inception the religion has had involvement in

socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women,[68] promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern,[69] and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics.[68] In 1978-9 articles relating to International Year of the Child were placed by Baháʼís in national and local newspapers and three radio stations in Haiti carried announcements of public meetings.[70]
The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the
NGO.[72] Baháʼís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Baháʼí teachings, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. World-wide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Baháʼí socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482. In 1980, the Haitian Baháʼí community started an elementary school (Anís Zunúzí), later joined by a forest protection program, and a variety of village kindergartens.[73]

Anís Zunúzí Baháʼí School

Main article: Anís Zunúzí Baháʼí School

The Anís Zunúzí Baháʼí School is a

Farzam Arbab, Dr. Nabil Hanna, Benjamin Levy, Dr. Iraj Majzub and Georges Marcellus.[76] It reached the point of offering classes K through 10th grade.[77] The student population comes mostly from no to low-income families, and most students are only paying minimal or no fees to attend the school.[78] It follows the national curriculum but also provides moral education and English classes. It is situated on about three acres of land in what has become a suburb several miles north east of Port-au-Prince proper (and a few north west of Croix-des-Bouquets.)[79]

More recently the whole area has been built up with both private homes and businesses.[80] More recently the Mona Foundation has supported the school with funding for support of satellite schools, scholarships, regular summer camps, and general funding as well as acting as a mediator of larger scale funding for infrastructure improvements.[77]

CAFT (Centre d'apprentissage et de Formation pour la Transformation) Program

Another Baháʼí development program in Haiti, CAFT (Centre d'apprentissage et de Formation pour la Transformation) Program, is also supported by the Mona Foundation,

Plan International, then YELE Haiti 2005–6, UNICEF 2006, 2007 and currently is managing the training component of the Rewriting the Future project of Save the Children
(2008–2010).

Modern community

A decade of collaboration was developed between a village and a network of people in the United States through Baháʼí contacts.

High Commissioner for Human Rights.[95]

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake

The United States National Spiritual Assembly directed prayers to be offered at the Baháʼí House of Worship, posted messages about individuals, and commented on the spiritual import of such events from the Baháʼí writings:

"... When such a crisis sweeps over the world no person should hope to remain intact. We belong to an organic unit and when one part of the organism suffers all the rest of the body will feel its consequence. This is in fact the reason why Baha'u'llah calls our attention to the unity of mankind. But as Baháʼís we should not let such hardship weaken our hope in the future... "[96]

Prayers and raising donations were also offered at the Green Acre Baháʼí School.[97] News of the Baháʼís as of January 16 reported that the community was generally accounted for with no deaths.[98]

The principal of Anis Zununi school in 2010 reported on January 17 on Facebook that the school was generally still standing[99] and its staff and others with CAFT were cooperating in relief efforts and sharing space and support with neighbors.[100] A clinic was run at the Zunuzi school by a medical team from the United States and Canada.[101]

Demographics

The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 23,055 Baháʼís in 2005,[10] and about the same in 2010.[11] The Institut Haïtien de Statistique et d'Informatique does not offer breakdowns of religions for 5% of the Haitian population, and the only non-Christian group mentioned are the Haitian Vodou (aka Vodouisant.)[102]

See also

References

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External links

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