Baha'is present Black History Month program

Thursday February 06, 2003

The Baha'is of Southeast St. Tammany will recount the contributions of Black Baha'is to the progress of the nation and the Baha'i faith in a special program for Black History Month on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Rufus Viner Center at 1052 Schley Street.

Among the many individuals to be celebrated are Louis Gregory, who became a lawyer in 1896; H. Elsie Austin, the first African-American woman Assistant Attorney General of Ohio, as well as a career Foreign Service Officer and John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, whose jazz career is legendary.

Davis Stanley Jones and Michael Watt will present the program. Jones, secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Southeast St. Tammany, is a native of New Orleans and a 20-year veteran of the Air Force. Jones studied at Wilbur Wright College in Spain and Southern University of New Orleans. He became a Baha'i in 1969, and has served on many Baha'i administrative bodies.

Watt is a native of St. Louis, Mo., and is a graduate of Forest Park Community College. He has served on the local board of the U.S. Amateur Ballroom Dance Association and has appeared in many little theater productions. Watt portrays Louis Gregory and sings with the Voices of Baha Baha'i Choir. He is treasurer of the Spiritual Assembly.

Baha'is have been involved in racial amity work in the United States since its inception in 1895.

The public is invited to the free program. For information, call 649-1507 or 781-1034.

©Copyright 2003, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA, USA)

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