Racism remains the proverbial “elephant in the room.” As this social implosion takes place, we know that historically, racism has been used as a distraction, while even more vile acts against humanity go forward, evidenced by the pending demise of Democracy as was once thought.

We will view the flip side of conflict and reconstruct a tradition that led to the ideal of working together, building friendships, the formation of the NAACP and the Urban League, among others. The presentation will include little-known religious seedlings that contributed to the work of W.E.B DuBois and Alaine Locke, tracing back past the Harlem Renaissance to the first Race Amity Conference in 1921. We will examine the role each can play to promote an enduring solution to enabling race amity, looking at concrete examples of participating in a global process of learning that helps to build capacity and apply a set of universal principles to the transformation of society. 

Taking aim at racism is a must and we must look at our morality as a people and country to defend. We cannot afford to fight ourselves. The transcending goal is spiritual and moral empowerment to serve the society.

Omobowale Ayorinde is a retired Imaging Science professor, having taught for 33 years at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has used photography as a tool to investigate social anthropology in varying cultures, beginning with urban landscapes, Yoruba deities in Nigeria and the Rastafarian culture in Jamaica. A photographer, researcher, writer and a member of the, Baha’i Faith, engaged in studying the intersections of Faith practices as pertains to the “Oneness of Humanity.”

Joseph D. Fargnoli helps entrepreneurs trailblaze new markets operating at seed and early phases with companies having the potential to reinvent entire industries and create positive impact in advancing US National Security while improving conditions across all segments of world populations. Mr. Fargnoli holds an MS in Optics, University of Rochester; MS Telecommunications and Computers, Georgetown University and BS in Mathematics, MS in Electrical Engineering, State University of New York.