Bahá'í Center of NYC

Please share this opportunity with any college and university students that you know! Students may register online using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us//tZYlcumtqz0rEtV0bycOFE4nJ7pUFIY6w? #bahaifaith #college #university #students #summit #communitybuilding

What is implicit bias and how can be become aware of it? Join the Bahá'í friends in Queens on Monday, Dec 7 to learn about this topic from speaker Hedieh Fakhriyazdi. Hedieh is a frequent speaker and advisor on topics related to diversity and inclusion. Click on the event below to learn more.

On December 16 some of the Bahá'ís in Queens are hosting a devotional gathering on the theme of health wellness. The program will begin with prayers followed by a presentation by Natasha Trenev about probiotics as the most important health concept of the 21st century. Click on the event below for more details.

We share with you information about a service provided by the New York State Department of Labor for unemployed New Yorkers. The Department of Labor has partnered with Coursera to provide online education for those unemployed and dislocated workers impacted by COVID-19. The aim of this program is to help job seekers gain skills to help them advance in their careers. Learn more, and signup for this opportunity here: https://dol.ny.gov/online-learning-coursera

Interested in learning why Bahá'ís don't participate in partisan politics? Check out this article from BahaiTeachings.org. #NonPartisanship #buildingaunitedworld

New York City has a shortage of blood! To help our city, please consider donating blood tomorrow (Saturday, September 19) during our blood donation drive! Walk-in appointments are available from 11 am - 4:15 pm at the New York Blood Center Port Authority location.

The Local Spiritual Assembly is hosting a blood drive on September 19! This event is open to everyone! Signup today using this link http://bit.ly/NYCBloodDrive2020 or call the NYC Bahá'í Center at 212-674-8998. Please note that due to the current public health crisis and social distancing rules, donors MUST MAKE AN APPOINTMENT (walk-ins will be accommodated ONLY if room capacity and appointment scheduling permits).

There's still time to complete the 2020 Census! U.S. Government counts its population every 10 years. The census decides the amount of funding for healthcare, school, senior center, housing, library, food stamp, road and highway. It is CONFIDENTIAL and it takes a few minutes to complete. The survey asks only asks you for the number of people living in your household, if the house/apartment you live in is owned or rented, your sex, age, race, and relationship status.... You can fill out the Census online at www.my2020census.gov, by phone in English at 844-330-2020; in Spanish at 844-468-2020; in Mandarin at 844-391-2020; or by the questionnaire that was mailed to you earlier this year.

Complete the 2020 Census today! The US government counts its population (every person living in the United States and five U.S. territories) every 10 years through a confidential questionnaire called the Census. The purpose of the Census is to decide the distribution of funding to local governments. It helps bring in funding to healthcare, education, housing, community service, and individual benefits. All residents must be counted. To complete the 2020 census, go to www.my2...020census.gov or call the Census Bureau at 844-330-2020 or 844-467-2020 for Telephone Display Device (TDD) between 7 am 2 am. To ensure that everyone can respond to the 2020 Census, translated web pages and guides in 59 non-English languages are provided at https://2020census.gov/en/languages.html. #2020Census #census #CountMeIn #NYCCensus2020

The 2020 Arab American conference will be held online this year from August 1-2. The conference, which will be conducted in Arabic, will host two virtual conference sessions. This year's conference explores the theme Our Role in Humanity’s Joint Journey, and aims to provide opportunities to foster engagement in social discourses related to the Middle East Region and Arab Americans in the diaspora. Registration is free of charge. For more information and registration, visit https://arabamericanconference.com.

On July 9 at noon (1 pm Daylight Saving Time), Bahá'ís gather to commemorate the martyrdom of one of the Central Figures of the Bahá'í Faith - the Báb (which means "the Gate" in Arabic). We invite you to join one of our neighborhood virtual commemorations. Click on the event below for more details. The Báb founded the Bábí Movement in 1844 in Shiraz, Iran. He taught about and promoted the equality of women and men and the unity of all religions, and prepared society to hear the message of Baha’u’llah (the founder of the Bahá'í Faith).

Abdu'l-Bahá (one of the Central figures of the Bahá'í Faith) visited New York in the spring and summer of 1912. During his trip, he hosted a Unity Feast on the last Saturday in June to bring the Bahá'ís and the local community members together in fellowship. For the last 108 years, friends in the area have annually commemorated `Abdu'l-Bahá's visit by holding a picnic, called Souvenir Picnic, at Wilhelm Bahá'í Properties in Teaneck, NJ (the original site of the Unity Feast). Due to COVID, there was no Souvenir Picnic this year. However, the event organizers created a Digital Program to celebrate the 108th Souvenir Picnic of Abdu'l-Bahá, which includes a reading of Abdu'l-Bahá's talk (which has been translated from Persian to English).

Join members of all faiths and religious backgrounds for "A Candlelight Prayer Vigil for Racial Unity" this Friday, June 26, 2020, at 7:30 pm at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. "In light of recent events, the Savior’s charge to be the light of the world has never been more important. It is our desire to create a space for the interfaith community to gather in solidarity of our Black brothers and sisters. Faiths of all religious backgrounds teach the importance of seeing all p...eople are God’s children and treating them with love, kindness, and respect. By standing together in solidarity, we are bringing unity to this message by focusing on our common belief in humanity instead of our religious differences." Please note that this event is an individual initiative organized by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Manhattan. The Bahá'í community, as well as other faith and religious groups, have been invited to participate. This event is open to all, regardless of religious background. Event Schedule: 7:30-7:45pm People arrive 7:45-8:15pm An Interfaith Program filled with song, prayers, short speeches from members of the community, and/or clergy of faiths in Harlem. 8:15pm A lighting of the candles (electronic tea light candles will be available for everyone) 8:15-8:30pm Call to Action + Continued Program. This portion will focus on the call of action to be the light of the world.

Interested in learning about the Qur’án and Islam, and the importance of both to the Bahá’í Faith? Tune into this 3-part webinar hosted by Bosch Baha'i School, featuring Dr. Lawson, Professor Emeritus of Islamic Thought at the University of Toronto. Saturdays, July 11, 18, 25 at 4 pm Eastern (1 pm Pacific) Register here: https://www.cvent.com//registration-918e7c68b83a4ef6883c12

Today, June 19, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States (the elected governing body of the U.S. Baha’i community) released a statement addressing the current conditions in this country and a process whereby its citizens can forge a path towards racial justice. "An essential element of the process will be honest and truthful discourse about current conditions and their causes, and understanding, in particular, the deeply entrenched notions of anti-...Blackness that pervade our society. We must build the capacity to truly hear and acknowledge the voices of those who have directly suffered from the effects of racism. This capacity should manifest itself in our schools, the media, and other civic arenas, as well as in our work and personal relations. This should not end with words, but lead to meaningful, constructive action." Click below to read the full message.

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture has created an online resource to help individuals, families, and communities talk about race in America, and why it matters. "Talking about race, although hard, is necessary. We are here to provide tools and guidance to empower your journey and inspire conversation."