Alain Locke materials:

By Alain Locke

• Four Talks Redefining Democracy, Education, and World Citizenship: "The Preservation of the Democratic Ideal," "Stretching Our Social Mind," "On Becoming World Citizens," and "Creative Democracy," in World Order 38:3 (2008). Pages 21-41.
• Three essays: "The Gospel for the Twentieth Century," "Peace between Black and White in the United States," and "Five Phases of Democracy: Farewell Address at Talladega College," in World Order 36:3 (2005). Pages 37-48.

Scholarship by Christopher Buck

• 2001. Alain Locke: Baha’i Philosopher, in Baha’i Studies Review volume 10. Pages 7–49.
• 2002. Alain Locke and Cultural Pluralism, in Search for Values: Ethics in Bahá’í Thought. Pages 94-158.
• 2004. Alain Locke, in American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies. Pages 195-219.
• 2005. Alain Locke: Race Leader, Social Philosopher, Bahá'í Pluralist, in World Order 36:3. Pages 7-36.
• 2005. Alain Locke: Faith and Philosophy. Los Angeles: Kalimat Press. 302 pages.
• 2005-2007. Alain Locke: Faith and Philosophy, Reviews. Reviews by William Collins, Anthony Fitchue and Derik Smith.
• 2006/2007. Alain Locke: Four Talks Redefining Democracy, Education, and World Citizenship. Edited and introduced by Christopher Buck and Betty J. Fisher. World Order 38.3: 21–41.
• 2010. Alain Locke, in Encyclopedia of African American History, Volume 1. Pages 224-227.
• 2010-09-04. Alain Locke and Cultural Pluralism. Christopher Buck (2004). The worldview of the African American thinker Alain Locke as a Bahá'í, his secular perspective as a philosopher, and the synergy between his confessional and professional essays. Articles.
• 2013-04-21. Alain Locke. Christopher Buck (2013). Encyclopedia.
• 2013-04-21. Harlem Renaissance. Christopher Buck (2013). Encyclopedia.
• 2014-05-05. Bahá'í 'Race Amity' Movement and the Black Intelligentsia in Jim Crow America, The: Alain Locke and Robert Abbott. Christopher Buck (2011). W. E. B. Du Bois, Alain L. Locke and Robert S. Abbott, ranked as the 4th, 36th and 41st most influential in African American history, all expressed interest in the Baha’i ethic of world unity, from family to international relations, and social crisis. Articles.
• 2017-08-07. Alain Locke: Faith and Philosophy, by Christopher Buck: Review. Derik Smith (2008). Reviews.
• 2020-05-30. Alain Locke on Race, Religion, and the Bahá'í Faith. Christopher Buck (2018). Locke was cynical about the prospect of real progress in race relations within Christianity itself, but he saw potential in Bahá'í efforts to promote race amity and making democracy more egalitarian in terms of the rights of minorities. Articles.
• 2020-05-30. Alain Locke's "Moral Imperatives for World Order" Revisited. Christopher Buck (2019). In public speeches presented in 1944 Locke argues that racism, although an American problem, is not purely a domestic issue; it has bilateral and multilateral consequences; unity of races, religions, and nations is a moral imperative. Articles.
• 2020-05-30. Alain Locke's Philosophy of Democracy. Christopher Buck (2015). For Locke, democracy was more than its narrow political definition, but multidimensional, encompassing local, moral, political, economic, and cultural stages — a model against which he measured America’s fidelity to its democratic ideal. Articles.
• 2022-03-03. Philosophic Values and World Citizenship: Locke to Obama and Beyond, ed. Jacoby Adeshai Carter and Leonard Harris: Review. Christopher Buck (2012). Reviews.
• 2025-09-10. Bahá'í Faith and the Black Intelligentsia, The: Excerpt. Christopher Buck (2025). Front matter, "Introduction" by Richard W. Thomas, and a portion of Chapter 1, "The Bahá’í 'Pupil of the Eye' Metaphor: Promoting Ideal Race Relations in Jim Crow America." Excerpts.
• 2026-07-26. The Bahá'í Faith and the Black Intelligentsia, by Christopher Buck: Review. Jesse Washington (2026-05). Reviews.

Scholarship by others

• 2026-07-26. Requiem for Faith Unmitigated — Or — Faith in 1923 Palestine and 2023 Israel: Revising Alain Locke's 1923 Pilgrimage (Musing Again). Leonard Harris (2025 Fall). Further reflections on the life and thought of Locke; meditations on philosophy; meanings of faith in general and for Locke in particular. Articles.
• 2026-07-26. Requiem for a Garden: Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb or Revisiting Alain Locke's 'Impressions of Haifa' 1923 (Palestine) in 2023 (Israel). Leonard Harris (2024 Summer). Background on Locke's biography and reasons for visiting the Guardian in Haifa; contrast between Locke's pilgrimage in the early years of the Guardian versus a visit to the World Centre today. Articles.
• 2025-03-04. Studies in Bábí and Bahá'í History / Studies in Bábí and Bahá'í Religions: List of volumes. Anthony Lee, ed. (1982-2023). List of all 23 volumes in the SBBH / SBBR series from Kalimat Press. Bibliographies.
• 2024-06-22. Impressions of Haifa. Alain Locke (1926-04-21). Locke reflects on his visit to the Bahá'í shrines in November 1923. Articles.
• 2022-02-01. Alain L. Locke: The Biography of a Philosopher. Leonard Harris, Charles Molesworth (2008). Three paragraphs mentioning the Bahá'í Faith. Excerpts.
• 2021-08-06. Monologues on the Bicentenary of the Birth of Baha'u'llah and Howard University Visit Commemoration. Vasu Mohan, Donna Denize, Nadim van de Fliert (2017-10/2018-04). Five biographical monologues delivered in the fictionalized voices of Harriett Gibbs Marshall, Laura Dreyfus Barney, Louis Gregory, Alain Locke, and Pocahontas Pope. Scripts.
• 2021-01-29. New Cycle of Human Power, A: Abdu'l-Bahá's Encounters with Modernist Writers and Artists. Robert Weinberg (2021-01). On the impact of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on a number of individuals who were at the cultural vanguard of a society undergoing rapid, radical change. Articles.
• 2014-12-29. Locke, Alain Leroy. Leonard Harris (2014). The life and work of Locke (1885-1954), the African-American philosopher and literary critic who helped initiate the Harlem Renaissance during the interwar period; there is a brief mention of his sympathy for the Bahá'í Faith. Biographies.
• 2011-06-09. Locke, Shock, and Abbott: Baha'i Theology and the Acceleration of the African American Civil Rights Movement. Guy Emerson Mount (2010). African American responses to Abdu'l-Bahá's 1912 visit to America, Abdu'l Baha's teachings among prominent African American leaders, and the nature of the 'Black Church' during the wider 'Progressive Era' of Jim Crow segregation. Articles-unpublished.
• 2010. Guy Emerson Mount: Locke, Shock, and Abbott: Baha’i Theology and the Acceleration of the African American Civil Rights Movement.
• 2000. Leonard Harris: Locke, Alain Leroy.

Presentations by Christopher Buck

• 2006. Alain Locke: Race Leader, Social Philosopher, Bahá’í Pluralist. Presentation at Howard University on the history and influence of Locke. Includes audio files of Buck along with audio of introductions by Dr. Aman McHugh, Dr. Thomas Battle, and Dr. Segun Gbadegesin.
• 2007. Bahá'í Principles and the Salvation of Democracy. Presentation at Chautauqua Institution on Locke's history and influence .
• 2007. 'Race Amity' and the Bahá'í Faith. Presentation for the American Association of Rhodes Scholars, Howard University, about the "First Black Rhodes Scholar".
• 2010-09-14. Alain Locke: Race Leader, Social Philosopher, Bahá'í Pluralist: 94th Annual Commemoration of 'Abdu'l-Baha's 1912 Visit to Howard University. Christopher Buck (2006-04-15). Available both as audio and PDF, and includes press release.
• 2026-10. Alain Locke: Father of the Harlem Renaissance: Invited presentation for the 75th session of "Uncomfortable Conversations" (a discussion group focused on race relations). [academia.edu]
• 2026-10-18. "Alain Locke’s ‘The Gospel for the Twentieth Century’ and Other Bahá’í Essays and Speeches.” Invited Zoom webinar for the course "Topics in African American Bahá’í History," Corinne True Center for Bahá’í History. Download PDF: buck_locke_gospel_20th-century.pdf [PDF, 15 MB].

Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Alain Locke

The discovery of the date of Locke’s conversion does not throw any light on the next two years of Locke’s activities as a Bahá’í. It was the usual practice at that time for new believers to write to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Holy Land. Indeed, there is indirect evidence that Locke, following his conversion, did write to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Haifa. That same evidence directly points to the existence of a Tablet that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed in reply. Such evidence rests on the testimony of Louis Gregory who, in 1933, wrote: “It is to be hoped that the friends both locally and nationally, will largely make use of the great powers of Dr. Locke both in the teaching and administrative fields of the Cause. He has made the pilgrimage to Haifa. The Master in a Tablet praised him highly and it is known that the Guardian shares his love for our able brother." This “lead” was the clue that launched my quest to find that missing Tablet. In the Alain Locke Papers, I did discover a Tablet, dated 1919, from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but its recipient was someone other than Locke himself. To date, the Tablet to Locke has not been found.

Update, 2014: Please see p. 31 of the Bahá'í Studies Review article for the original Persian text of the Tablet by Abdu’l-Baha mentioning Locke. Translation of comment regarding Locke:

Figure 1: Facsimile of Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Baha to to Mrs Agnes Parsons, July 26, 1921 in which he writes concerning Locke, "His honor, Dr Locke – this distinguished person deserves every consideration for him from the Divine Kingdom."

Historical images, video, audio, articles

Scans

• Letters between Shoghi Effendi, Alain Locke, Ruhi Afnan, and Azízulláh S. Bahádur (1924-1944).

Articles, press notes

• An unsorted collection of articles, assembled by Buck, can be downloaded from bahai-library.com/docs/l/locke_articles.

Audio and video

• audio clip (1940).
• Film Clip of Alain Locke at Harmon Art Exhibit (1933).
• Film Clip of Alain Locke in Washington, D.C. (1937).
• Film Clip of Alain Locke at Howard University (1937).

Photographs

• A collection of unsorted photographs, assembled by Buck, can be downloaded at bahai-library.com/images/l/locke_photos. See also the articles at bahai-library.com/docs/l/locke_articles.