"According to Baha'u'llah's son and successor Abdul ""Baha,"" Baha'u'llah ""once"" compared the colored people to the Black pupil of the eye surrounded by the white. In this black pupil is seen the reflection of that which is before ""it,"" and through it the light of the spirit shineth ""forth."" Through ""essays,"" ""commentaries,"" letters and family ""histories,"" readers learn how African-American Baha'is struggled with issues of ""race,"" took on a new spiritual and racial ""identity,"" and assumed a special role in the Faith."