Pilgrimage
On March 25, 1911, at the behest of `Abdu'l-Bahá, Gregory sailed from New York through Europe to Egypt and Palestine to go on pilgrimage. In Palestine, Gregory met with `Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and visited the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh and the Shrine of the Báb. After he had returned to Egypt from Palestine, the discussion of race unity in the United States came about with `Abdu'l-Bahá and the other pilgrims. `Abdu'l-Bahá stated that there was no distinction between the races, and then gave blackberries to each of the pilgrims, which Gregory interpreted as the symbolic sharing of black-coloured fruit. During this time, `Abdu'l-Bahá also started encouraging Gregory and Louisa Matthew, a white Englishwoman who was also a pilgrim, to get to know each other; on September 27, 1912, Gregory and Matthew married becoming the first Bahá'í interracial couple.
After leaving Egypt, Gregory travelled to Germany, before returning to the United States, where he spoke at a number of gatherings to Bahá'ís and their friends. When he returned to the United States he continued to travel throughout the southern United States talking about the Bahá'í Faith. In 1912, during `Abdu'l-Bahá's visit to the United States, Gregory organized speaking engagements at Howard University and the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church for him.
During his travels, whenever he was accompanied by his wife, they received a range of different reactions because interracial marriage was illegal or unrecognized in a majority of the states at that time.
Read more about this topic: Louis George Gregory
Famous quotes containing the word pilgrimage:
““Come hither, Son,” I heard Death say;
“I did not will a grave
Should end thy pilgrimage today,
But I, too, am a slave!””
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)
“The ripest fruit first falls, and so doth he.
His time is spent; our pilgrimage must be.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)