Louis G. Gregory - A Pioneer for Racial Unity

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Feb 9, 1999

August 6, 1951 - Profoundly deplore grievous loss of dearly beloved, noble-minded, golden-hearted Louis Gregory, pride and example to the Negro adherents; rents of the Faith. Keenly feel loss of one so loved, admired and trusted by `Abdu'l-Bahá. Deserves rank of first Hand of the Cause of his race. Rising Bahá'í generation in African continent will glory in his memory and emulate his example. Advise hold memorial gathering in Temple in token recognition of his unique position, outstanding services. The above is the telegram that Shoghi Effendi sent to the American Baha'i community upon receiving the news of the death of Louis G. Gregory.

To understand the Baha'i Faith and its commitment to Racial Unity, it is important to understand the role Mr. Gregory played in the early development of the American Baha'i Community. He was born on June 6, 1874, in Charleston, South Carolina. His parents were former slaves. His father died when Louis was about 5 years old, and his mother and maternal grandmother, the slave wife of Chancellor Dargan raised him. Louis' mother was the result of that union. Louis' mother remarried and his stepfather, George Gregory, raised him as his own and requested that Louis take on his name.

It was his stepfather that sent young Louis to the first public school in Charleston that was open to both blacks and whites. Later, Louis attended Avery Institute and then Fisk University. He received his law degree from Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C. It was this success that brought Louis Gregory to the attention of W. E. B. DuBois, who included Louis in the "talented tenth" (an elite group of African Americans believed to become leaders of the masses).

Louis Gregory might have remained under the influence of W. E. B. DuBois at http://members.tripod.com/~DuBois/index.... if not for a co-worker in the Treasury Department in Washington D. C., who invited him to a talk on racial unity given by the Baha'i Faith. So interested was Louis Gregory that he began to study this new religion, and, through this study, he read, "God maketh no distinction between the white and the black....All colors are acceptable to Him, be they white, black, or yellow." And, "God did not make these divisions [of race, nationality, or caste]. These distinctions have had their origin in man himself. Therefore, as they are against the plan and purpose of reality, they are false and imaginary, It mattereth not what the exterior may be if the heart is pure..."

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