Ellsworth Blackwell

Ellsworth Blackwell
Born	August 1, 1902 Greenville, Mississippi, USA
Died	April 17, 1978 Republic of Zaire
NSA member	USA 1954 - 1956 1958 - 1960 Haiti 1961 - 1965 1970 - ???? Madagascar 1976 - 1977
ABM	Haiti 1965 - 1970
Spouse(s)	Ruth Browne
Works •  Media

Ellsworth Blackwell (August 1, 1902 – April 17, 1978) was an American Bahá'í and insurance executive from Chicago who pioneered to Haiti, Madagascar and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Background

Ellsworth was a member of the Chicago Local Spiritual Assembly from 1937 to 1939, a member of the Inter-American Teaching Committee in the late 1940’s, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States from 1954 to 1956 and 1958 to 1960, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Haiti from 1961 to 1965 and an Auxiliary Board Member for Haiti from 1965 to 1970.

He was also a member of non-Bahá'í organisations, being a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity when he attended the University of Iowa and serving as Chair of the Chicago Committee on Racial Equality's public accommodations committee in 1944.

Life

Chicago

Ellsworth was born in Greenville, Mississippi to Philip and Mary Blackwell. He became a Bahá'í in Chicago in November 1934 after attending meetings held by Elizabeth and Edgar Edward.

He became an official guide for the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette Illinois, however in August 1937 he was prevented from guiding a tour of the temple and the Chairman of the Temple Guide Committee told Ellsworth that it was a policy of the Temple Committee that “Colored Believers” be prevented from guiding tours. Ellsworth wrote the following in a letter to Shoghi Effendi detailing the incident:

”From my knowledge of the [Bahá'í] Teachings it appears to me that the Principles of Bahaullah are being violated by the Believers. The only apparent excuse for their policy is that the presence of Colored guides would offend people of the White race. As you no doubt realize the aforementioned large touring groups are composed of all nationalities and races. Are we supposed to alter the Principles to accom[m]odate the prejudices of people outside the Cause, particularly within our own institutions? And, may I ask, when are we to begin to live the Teachings of Baha’u’llah?.”

The Chicago Local Spiritual Assembly told Ellsworth that the incident was due to a mistake, and that no policy discriminating against African-American tour guides existed in Temple Committee records. Ellsworth wrote the following in a letter to the Assembly in response:

"It is not surprising to me that you would be unable to find a record of such a policy. This subtle prejudice naturally could not be found recorded in the minutes of any religious group – much less a Bahai group"

Ellsworth (front, left) with first LSA of Port au Prince, Haiti, 1942.

Ellsworth was elected to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Chicago in 1937 shortly after bringing the issue of discrimination to light and served on the body until 1939.

In 1938 Ellsworth sent another complaint, stating that the discrimination against African-American tour guides had become worse, and the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, Horace Holley, organised a meeting between Ellsworth and the Temple Committee to resolve the issue. Through consultation Ellsworth and the Committee came to the conclusion that the discrimination had been due to one individual, rather than a systematic issue, and Ellsworth was satisfied that the issue was resolved. He was particularly impressed that the Committee had already taken action before the meeting took place, writing the following to Horace Holley:

”…for my part the problem had already been solved a week or two before [the consultation], at which time a colored believer had been asked to guide. That act was at once sufficient for me.”

Ellsworth married Ruth Browne in January 1937 and the ceremony took place in the home of Elizabeth Edward where he had first heard of the Faith. They pioneered to Haiti together in 1940 and lived there until 1943. In 1941 they received a letter in Shoghi Effendi's own handwriting, an excerpt:

"The work you have done, the sacrifices you have made, the historic mission you have initiated, are highly praiseworthy, meritorious and unforgettable. I will specially pray for you both that in whatever field you may labour in the days to come, Bahá’u’lláh may reinforce, guide and bless you and aid you to enrich the record of your pioneer services."

They helped the Haitian Bahá'ís establish a Local Spiritual Assembly in Port au Prince 1942 and Ellsworth served on it as Chairman. Ellsworth wrote an article about Haiti that was published in World Order in the same year. The Blackwell’s service in Haiti was acknowledged when they were listed as American Bahá'ís who had served in other lands in the Bahá'í Centenary Book published in 1944.

In 1946 Ellsworth and Ruth sent a letter to the Holy Land asking if Nineteen Day Feasts could be rescheduled if they clashed with a publicly advertised Baha’i lecture. Shoghi Effendi’s secretary sent the following reply:

"This is really a matter of secondary importance, and should be decided by the Assembly. Meetings which have been publicly advertised for a certain date cannot, obviously, be cancelled."

Ellsworth in 1947.

In December 1947 several Bahá'í students took part in a protest against racial discrimination held at the University of Chicago. Ellsworth sent newspaper reports of the protest to the Holy Land and asked if participating in such a protest was appropriate. Ruhiyyih Khanum wrote the following reply on behalf of Shoghi Effendi:

"Your letter to our beloved guardian of Dec. 26th, 1947, was received together with the clipping you sent. and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf. He does not see any objection to Bahá'í students taking part as Bahá'ís in a protest such as that mentioned in the clipping. On the contrary he does not see how they could remain indifferent when fellow students were voicing our own Bahá'í attitude on such a vital issue and one we feel so strongly about. He thinks that the quotation you cite, from "The Advent of Divine Justice," would certainly indicate that such a protest was justifiable, as there was nothing political about it, there was no reason for the Bahá'í students not to participate. He assures you and your dear wife of his prayers on your behalf and his loving appreciation of your trusted services to the Cause. With Warmest greetings, R. Rabbani."

The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada wrote an additional letter regarding the appropriateness of the protest, and the Guardian's position in the letter to Ellsworth was restated:

"In connection with the subject matter of Mr. Blackwell's letter and your reference to it, the Guardian feels that, as he said in his letter to Mr. Blackwell, there was no objection at all to the students taking part in something so obviously akin to the spirit of our teachings as a campus demonstration against race prejudice. The Bahá'ís did not inaugurate this protest, they merely were proud to have a voice as Bahá'ís in such a protest, took part, and he thinks they did quite right and violated no administrative principle."

Service in the US and Haiti

Ellsworth speaking on gender equality in Port au Prince, 1969.

In 1948 Ellsworth chaired a session on teaching the Faith at the Louhelen Bahá'í School, and in 1951 he led a session studying Advent of Divine Justice at the school. Ellsworth was first elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States by a mail vote in 1954 when Lawrence Hautz retired before the end of his term. He was re-elected at the 1955 National Convention and served on the institution until 1956. As an Assembly member Ellsworth delivered a talk on Unified Action at the third Central States Conference at Orlando Hotel in Decatur, Illinois on September 25, 1955 and was a guest speaker at a Young Women’s Christian Association Dinner in 1956.

In 1956 Ellsworth announced that he would be pioneering to Haiti at the National Convention, prior to the election of the National Spiritual Assembly. He and his wife arrived in Haiti in August, 1956 and began working to consolidate the Baha’i communities in Port au Prince, St. Marc and Cap Haitian. The Blackwell’s returned to the United States some time later and Ellsworth was re-elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States in 1958. Ellsworth taught classes on holding Firesides at the First Baha’i Summer School in the South-west of the United States at Bachman’s Lake in 1958, and spoke at the Davison Summer School later the same year. In 1959 he taught a course on the book Christ and Baha’u’llah by George Townshend at the second Alaskan Baha’i Summer School and delivered a speech on Race Amity Day at the Urbana Baha’i Centre which was reported on in the Illinois Times.

Service in Haiti and Africa

In 1960 Ellsworth retired from the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, and he and his wife returned to Haiti. The first National Convention of Haiti was held in 1961 and the first National Spiritual Assembly was elected, with Ellsworth being elected as Chairman and his wife also being elected as a member. He served on the Institution until he was appointed an Auxiliary Board Member in 1965. He spoke about his experiences in Haiti at the 1965 Southeastern Baha’i Summer School.

In July 1966 he undertook a tour as Auxiliary Board Member to establish better relationships between the Baha’i communities of countries in the West Indies and prepare them for the establishment of a National Spiritual Assembly of the Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands. He and his wife delivered a speech on teaching the Faith at a Conference in Puerto Rico later the same year. In 1967 Ellsworth was interviewed on Antigua television. In 1970 Ellsworth stepped down as Auxiliary Board Member and served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Haiti again for a time.

Ellsworth lived in Haiti until October 1975, when he and Ruth pioneered to Madagascar and he served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Madagascar from 1976 to 1977. In 1977 the Blackwell's pioneered to the Republic of Zaire and Ellsworth passed away there in 1978.

The Universal House of Justice cabled the following after his passing:

GRIEVED PASSING VALIANT LONGTIME SERVANT CAUSE BAHAULLAH ELLSWORTH BLACKWELL STOP OUTSTANDING ENDEAVOURS PIONEERING TEACHING ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES MANY LANDS EVIDENCE HIS DEVOTION DEDICATION FAITH HE DEARLY LOVED STOP ASSURE WIFE FAMILY FRIENDS PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HIS SOUL ABHA KINGDOM

Notes

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