The Church of Jesus Christ and Black People 2007-2010
In 2007, the Genesis Group's Darius Gray collaborated with fellow black Mormon Marvin Perkins to unveil a series of DVDs and associated website called "Blacks in the Scriptures", which examined the role of black people in LDS and biblical history and addressed some of the issues surrounding the priesthood ban. In 2008, thirty years after the ban had ended, Issue 47:2 of BYU Studies published an extensive article called "Spencer W. Kimball and the Revelation on Priesthood" written by his son, Edward. The article gave an objective overview of the ban's murky origins and the folklore used to rationalize it, and then devoted most of its length to the efforts of President Kimball, to receive a revelation that would change the policy.
On April 14 of that year, Brother Gray and BYU professor Margaret Young released a documentary called "Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons", which went into less detail but included personal anecdotes from black members, insight from non-Mormon scholars, and previously unreleased footage from a civil rights protest at BYU in 1968. It also targeted a broader audience than the BYU Studies article and raised awareness of little-known history for many members. It is now aired on the Documentary Channel every month, although the directors' cut on the DVD includes fifteen more minutes of footage and one hundred minutes of special features.
On April 14 of that year, Brother Gray and BYU professor Margaret Young released a documentary called "Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons", which went into less detail but included personal anecdotes from black members, insight from non-Mormon scholars, and previously unreleased footage from a civil rights protest at BYU in 1968. It also targeted a broader audience than the BYU Studies article and raised awareness of little-known history for many members. It is now aired on the Documentary Channel every month, although the directors' cut on the DVD includes fifteen more minutes of footage and one hundred minutes of special features.
Brother Gray said he had been given permission by church leaders to share his belief that the priesthood ban "was not imposed by God but was allowed by God" and was "not a curse but a calling. It was a test to see how we would treat one another. [The challenge] was the same: to maintain the love of the Savior in our hearts for one another. And when that restriction became too much of an impediment for [God's] work to go forward, there was a revelation."
Mitt Romney
In 2007 Mitt Romney, son of Michigan Governer and civil rights supporter George Romney, embarked on his first campaign to become President of the United States. On December 17 he did an interview with Tim Russert on Meet the Press. When asked about the priesthood ban, he was not willing to either defend or denounce it, but simply expressed his gratitude to God that it was no longer in effect.
A few months later on "The ED Show", black theologian Obery Hendricks offered his advice on what Mitt Romney should say to prove to American voters that he was not racist.
In an interview, black pastor Chip Murray said that Mitt Romney would face more discrimination for his religion than half-black Democratic candidate Barack Obama would for his skin color.
Thirtieth Anniversary of the Priesthood Revelation
The thirtieth anniversary of the revelation to President Spencer W. Kimball was commemorated by a church-sponsored event on June 9, 2008. A few days prior to the event, Elder Sheldon F. Child of the Seventy told theDeseret News about his experience as a mission president in New York. "It was like the United Nations... It was my first experience with a large ethnic population directly. They all brought their different cultures, and we were all brothers and sisters. It was just a great experience." He noted that most Utahans had not experienced such diversity, "But if they did, they would have the same feelings I do. You just can't help but love the people. The more you get to know different races, the more you realize that we are all Heavenly Father's children, brothers and sisters. To be honest, I think we've got a ways to go in Utah because of the lack of diversity. But I can see things improving. The more people of various races move in, I think it will be helpful."
He did not recall his missionaries having any problems with people asking about the priesthood ban or the folklore behind it. "When you think about it, that's just what it is - folklore. It's never really been official doctrine. I know there have been some misconceptions and some statements made by people in the past, but as Elder McConkie said, we've received new and additional light and knowledge through revelation, and even the folklore is obsolete now because of the fact that we have the revelation... We have to keep in mind that it's folklore and not doctrine. It's never been recorded as such. Many opinions, personal opinions, were spoken. I'm just so grateful for this revelation... we're all Heavenly Father's children; let's put this behind us and just go forward."
When the day of the event arrived nearly three thousand people packed into the Salt Lake Tabernacle to listen to church leaders and members, many of them black. Outside on Temple Square, a small group of protesters led by Mormonism Research Ministry's Bill McKeever called for a formal apology for the priesthood ban. "We're out here calling attention to some of the teachings of past Mormon leaders regarding why the ban was placed on those of African heritage and the priesthood," he told the Deseret News. The meeting was conducted by Elder Earl C. Tingey of the Seventy. Music was provided by three hundred multicultural singers led by Mormon Tabernacle Choir director Mack Wilburg and black singer Alex Boyé, who sang "How Great Thou Art" and "I Know That My Redeemer Lives".
Atlanta Georgia Stake President and black member Fred A. Parker said, "I don't feel it's necessary for me to understand all the Lord's dealings to believe that He is God and that He loves all His children... I know that He can make us happy. We can't understand all His thoughts, and my faith isn't limited by things I don't understand... The power and ordinances of priesthood are real, majestic and compelling. [I invite] every nation, kindred, tongue and people to explore the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Find out for yourselves and act on the promptings of the Holy Spirit. [I'm often reminded that] to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Our time is now and our Heavenly Father knows best."
Cherry Hill New Jersey Stake President Ahmad Corbitt said he admired "the stalwart black pioneers who valiantly bore testimony of the Savior and his gospel without benefit of priesthood... We as Latter-day Saints who are black must assure our primary focus is on the saving doctrines and practices of the gospel, especially the Atonement... [and] increase the teaching of children that they are literal spirit sons and daughters of a kind Father in Heaven who loves them beyond our ability to express. [Teach all young people to] come to Christ faithfully and apply the atonement diligently [as the foundation of] what will most help them. We must increase our own focus on these things, embracing weightier matters of the gospel...
"The more unified as brothers and sisters our children feel with other races and ethnicities, the broader their service will be... Some questions are difficult for us to fully comprehend, but focusing on his eternal plan we of all colors will walk through celestial gates and return to the glory only [Christ] can offer. May we help lead to that legacy... Unity is a tell-tale sign not only of the true church, but of the Lord himself and his atoning sacrifice. Our oneness as a people is a manifestation to the world of the Lord's power to reconcile us not only to God but to each other. This he does through the great Atonement, without regard to borders, barriers or ethnicity. This universal unity and joy are the destiny of the church."
Elder Child said, "There are no strangers or foreigners among those who enjoy the blessing of the priesthood, make sacred covenants and keep them. They belong to the household of God. Because of God's love for all his children, in every gospel dispensation he has placed prophets on the earth to communicate his will to them. His love and his will was made manifest to us on June 8, 1978... We certainly have cause to rejoice and to celebrate. May we show our love to him by the way we live our lives and reach out to others with love." Elder Tingey said "We look to the day when all men and women of the Earth will be seen as God's children." Following the speakers a short church-produced video called "He Inviteth Us All" was shown, including thoughts and testimonies from black members.
He did not recall his missionaries having any problems with people asking about the priesthood ban or the folklore behind it. "When you think about it, that's just what it is - folklore. It's never really been official doctrine. I know there have been some misconceptions and some statements made by people in the past, but as Elder McConkie said, we've received new and additional light and knowledge through revelation, and even the folklore is obsolete now because of the fact that we have the revelation... We have to keep in mind that it's folklore and not doctrine. It's never been recorded as such. Many opinions, personal opinions, were spoken. I'm just so grateful for this revelation... we're all Heavenly Father's children; let's put this behind us and just go forward."
When the day of the event arrived nearly three thousand people packed into the Salt Lake Tabernacle to listen to church leaders and members, many of them black. Outside on Temple Square, a small group of protesters led by Mormonism Research Ministry's Bill McKeever called for a formal apology for the priesthood ban. "We're out here calling attention to some of the teachings of past Mormon leaders regarding why the ban was placed on those of African heritage and the priesthood," he told the Deseret News. The meeting was conducted by Elder Earl C. Tingey of the Seventy. Music was provided by three hundred multicultural singers led by Mormon Tabernacle Choir director Mack Wilburg and black singer Alex Boyé, who sang "How Great Thou Art" and "I Know That My Redeemer Lives".
Atlanta Georgia Stake President and black member Fred A. Parker said, "I don't feel it's necessary for me to understand all the Lord's dealings to believe that He is God and that He loves all His children... I know that He can make us happy. We can't understand all His thoughts, and my faith isn't limited by things I don't understand... The power and ordinances of priesthood are real, majestic and compelling. [I invite] every nation, kindred, tongue and people to explore the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Find out for yourselves and act on the promptings of the Holy Spirit. [I'm often reminded that] to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Our time is now and our Heavenly Father knows best."
Cherry Hill New Jersey Stake President Ahmad Corbitt said he admired "the stalwart black pioneers who valiantly bore testimony of the Savior and his gospel without benefit of priesthood... We as Latter-day Saints who are black must assure our primary focus is on the saving doctrines and practices of the gospel, especially the Atonement... [and] increase the teaching of children that they are literal spirit sons and daughters of a kind Father in Heaven who loves them beyond our ability to express. [Teach all young people to] come to Christ faithfully and apply the atonement diligently [as the foundation of] what will most help them. We must increase our own focus on these things, embracing weightier matters of the gospel...
"The more unified as brothers and sisters our children feel with other races and ethnicities, the broader their service will be... Some questions are difficult for us to fully comprehend, but focusing on his eternal plan we of all colors will walk through celestial gates and return to the glory only [Christ] can offer. May we help lead to that legacy... Unity is a tell-tale sign not only of the true church, but of the Lord himself and his atoning sacrifice. Our oneness as a people is a manifestation to the world of the Lord's power to reconcile us not only to God but to each other. This he does through the great Atonement, without regard to borders, barriers or ethnicity. This universal unity and joy are the destiny of the church."
Elder Child said, "There are no strangers or foreigners among those who enjoy the blessing of the priesthood, make sacred covenants and keep them. They belong to the household of God. Because of God's love for all his children, in every gospel dispensation he has placed prophets on the earth to communicate his will to them. His love and his will was made manifest to us on June 8, 1978... We certainly have cause to rejoice and to celebrate. May we show our love to him by the way we live our lives and reach out to others with love." Elder Tingey said "We look to the day when all men and women of the Earth will be seen as God's children." Following the speakers a short church-produced video called "He Inviteth Us All" was shown, including thoughts and testimonies from black members.
The First Black African General Authority
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Elder Joseph W. Sitati joined the Church in his native Kenya in 1986 after learning about it from a fellow businessman, and went on to serve as the first district president in Kenya, the first stake president in Kenya, part of the first Kenyan family to be sealed in the Johannesburg South Africa Temple, an area seventy, and president of the Nigeria Uyo Mission. Beyond that, his influence was instrumental in gaining societal acceptance and government recognition for the Church in Kenya after anti-Mormon Walter Martin's earlier successful attempt to have it denied. "Some people who are trying to protect their own faith spread bad stories about Mormonism [imported from America]," he explained. "There is no indigenous hostility to the Church."
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While still a mission president in April 2009 he was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy, becoming the first black African General Authority (Helvécio Martins was black but was from Brazil, and Christoffel Golden Jr. is African but is white).
Elder Sitati was never bothered by the priesthood ban. "Christ came only to the Jews and not until the end of his mission did he commission the apostles to go to all the world," he said. "Different communities are invited to participate in the plan of salvation at different times. What is important is that the salvation to which they are invited is the same. It doesn't matter that the Jews were the first, if you like, and the Africans are the last." That October he gave a General Conference talk called "Blessings of the Gospel".
Civil Rights Analogy
Elder Sitati was never bothered by the priesthood ban. "Christ came only to the Jews and not until the end of his mission did he commission the apostles to go to all the world," he said. "Different communities are invited to participate in the plan of salvation at different times. What is important is that the salvation to which they are invited is the same. It doesn't matter that the Jews were the first, if you like, and the Africans are the last." That October he gave a General Conference talk called "Blessings of the Gospel".
Civil Rights Analogy
Civil Rights Persecution
On October 13, 2009, Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a speech at BYU-Idaho about religious freedom. In his remarks, he said, "Along with many others, we were disappointed with what we experienced in the aftermath of California’s adoption of Proposition 8, including vandalism of church facilities and harassment of church members by firings and boycotts of member businesses and by retaliation against donors. Mormons were the targets of most of this, but it also hit other churches in the pro-8 coalition and other persons who could be identified as supporters. Fortunately, some recognized such retaliation for what it was. A full-page ad in the New York Times branded this 'violence and intimidation' against religious organizations and individual believers 'simply because they supported Proposition 8 [as] an outrage that must stop.' The fact that this ad was signed by some leaders who had no history of friendship for our faith only added to its force.
"It is important to note that while this aggressive intimidation in connection with the Proposition 8 election was primarily directed at religious persons and symbols, it was not anti-religious as such. These incidents were expressions of outrage against those who disagreed with the gay-rights position and had prevailed in a public contest. As such, these incidents of violence and intimidation are not so much anti-religious as anti-democratic. In their effect they are like the well-known and widely condemned voter-intimidation of blacks in the South that produced corrective federal civil-rights legislation."
The next day, liberal commentator Keith Olbermann awarded Elder Oaks one of his nightly slots as "Worst Person in the World", saying "One would think that with the Mormons' history of being on the wrong side of integration and the wrong side of that pesky ancient order of one woman per marriage, that these are subjects about which Elder Oaks would want to shut the hell up." He failed to realize that the Church was never on any side of integration, and never took a political stance on the civil rights movement aside from a General Conference statement that was supportive of civil rights (but not any particular legislation). In regard to polygamy he failed to grasp the distinction between governmental non-recognition of a union as marriage, and governmental persecution of those practicing it. Elder Oaks responded to the media firestorm by stating, "The civil rights analogy is a good one in the sense that it calls to mind the fact that people who were exercising a civil right, the right to vote, the right to be free from certain kinds of legal discriminations were intimidated and coerced; they were punished for asserting their civil right."
"It is important to note that while this aggressive intimidation in connection with the Proposition 8 election was primarily directed at religious persons and symbols, it was not anti-religious as such. These incidents were expressions of outrage against those who disagreed with the gay-rights position and had prevailed in a public contest. As such, these incidents of violence and intimidation are not so much anti-religious as anti-democratic. In their effect they are like the well-known and widely condemned voter-intimidation of blacks in the South that produced corrective federal civil-rights legislation."
The next day, liberal commentator Keith Olbermann awarded Elder Oaks one of his nightly slots as "Worst Person in the World", saying "One would think that with the Mormons' history of being on the wrong side of integration and the wrong side of that pesky ancient order of one woman per marriage, that these are subjects about which Elder Oaks would want to shut the hell up." He failed to realize that the Church was never on any side of integration, and never took a political stance on the civil rights movement aside from a General Conference statement that was supportive of civil rights (but not any particular legislation). In regard to polygamy he failed to grasp the distinction between governmental non-recognition of a union as marriage, and governmental persecution of those practicing it. Elder Oaks responded to the media firestorm by stating, "The civil rights analogy is a good one in the sense that it calls to mind the fact that people who were exercising a civil right, the right to vote, the right to be free from certain kinds of legal discriminations were intimidated and coerced; they were punished for asserting their civil right."
I'm a Mormon
The publicity surrounding Mitt Romney's campaign made clear to the Church's public relations department that several misconceptions and negative stereotypes still existed about the Church, including the idea that most of its members were white people from the Western United States. In 2010 it launched its "I'm a Mormon" ad campaign, which aimed to highlight the normalcy and diversity of its members, and several black Mormons were featured over the next few years. Around the same time Elder Bruce R. McConkie's book Mormon Doctrine, notorious among other things for the racial folklore in earlier editions, ceased publication despite its continued popularity.
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Black Mormons are Not Dumb
On November 12, black Latter-day Saint Kenya Malcolm released a webcam video called "Black People In the Mormon Church Are NOT DUMB !!!!" She shared her testimony, noting in particular that when she had asked God about the priesthood ban, He had told her that the gospel of Jesus Christ was true but sometimes the people were not. Next: The Church of Jesus Christ and Black People 2011-2012 |
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