5 / Boys of the Bowery

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Boys of the Bowery

The boy with dark brown skin stopped and looked up at the large, stately home of Edward and Carrie Kinney. He held back as about thirty boys—all of them white—noisily stomped up the steps. Would he be welcome here?

A few days earlier, Mrs. Kinney had stopped to talk with the boys outside the Bowery Mission. Some of them had been calling names and tossing sticks at a man in long robes and a white turban. They had expected Mrs. Kinney to shout and chase them away. Instead, she told them He was a holy man who was going to speak to the poor. When they asked to hear His talk, she invited them to her house instead.

The boy was curious. What was holy about the man in the long robes? And why had the lady been so nice to them? He never saw rich ladies in the neighborhood by the Bowery. And he’d never been inside a house as fine as this one. He and his companions had walked six long miles along the Hudson River to get there. Shyly, he followed the others inside.

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VOYAGE OF LOVE

At the time ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited America, life for kids was much different than it is now. About two million children worked at difficult and dangerous jobs in places like clothing mills, slaughterhouses, or coal mines. Thousands of kids known as “newsies” slept on the streets at night so they could wake up early and sell newspapers. Their families found they needed the kids’ money in order to survive. Some of these kids were as young as five. They couldn’t go to school because of their jobs. Sometimes they worked ten or more hours a day, six days a week.

However, people were beginning to realize that it was unfair to make children work. A New York photographer named Lewis Hine traveled all over the country taking pictures of kids at work, so people everywhere could see how they suffered. States began to pass laws banning child labor. By 1920, the number of working children was cut in half—but that still meant a very hard life for many kids.

We don’t know the details about the boys who visited the Kinney home that day, except that they were from the poor neighborhood of the Bowery. They might have been young workers who had some time off on a spring Sunday. Or they may have been fortunate enough to go to school and live with their parents. Regardless of their circumstances, they were all greeted by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá like cherished friends.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá stood at the door to His room. He welcomed each boy with a smile, clasping his hand or putting an arm around him. He was friendly and full of joy.

The African American boy hesitated at the door. But when ‘Abdu’lBahá saw him, His face lit up. He greeted the boy and exclaimed in a loud voice, “Ah, a black rose.”

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BOYS OF THE BOWERY

Instantly, the room was silent. The boy’s face shone with happiness. He was amazed to be treated with such kindness. The other boys looked at him thoughtfully.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent out for candy. Soon a generous five-pound box of chocolates arrived. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked around the circle of boys and gave each one a large handful, with a kind word and a smile.

Then He picked a very dark chocolate from the box. He looked at it, then looked around at the group of boys. They all watched Him. He walked across the room to the African American boy. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s face was radiant as He affectionately put His arm around the boy. Without words, His actions seemed to say, Your dark-skinned brother is beautiful and precious. You would love this boy as a true friend, if you would look for his inner nobility.

Again, the room was quiet. The other boys looked at the black boy with wonder. In 1912, it was common to hear African Americans insulted and belittled. In many states, black kids were not allowed to attend school with white kids, eat in the same restaurants, or play in the same parks. Yet this fascinating man treated the black boy with respect and appreciation.

The boy himself gazed at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with admiring eyes. He seemed transformed. He looked as if all of the good qualities inside of him had instantly been revealed.

A few adults were in the room as well, and one of them, Howard Colby Ives, wondered about the effect that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words and actions would have on the boys. He imagined what might happen if they treated people of all races with love and kindness from that

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VOYAGE OF LOVE

moment on. Howard wrote that “freedom from just this one prejudice in the minds and hearts” of the boys “would unquestionably bring happiness and freedom from rancor to thousands of hearts.”1

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