About a dozen years ago I asked my brother to share his thoughts on Civil Rights.
He wrote : “I first got involved in the Civil Rights Movement about 1963. At the time I was 20 years old and living in Orange County, California. My mother had brought us up to believe that people came in many different colors, like different flowers in a garden. All colors to be appreciated for their individuality. My involvement in Baha’i strengthened these beliefs. I was surrounded in my childhood by all sorts of weird and wonderful “flowers” that my parents collected. They loved what they called “characters”.
In 1963 young people were just waking up to the fact that not everyone in this country has equal rights. Rosa Parks, the sit in at the lunch counter, the march on Selma, and the speeches of Martin Luther King brought a new awareness. Also, music was becoming more socially aware. Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Woodie Guthrie and Joan Baez, all sang songs about a big change that was coming. It was an exciting time.
I remember picketing Thrifty Mart, a supermarket, for discrimination in hiring. The Baha’i youth group became very active in the movement. Some of the older Bahá’ís were shocked at our public demonstrations. Others, my mom included, were pleased and supportive. We started a local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality, CORE. We went to demonstrations and picket lines in the Los Angeles area. One day we were excited to hear that CORE had planned a “lay in “ in front of Mayor Yorty’s office. Just about all the Baha’i youth we’re planning to go. I had to work that fateful day. My friends were arrested and were seen on the evening news being taken away to jail (some on stretchers-passive resistance) I missed all the action. I was the only Hoy kid not arrested.
Eventually, “the movement “started to divide. The Black Power movement seemed to lack the all inclusiveness of the early days of protest. The Anti-war movement was growing, also the Free Speech, Women’s Liberation and Gay Rights movements. There were marches and rallies. There was change in the air. It was an exciting, exhilarating time to be around. Yes, these experiences did affect the direction I was heading in my life.
In the late 60’s I moved to San Francisco and became what we called “freaks”. (The press eventually named us “hippies”. I lived in a commune and learned to be myself and not who others expected me to be.
I realized that my religion supported all minorities except the one I belonged to (Gay people)
So I officially resigned. I also came to know that I would never be able to be a part of organized religion. I decided to start my own religion, and be the only member. I came out as gay to my family and joined the early gay rights parades in the early 70’s.