William Roberts
William Roberts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1951 Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| NSA member | United States 1998 - 2011 |
| ABM | Americas 1984 - 1988 |
| Counsellor | Americas 1988 - 1995 |
Dr. William "Billy" Roberts (b. 1951) is an American Bahá’í who served as a Continental Counselor for the Americas and a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States.
Background[edit]
Roberts was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1951 and raised in Roxbury. He moved to Los Angeles after his mother passed.[1] He completed a Master's Degree in Administration and Organizational Development and a Doctorate in Counselling and Clinical Psychology and the University of Massachusetts,[2] and he was introduced to the Bahá’í Faith while attending university and joined the religion.[1]
In 1987 Roberts established the Bahá’í Black Men's Gathering, a consultative space for African American Bahá’í men to consult on spiritual transformation and Bahá’í service,[3] and in 1988 the Universal House of Justice appointed him as a Continental Counselor for the Americas to fill a vacancy left by appointments to the International Teaching Centre.[4] In 1990 he was appointed as Counselor for a full five year term.[5]
In the late 1990's he undertook a teaching trip to South Africa.[6] In 1998 he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and served as the Treasurer of the body for thirteen years overseeing many capital campaigns before moving to Cape Cod.[7]
In 2013 Roberts joined the Rotary Club and he became an active member of the organization attending the Rotary International Conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015. He served as Massachusetts District Governor of the body from 2017 to 2018.[7]
Talks[edit]
- 1982 - While There Is Yet Time to Build Bahá’í Family Life
- 1988 - Summoning the Heroes
- 2018 - Interview on the Bahá’í Blogcast
- 2020 - The Purpose of the Black Men's Gathering
- 2021 - Africa: Why a Group of Black Bahá’ís Went to the Ancestral Homeland
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.raceunity.us/billy-roberts/
- ↑ https://rotarynepets.org/page/william-roberts
- ↑ https://www.bahaibookstore.com/The-Story-of-the-Bahai-Black-Mens-Gathering-P6778.aspx
- ↑ 16 June 1988 message from the Universal House of Justice to the Baha'is of the World
- ↑ 25 October 1990 message from the Universal House of Justice to the Baha'is of the World
- ↑ https://bahaiteachings.org/africa-why-group-black-bahai-went-ancestral-homeland/
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://rotarynepets.org/page/william-roberts
