Photo Collection

‘Ali Kuli Khan (c1879-1966)

April 23, 1912
'Ali Kuli Khan (c1879-1966)
'Ali Kuli Khan (c1879-1966)
Residence of Ali Kuli & Florence Breed Khan Washington, DC

That same day [April 23, 1912], Ali Kuli Khan, charge d’affaires of the Persian Legation, and Madame Florence Breed Khan, both Bahá’ís, held a luncheon and a reception in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s honor [at their residence, seen below]. At the luncheon, to which about fifteen socially prominent guests had been invited, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá defied both Washington protocol and the conventions of racial segregation by insisting that Gregory join Him and by adding a place for Gregory immediately to His right, in the seat of honor. Seven months later, during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s second visit to Washington, the Bahá’ís organized a banquet at Rauscher’s Hall that was attended by some three hundred people. It was the first interracial social event ever held by the Bahá’ís in the nation’s capital city.”

http://www.bahai-encyclopedia-project.org/index.php?option=com_content&v…

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