National Race Unity Day celebrated in Columbia

For Columbia resident Sahba Jalali, the celebration of National Race Unity Day would have been impossible in his native Iran.

It is for this reason that Jalali and his family, active members of the Bahá’í faith community, moved to Columbia in 1979.

“Racial prejudice is a hindrance that affects us in other parts of our daily lives,” Jalali said.

Jalali was among the group of 25 Columbia residents who gathered at Robert Oakland Park on Sunday to picnic, play sports and meditate.

National Race Unity Day was first held in the United States in 1957 by the Bahá’í Faith organization. The goal of the day, said organizer Tyree Byndom, is “to share the basic principle of oneness of humanity.”

The soft sounds of two acoustic guitars emanating from a picnic shelter mixed with the shouts of children and adults made up for the lower than expected turnout.

It is the scene Nanette Chun-Ming Ward hoped for.

“Recognizing race in this kind of setting, in fellowship, can only be a good thing,” she said. Ward, a human rights investigator and community educator in Columbia, said the city is fortunate to have such wide cultural diversity.

Organizer Tyree Byndom realized that for many non-Bahá’í members the picnic was a chance to get out and enjoy the weather and activities with others.

“Everybody wants to have more of a sense of community,” Byndom said, “and it’s up to us to make it happen.”