Black Saints and the Priesthood (Post 1978)

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Black Saints and the Priesthood (Post 1978)

814 Primary Sources

Timeline of Black Saints and the Priesthood after June 10, 1978

1978–1980

June 1, 1978

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles receive a revelation to end the priesthood ban.[1]

June 9, 1978

The end of the priesthood and temple restrictions is officially announced.[2]

June 11, 1978

Joseph Freeman Jr.[BIO] becomes the first known Black Saint in modern times ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood.[3]

June 13, 1978

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that President Spencer W. Kimball said that the revelation that prompted Official Declaration 2 was a "personal thing."[4]

June 18, 1978

A Church spokesperson gives a statement discouraging mixed-race marriages.[5]

1978

Eldred G. Smith,[BIO] the Church patriarch, reportedly stated that Black Saints receiving patriarchal blessings should be assigned to the tribe of Manasseh.[6]

1978

Bill Pope[BIO] shares Bruce R. McConkie's[BIO] description of the revelation lifting the priesthood ban.[7]

July 4, 1978

Ogden Kraut,[BIO] a well-known fundamentalist, sends a letter to President Kimball, criticizing the revelation on the priesthood.[8] Kimball receives other, more positive responses to the revelation.[9][10]

July 23, 1978

Joseph LaMoine Jenson[BIO] publishes a full-page advertisement in the Salt Lake Tribune opposing the reversal of the ban and calling on Elder Bruce R. McConkie[BIO] to share his personal views on the revelation.[11]

August 18, 1978

Elder Bruce R. McConkie tells BYU students they should forget any past teaching that was "contrary to the present revelation."[12] His description of the revelation reportedly causes some misunderstandings about what actually happened.[13]

August 28, 1978

Leonard J. Arrington,[BIO] the Church historian, writes in his diary that he'd heard that Elder Boyd K. Packer[BIO] had seen Jesus Christ on June 1.[14]

September 16, 1978

Russell M. Nelson,[BIO] then the General Sunday School president, receives a dream where Harold B. Lee[BIO] tells Nelson that Lee would have received the same priesthood revelation had he been alive.[15]

September 28, 1978

Anthony Obinna,[BIO] a member in Nigeria, asks President Kimball to establish the Church in his country without further delay.[16]

September 30, 1978

Official Declaration 2, which extends priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy male members of the Church, is accepted in general conference.[17]

October 23, 1978

President Kimball gives a detailed description of the events surrounding the revelation on the priesthood at a mission conference in South Africa.[18]

October 24, 1978

President Kimball warns the mostly white members of the Church in Africa not to "fight against" the "work of the Lord."[19][20]

October 30, 1978

President Kimball dedicates the São Paolo Brazil Temple.[21]

November 21, 1978

Rachel[BIO] and Rendell N. Mabey,[BIO] along with Edwin Q.[BIO] and Janath R. Cannon,[BIO] organize the first all-African branch in Africa in Aboh, Nigeria.[22]

1981–1990

August 9, 1981

The Soweto, South Africa branch is established with racially integrated leadership during apartheid.[23]

April 1983

Reed L. Clegg[BIO] organizes Friends of West Africa, the first Latter-day Saint humanitarian assistance organization in Africa.[24]

August 24, 1985

The first Latter-day Saint temple in Africa is dedicated in Johannesburg, South Africa.[25]

September 22, 1987

After receiving authorization from Mobutu Sese Seko,[BIO] the president of Zaire, the Church is registered in a non-English-speaking African nation for the first time.[26]

May 15, 1988

The first African stake outside of South Africa is organized in Aba, Nigeria.[27]

May 15, 1988

Church president Gordon B. Hinckley says that the June 1 revelation was received by the "voice of the Spirit."[28]

June 1988

Associated Press interviews Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Neal A. Maxwell on the tenth anniversary of the lifting of the priesthood restriction.[29]

June 1989

The government of Ghana bans the activities of the Church, closing chapels and ordering non-Ghanaian Saints to leave the country during a period known as "The Freeze."[30]

April 1990

Elder Helvécio Martins[BIO] is called as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy and becomes the first general authority of African descent.[31]

November 1990

"The Freeze" in Ghana ends, and the Church returns to full activity in the country.[32]

1991–2000

May 1998

A committee led by Elder Marlin K. Jensen[BIO] was reportedly formed to discuss whether or not the Church should formally disavow its historical teachings about race.[33] The effort leaks to the press,[34] and the Church distances itself from the reported effort.[35]

1999

Richard Packham[BIO] publishes a satirical "revelation," claiming it is "the long-suppressed revelation on the black race and the priesthood."[36]

2001–2010

April 5, 2001

A Church spokesperson denies the claim that the priesthood revelation was given in response to threats about the Church's tax-exempt status.[37]

2002

Gladys Knight[BIO] creates the Saints Unified Voices Choir and leads its first performance.[38] This choir went on to win a Grammy award[39] and perform at venues around the world.[40]

January 11, 2004

The first temple in Ghana (and the second temple in Africa) is dedicated.[41]

April 2006

In the priesthood session of general conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley states that "racial strife still lifts its ugly head" and that "there is no basis for racial hatred among the priesthood of this Church."[42]

April 30–May 1, 2007

During an interview with PBS, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland[BIO] says that "folklore" about the reasons for the ban "must never be perpetuated."[43]

January 19, 2008

The film Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons debuts as the first documentary on the history of the priesthood ban.[44]

June 8, 2008

The Church hosts a celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the 1978 priesthood revelation.[45]

2011–2020

February 28–29, 2012

BYU professor Randy Bott[BIO] reportedly teaches students that "in reality the blacks not having the priesthood was the greatest blessing God could give them."[46] The Church condemns Bott's comments, and Bott says that he was misquoted.[47]

2013

A paragraph is added to Official Declaration 2 in the new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants that gives outlines some of the history around the priesthood restriction and affirms that "all are alike unto God."[48]

December 6, 2013

The Church publishes the essay "Race and the Priesthood,"[49] which "disavows the theories advanced in the past" related to Black people.[50]

2014

Tamu Smith[BIO] and Zandra Vranes[BIO] publish Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons: Finding the Lord’s Lessons in Everyday Life, which explores the social and cultural experiences of Black Saints.[51]

2014–2015

Russell W. Stephenson,[BIO] Matthew L. Harris,[BIO] and Newell C. Bringhurst[BIO] publish documentary histories of the Church and Black Saints.[52] W. Paul Reeve[BIO] publishes Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness.[53]

2016

FamilySearch releases a digital database of Freedmen's Bureau[54] records to support family history research for Black Americans.[55]

August 13, 2017

Following violent demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia,[56] the Church condemns white supremacist attitudes and behavior.[57]

May 17, 2018

The First Presidency and the NAACP[BIO] release a joint statement on plans to work together and calling for greater civility and racial harmony.[58]

May 17, 2018

Jonathan Streeter[BIO] publishes a fake "unqualified apology for the error of racism" from President Nelson,[59] which receives backlash from various Black Latter-day Saints.[60]

June 1, 2018

The Church sponsors a "Be One" event to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the priesthood revelation, including remarks by President Russell M. Nelson[61] and Dallin H. Oaks.[62][63]

June 11, 2018

Jana Riess reports in her 2016 Next Mormons Survey that most Latter-day Saints in the United States still believe the priesthood and temple ban was "inspired of God and was God's will for the Church until 1978."[64]

October 31, 2018

W. Paul Reeve,[BIO] a University of Utah professor, and the Church launch the website Century of Black Mormons, which shares the histories of Black Latter-day Saints.[65]

June 1, 2020

In the wake of protests after the death of George Floyd while in police custody,[66] President Russell M. Nelson publicly denounces racism.[67]

October 3, 2020

In a general conference talk just prior to the United States presidential election, President Dallin H. Oaks denounces racism and lawlessness and encourages love and respect among all people.[68]

October 27, 2020

After speaking at a BYU devotional, Dallin H. Oaks makes national headlines for stating, "Black Lives matter!"[69]

November 16, 2020

Fifty-one years after 14 Black University of Wyoming football players protested BYU's racial restrictions, the first of several deliveries to food banks is made as a joint effort of Black 14 Philanthropy and the Church.[70]

2021–2025

February 25, 2021

The BYU Committee on Race, Equity, and Belonging releases a 64-page report that concludes, “Current systems at the university are inadequate for coordinating services for students seeking assistance with challenges related to race.”[71]

June 14, 2021

Collaborating with the First Presidency and NAACP leadership on a mutual learning and service initiative, the Church commits $2 million annually for three years to the NAACP to promote service and self-reliance.[72]

August 23, 2021

BYU announces the formation of a new Office of Belonging to address the needs "of all marginalized individuals on campus."[73]

October 23, 2021

The Genesis Group celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and restates the importance of its ongoing mission.[74]

2022

Historian Amy Tanner Thiriot[BIO] publishes Slavery in Zion with the biographies of Black enslaved people in nineteenth-century Utah. [75]

February 6, 2022

Bradley R. Wilcox,[BIO] counselor in the Young Men general presidency, makes an offensive remark about the priesthood restriction in a multi-stake youth fireside that was recorded and widely circulated.[76]

April 2022

A group of BYU students calling themselves the Black Menaces receives nationwide attention for their TikTok videos calling out racism and LGBTQ discrimination at BYU.[77]

July 22, 2022

A monument to African-American pioneers is dedicated at This Is The Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City.[78] The monument honors Green Flake,[BIO] Jane Elizabeth Manning James,[BIO] Hark Wales,[BIO] and Oscar Smith.[BIO]

August 28, 2022

Rachel Richardson,[BIO] a Duke University volleyball player, states that BYU fans repeatedly harassed her with racist slurs throughout a match.[79] The incident spurs nationwide criticism[80] and leads to at least one canceled game.[81]

September 9, 2022

BYU and police investigate the audio and video recordings from the Duke University volleyball incident and report finding no evidence of the racial slurs.[82] Duke stands by its players,[83] but some news outlets support the findings of the investigation.[84]

2023

A group of prominent Black Church leaders—including Carol Lawrence-Costley,[BIO] Ahmad S. Corbitt,[BIO] Edward Dube,[BIO] Tracy Y. Browning[BIO]—publish Stay Thou Nearby: Reflections on the 1978 Revelation on the Priesthood.[85]

2024

Matthew L. Harris publishes Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality.[86]

March 19, 2025

The Church releases a new gospel topic essay about the Church and race.[87]

Expand Timeline

How did the priesthood and temple restrictions on Latter-day Saints of African descent end?

In June 1978, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles announced they had received a revelation while fasting, praying, and counseling together in the temple.[88] This revelation ended the priesthood and temple restrictions.[89]

The official announcement was canonized as Declaration 2 in the Doctrine and Covenants.[90] While President Spencer W. Kimball[BIO] did not share a written revelation like those found in the Doctrine and Covenants, the apostles involved testified that the end of the ban came through revelation.[91]

Why wasn't the written revelation behind Official Declaration 2 published?

It's unclear. In response to a similar question, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that President Kimball said that the revelation was a "personal thing."[92]

When it was removed, did the Church announce an official explanation for the original restriction?

No. Official Declaration 2 states that earlier prophets had promised an eventual end to the ban, but it does not address why there was a ban to begin with.[93]

Later, in the 2013 "Race and the Priesthood" essay, the Church disavowed various "theories advanced in the past" that were sometimes used as rationales for the ban,[94] but neither it nor future publications explained why the ban was put in place.[95]

Read More Difficult Questions

814 Primary Sources

Footnotes

BIOJoseph Freeman
Joseph Freeman Jr. (July 24, 1952 - present) was the first man of African descent to be ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Freeman was born and raised in Craven County, North Carolina, where his family had resided for several generations. Freeman joined the church in 1973 while living in Hawaii. He was ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood 3 days after priesthood restrictions were lifted on June 10, 1978.
BIOEldred G. Smith
Eldred G. Smith (1907–2013) was the Presiding Patriarch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1947-1979 and served as emeritus patriarch until his death in 2013. Smith was born and raised in Utah Valley and attended the University of Utah before serving a full-time mission for the Church in the Swiss-German Mission in 1926. He was the oldest and longest-serving general authority in Church history at the time of his death and was the last person to hold the office of Presiding Patriarch.
BIOBill Pope
Bill J. Pope (1922–2010) was a chemical engineer, inventor, and professor known for his work in synthetic diamond technology. He earned degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Utah and the University of Washington, later teaching at Brigham Young University and helping to establish companies such as Megadiamond and US Synthetic. Pope spent part of his career in Iran developing a graduate program at the Abadan Institute of Technology. He married Margaret McConkie in 1943, and the couple raised four children.
BIOBruce R. McConkie
Bruce Redd McConkie (1915-1985) was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His family moved back to Utah when he was an infant. McConkie served as a missionary in the Eastern States Mission and was involved in the first Hill Cumorah Pageant. McConkie married Amelia Smith, the daughter of Joseph Fielding Smith, in 1937. He graduated with a degree in law from the University of Utah in 1939. McConkie served as an officer in Army Intelligence during WWII. He was called as a Seventy in 1946. McConkie edited and published many sermons and teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith. He published the controversial compendium Mormon Doctrine in 1958. He then served as president of the Southern Australian Mission in 1961. McConkie was called as an apostle and served on the Quorum of the Twelve from 1972 until his death in 1985.
BIOOgden Kraut
Ogden Wedlund Kraut (June 21, 1927 – July 17, 2002) was an independent fundamentalist and polygamist from Shelby, Montana. Kraut joined the Church during his high school years and served a mission in the Southern California Mission. During his time as a missionary, Kraut developed a testimony of polygamy and became involved with fundamentalist ideology. Kraut published several books through his publishing company, Pioneer Press, and was excommunicated from the Church in 1972.
BIOJoseph LaMoine Jenson
Joseph LaMoine Jenson (1935-2014) succeeded Owen A. Allred as leader of the Apostolic United Brethren (A.U.B.), a polygamist fundamentalist group, in 2005. On July 23, 1978, under the pseudonym of "Joseph Jensen," he signed his name to a full page advertisement in the Salt Lake Tribune, protesting the Church's release of Official Declaration #2.
BIOLeonard J. Arrington
Leonard James Arrington (July 2, 1917 – February 11, 1999), dubbed “the dean of Mormon history”, was an American author, academic and the founder of the Mormon History Association in 1965. He served as the Church Historian for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1972 to 1982, and was director of the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History from 1982 until 1986. He wrote and published many books and articles, including Great Basin Kingdom: An Economic History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900 (Harvard University Press).
BIOBoyd K. Packer
Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) was born in Brigham City, Utah. He enlisted in the army during World War II and trained as a bomber pilot in the Pacific. He attended Weber College and Utah State University. He earned an EdD from BYU. He worked in the Church Education System until he was called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelves Apostles in 1970. He served as an Apostle until his death in 2015. He served as acting president of that quorum from 1994–2008 and as president from 2008 until his death.
BIORussell M. Nelson
Russell Marion Nelson Sr. (September 9, 1924 - present) is the current president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and retired surgeon. Nelson was born and raised in Salt Lake City, and received his medical degree from the University of Utah. As a cardiac surgeon, Nelson was a part of the medical team to develop the heart-lung machine in 1951. After spending two years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during the Korean War, Nelson accepted a professorship at his alma mater and continued his practice as a cardiothoracic surgeon. Nelson accepted a call to join the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1984, and was called as president of the Church in 2018 following the passing of Thomas S. Monson. Nelson is the father of ten children by Dantzel White (d. 2005) and is currently married to former therapist and professor Wendy L. Watson.
BIOHarold B. Lee
Harold Bingham Lee (March 28, 1899 – December 26, 1973) in Clifton, Idaho. He developed careers in education, business, and government, and was called to the Quorum of the twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 10, 1941. He became President of the Church on July 7, 1972 and served for only 18 months until his death.
BIOAnthony Obinna
Anthony Uzodimma Obinna (April 15, 1928 – August 25, 1995) was the first member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nigeria. After converting to Christianity as a child, Obinna had a vision in 1965 of Jesus Chirst and a building with beautiful rooms. In 1971, while reading Reader’s Digest, Obinna discovered the building from his vision was the Salt Lake City Temple. Obinna contacted the Church asking for resources, and helped facilitate an unofficial congregation in Nigeria before missionaries could be sent following the repeal of priesthood restrictions in 1978. Obinna and his wife served as the first black Branch President in Africa, and Relief Society President in Africa, respectively.
BIORachel Mabey
Rachel Ivins Wilson Mabey (1912-2004) was born in the Mexican colonies from which her family fled during the Mexican Revolution. Mabey was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she met and married her husband, Rendall Mabey, in 1933. Mabey and her husband served as mission presidents in the Swiss Mission (1965-1968) and were among the first of four missionaries sent to West Africa.
BIORendell Mabey
Rendell Noel Mabey (1908-2000) was one of the first missionaries sent to Nigeria and Ghana in 1978. Mabey was the son of former Utah Governor Charles Rendell Mabey and served as a speaker in the Utah House of Representatives after a career as an attorney. Mabey served as president of the Swiss Mission from 1965 to 1968. He helped establish a Church and missionary presence in Italy and the surrounding Mediterranean and Middle Eastern areas. In 1978-79, with Edwin and Janath Cannon, Rendall and his wife Rachel Mabey were sent to serve as the first missionaries in Nigeria and Ghana and to help establish the Church's legal presence.
BIOEdwin Q. Cannon Jr.
Edwin Quayle "Ted" Cannon Jr. (1918–2005) and his wife, Janath, were some of the first missionaries sent to West Africa in 1978. Cannon was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and served a mission for the Church to Nazi Germany in 1937. In 1939, he served as president of a branch in Berlin when the Church evacuated its missionaries from Europe. Cannon finished his mission in eastern Canada. Cannon served three full terms as a Republican representative in the Utah House of Representatives between 1948 and 1960. Cannon served as Mission President to the Swiss-German Mission from 1971 to 1974. Cannon served as a counselor in the Church’s International Mission before being called to serve in West Africa.
BIOJanath Russell Cannon
Janath Russell Cannon (1918–2007) was a counselor in the general Relief Society Presidency and served, along with her husband, as one of the first missionaries in Nigeria and Ghana. The Cannons, along with the Mabeys, helped to establish 27 branches throughout West Africa. Following their time in Nigeria, the Cannons served as visitor center directors in Nauvoo, Illinois, and as Interim Mission Presidents in Hamburg, Germany, before being called as Temple President and Matron to the Frankfurt Germany Temple. Janath Cannon was a member of the Tabernacle Choir for 18 years.
BIOReed L. Clegg
Reed Luke Clegg (1918-2015) was born and raised in Utah. He obtained a degree in Hospital Administration and served in the U.S. Navy for many years. Clegg served with his wife as missionaries in Ghana in 1979. After observing the poverty and lack of healthcare in the area, Clegg and his wife established the charity “Friends of West Africa.”
BIOMobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa za Banga (1930–1997) was the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1997. Mobutu is a controversial military and political figure in African history. After taking power in a coup in 1965, Mobutu remained in control of the Congo, which he renamed Zaire in 1971, until 1997. Throughout his rule, Mobutu centralized and consolidated power and promoted a personality cult, emphasizing African nationalism and traditional values, despite a failing national economy. Mobuti accumulated personal wealth through economic exploitation and corruption. His regime was characterized by human rights abuses, political repression, and economic mismanagement. Mobutu fled the country in 1997, dying three months later of prostate cancer in Morocco.
BIOHelvécio Martins
Helvécio Martins (1930–2005) was the first person of Black African descent to be called as a general authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Martins was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to descendants of African slaves. In 1972, Martins joined the Church. After receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood following the lifting of Priesthood Restrictions in 1978, Martins served as president of the Brazil Fortaleza Mission. In 1990, Martins was called by President Ezra Taft Benson to serve in the Second Quorum of the Seventy.
BIOMarlin K. Jensen
Marlin K. Jensen (1942–) is an emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He was sustained in 1989. He also served as the official Church Historian and Recorder from 2002 to 2012.
BIORichard Packham
Richard Packham (1933–2024) was born in Pocatello, Idaho. He studied German at Brigham Young University (BA), Northwestern University (MA), and Johns Hopkins University, where he pursued doctoral work. He taught German at the University of California, Berkeley, and City College of San Francisco and later earned a law degree from the University of San Francisco. Packham left the Church in the early 1960s and co-founded the Exmormon Foundation in 2001. He served as its president, contributing essays and presentations critiquing Mormon doctrine and history.
BIOGladys Knight
Gladys Knight (born May 28, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress known for her work in soul, R&B, and pop music. She gained prominence as the lead vocalist of Gladys Knight & the Pips, a group that achieved commercial success in the 1960s and 1970s. Over the course of her career, Knight has received multiple accolades, including seven Grammy Awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Pips in 1996. In addition to her music career, she has appeared in various film and television roles and has been involved in philanthropic and religious activities. She became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the late 1990s and later founded the Saints Unified Voices gospel choir.
BIOJeffrey R. Holland
Jeffrey R. Holland (1940–present) was born in St. George, Utah. He was an American educator and currently serves as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Holland received a PhD in American Studies from Yale University and went on to be the president of Brigham Young University from 1980–1989. Afterwards he was called as a member of the First Quorum of Seventy in 1989 and has served as a member of the Twelve since 1994.
BIORandy Bott
Randy L. Bott is an American educator and author known for his work as a professor of religion at Brigham Young University, where he taught courses on missionary preparation and the Doctrine and Covenants. He earned degrees from Utah State University and an Ed.D. from BYU, joining its Religious Education faculty in 1993. He also served in various leadership positions within the Church, including as a bishop, stake presidency counselor, and mission president. In 2012, Bott faced controversy after a Washington Post interview in which his comments on the Church’s former priesthood ban for Black members were disavowed by both BYU and Church leadership. He retired later that year. Bott has authored several books on Latter-day Saint doctrine and personal development.
BIOTamu Smith
Tamu Smith is a writer, speaker, and film producer based in Provo, Utah. She is the co-founder of Sistas in Zion, a blog and multimedia platform exploring faith and culture through humor and storytelling. Smith co-authored Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons and helped produce the film Jane and Emma.
BIOZandra Vranes
Zandra Vranes is a writer, filmmaker, and speaker best known as the co-founder of Sistas in Zion, a multimedia platform exploring faith and culture through humor and storytelling. She co-authored Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons and Can I Get an Amen and has been a featured speaker at events like Time Out for Women. Vranes was a producer on the award-winning film His Name Is Green Flake.
BIORussell W. Stevenson
Russell W. Stevenson is a historian and author specializing in the intersection of race, religion, and global Mormon history. He holds degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of Kentucky, and Michigan State University. Stevenson is the author of Black Mormon: The Story of Elijah Ables and the award-winning For the Cause of Righteousness: A Global History of Blacks and Mormonism, 1830–2013.
BIOMatthew L. Harris
Matthew L. Harris is a professor of history and director of legal studies at Colorado State University–Pueblo, specializing in the intersections of religion, law, race, and American politics. He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in history from Brigham Young University and earned his M.Phil. and Ph.D. in history from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. Harris is the author or editor of several works, including Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality, Watchman on the Tower: Ezra Taft Benson and the Making of the Mormon Right, and The LDS Gospel Topics Series: A Scholarly Engagement.
BIONewell G. Bringhurst
Newell G. Bringhurst (1942-present) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He taught history and political science at the college of the Sequoias in Visalia, California for 35 years and is now a Professor Emeritus. He is known for his books and essays on topics of Mormonism including: Saints, Slaves, and Blacks: The Changing Place of Black People Within Mormonism, Brigham Young And The Expanding American Frontier, Fawn McKay Brodie: A Biographer's Life, and co-edited several books including: Black and Mormon, The Mormon Church and Blacks: A Documentary History, and Scattering Of The Saints: Schism Within Mormonism. He considers himself a "Cultural Mormon."
BIOW. Paul Reeve
W. Paul Reeve is the Simmons Chair of Mormon Studies and Chair of the History Department at the University of Utah, where he teaches courses on Utah history, Mormon history, and the history of the U.S. West. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in history from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Utah. Reeve is the author of Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness. He also authored Let's Talk About Race and Priesthood and co-edited Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia. Reeve directs the "Century of Black Mormons" digital history project, which documents Black Latter-day Saints baptized between 1830 and 1930. His scholarship has been recognized with several teaching and research awards, including the University of Utah's Early Career Teaching Award and the Utah Council for the Social Studies' University Teacher of the Year.
BIONAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is a civil rights organization in the United States founded in 1909 to combat racial discrimination and promote social, political, educational, and economic equality for Black Americans. It played a pivotal role in major legal and social milestones, including the fight against segregation and the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case. Today, the NAACP continues to advocate for civil rights through litigation, public education, and grassroots activism, focusing on issues such as voting rights, criminal justice reform, and equitable access to healthcare and education.
BIOJonathan Streeter
Jonathan Streeter is a former Latter-day Saint who runs the blog Thoughts on Things and Stuff. He is best known for creating a fake Church Newsroom website where he posted an apology from Russell M. Nelson and the Church for its historic racism. He later admitted that it was a hoax and apologized for the hurt that it caused.
BIOAmy Tanner Thiriot
Amy Tanner Thiriot is an independent historian and genealogical researcher whose work focuses on uncovering the lives of Black individuals in early Utah history. She is the author of Slavery in Zion: A Documentary and Genealogical History of Black Lives and Black Servitude in Utah Territory, 1847–1862, a study that documents the experiences of approximately 100 enslaved or indentured Black men, women, and children in Utah Territory. She serves as an adjunct instructor in the Family History Research program at BYU–Idaho and is pursuing graduate studies in Family and Local History at the University of Dundee.
BIOBradley R. Wilcox
Bradley Ray Wilcox (1959 - present) is a general authority in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University. Wilcox has several degrees in education, including a PhD from the University of Wyoming, and a bachelor's and master's both from BYU. Wilcox served as a young missionary for the Church in Chile. Wilcox has published several books and is known for various speeches and devotionals, including "The Continuous Atonement" and the BYU address “His Grace Is Sufficient.” A number of his remarks have been received critically, and Wilcox has issued apologies for statements related to a 2022 address. Wilcox is married and has four children.
BIOGreen Flake
Green Flake (January 6, 1828 – October 20, 1903) was an African-American member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Flake was enslaved, and was one of three enslaved African Americans to enter Utah Valley on July 22, 1847. Flake had been born into bondage in North Carolina, and joined the church with his enslaver James Flake after migrating to Mississippi in the 1840s. Flake came with his enslavers west, first to Nauvoo and then to Utah. Green Flake eventually received his freedom sometime in the 1850s, and remained in Utah with his wife Martha and two children, Lucinda Vilate and Abraham. After his wife’s death, Flake moved to Idaho where he passed away in 1903.
BIOJane Manning James
Jane Manning James (1822-1908) was born in Wilton, Connecticut. After experiencing a vision and hearing from Latter-day Saint missionaries, she was baptized and migrated from Connecticut to Nauvoo on foot. Jane lived with the Joseph Smith family as a domestic servant. By her account, Joseph Smith invited her to be adopted into the Joseph Smith family as a child. Jane requested access to a temple endowment and a sealing to Q. Walker Lewis but was denied. Decades later Jane petitioned to be sealed to Joseph and Emma, but she was only permitted to be sealed as a servant. She was sealed as a servant in 1894. Jane's endowment work was performed through temple proxy in 1979.
BIOHark Wales
Hark Wales (1824 - March 3, 1887) was born into slavery sometime around 1824 on the John Crosby Plantation in Mississippi. While his brother Oscar remained on the plantation, Hark was separated from his family and given to Sytha Crosby and her husband William Lay. Wales and his brother, Oscar Smith, were two of several enslaved African Americans brought to Utah with the Saints traveling west. They entered the valley two days before Brigham Young on July 22, 1847. Wales migrated to California with the Crosby family and was freed sometime around 1851. He later chose to return to Utah, where he died around 1887.
BIOOscar Smith
Oscar Smith (1815-1872) was born into slavery sometime around 1815 on the John Crosby Plantation in Mississippi. Not much is known about his interim years, but Oscar Smith was, at some point, tasked by Brigham Young with leading Saints west and improving trails along the way. Smith and his brother, Hark Wales, were two of several enslaved African Americans brought to Utah with the Saints traveling west. They entered the valley two days before Brigham Young on July 22, 1847.
BIORachel Richardson
Rachel Richardson is a collegiate volleyball player at Duke University from Ellicott City, Maryland. In her career, she has accumulated over 400 kills and 380 digs across three seasons. Richardson has earned multiple ACC Academic Honor Roll honors and was named to the All-ACC Academic Team in 2022. Off the court, she has been involved in student leadership, community service, and advocacy efforts.
BIOCarol Lawrence-Costley
Carol Lawrence-Costley is a social worker and therapist born in London, England, with a master’s degree from Brigham Young University. She has worked in nonprofit leadership, supporting individuals with developmental disabilities and helping those transitioning from institutional care to independent living. Currently, she provides therapy to inmates coping with mental health and addiction challenges as they reenter society. From 2018 to 2023, she served on the Young Women general advisory council of the Church.
BIOAhmad S. Corbitt
Ahmad S. Corbitt serves as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Prior to this, he served as the first counselor in the Young Men General Presidency from 2020 to 2023. Corbitt joined the Church at age 18, following his family's conversion. He earned a bachelor's degree from Richard Stockton University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University School of Law. He worked as a trial lawyer in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, held executive roles in public relations, and directed the Church’s New York Office of Public and International Affairs, where he represented the Church at the United Nations and other international venues. His Church service includes roles as a full-time missionary in the Puerto Rico San Juan Mission, stake president, and president of the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission. Corbitt has also served on various advisory boards, including the National Advisory Council of the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. He and his wife, Jayne L. Corbitt, have six children.
BIOEdward Dube
Elder Edward Dube is a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was sustained to this position in April 2013. Elder Dube joined the Church in 1984. He served a full-time mission in the Zimbabwe Harare Mission from 1986 to 1988. He has held various Church leadership roles, including branch president, stake president, and president of the Zimbabwe Harare Mission. Professionally, he worked for over 15 years with the Church Educational System, helping to establish seminary and institute programs across Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi. Elder Dube earned a diploma in education from Zimbabwe D.E. College and studied entrepreneurship at the University of South Africa. He is married to Naume Keresia Salizani, and they are the parents of four children.
BIOTracy Y. Browning
Tracy Yeulande Browning serves as the Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is the first Black woman to serve in a general presidency of the Church. Raised in Jamaica, New Jersey, and New York, she joined the Church at age 16 after being introduced to the gospel through her mother. Browning studied at St. John’s University and spent 15 years working in financial services before joining the Church’s Publishing Services Department, where she currently serves as an account services director. Her Church service includes roles in ward and stake Relief Society presidencies, as well as teaching in Relief Society and Sunday School. Browning is married to Brady Browning, and they are the parents of two children.
BIOSpencer W. Kimball
Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the twelfth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Reared in Thatcher, Arizona, Kimball founded and ran a securities business as a young man and became involved in several Thatcher-area community organizations. He became an apostle in 1943, where he became a leading advocate for ministry to and work with indigenous Americans. As Church president, he became an advocate for the global expansion of the Church. In 1978, President Kimball received the revelation to lift the priesthood/temple restriction on peoples with African ancestry.
BIOEdward L. Kimball
Edward Lawrence Kimball (September 23, 1930–November 21, 2016) was born in Arizona as a son of Spencer Woolley Kimball, later President of the Church, and Camilla Eyring Kimball. He was a professor of law at University of Montana and University of Wisconsin until he because a member of the founding faculty of the BYU Law School. In Church circles, he is best known for the frank and faithful biographical accounts he wrote about his father. His detailed accounts of the events surrounding the 1978 priesthood revelation are based on unparalleled access to his father's personal papers.
BIOGordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He served as the fifteenth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hinckley graduated from the University of Utah in English literature. After serving a mission to Great Britain, he became a secretary under the Church's Radio, Publicity, and Missionary Literature division. He became an apostle in 1961 and then a member of the First Presidency in 1981. In 1995, he became Church president. He oversaw the expansion of temple construction, increased standards for missionary worthiness, the expansion of the Church into West Africa and East Asia (particularly South Korea).
BIOBlack Menaces
The Black Menaces is a student-led activist group founded at Brigham Young University in 2022 by five Black students: Sebastian Stewart-Johnson, Nate Byrd, Kylee Shepherd, Kennethia Dorsey, and Rachel Weaver. The group gained national attention through TikTok, where they post videos asking fellow students candid questions about race, identity, and privilege.
BIOBYU Office of Belonging
The BYU Office of Belonging, established in 2021, aims to cultivate a campus environment where all students, faculty, and staff feel valued and supported. Guided by the university's Statement on Belonging, the office emphasizes the shared identity of individuals as children of God and promotes a community where hearts are "knit together in love" (Mosiah 18:21). Its initiatives include experiential learning opportunities, educational programs, wellness resources, and efforts to address discrimination centered on fostering unity and understanding.
[1]↩︎
Multiple apostles described the events surrounding the lifting of the priesthood ban. They reported meeting with President Spencer W. Kimball in temple and fasting and praying together. Edward Kimball reported that L. Tom Perry described the revelation this way:
We had just a unity of feeling. The nearest I can describe it is that it was much like what has been recounted as happening at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. I felt something like the rushing of wind. There was a feeling that came over the whole group. When President Kimball got up he was visibly relieved and overjoyed.
- Edward L. Kimball quotes the accounts of several apostles who were present at the June 1, 1978 meeting where the revelation on the priesthood was confirmed.
- In the Gospel Topics Essay, the Church denounces past theories and racism.
[2]↩︎
On June 8, 1978 the First Presidency sent a letter to local priesthood leaders announcing the end of the priesthood ban. On the next day, June 9th, the Deseret News printed the letter officially making the end of the priesthood ban public.
- First Presidency letter from June 8, 1978 announcing the revelation on the priesthood.
- Deseret News publishes First Presidency press release announcing the revelation on the priesthood.
[3]↩︎
According to the Greensboro Daily News, Joseph Freeman Jr was "the first black priest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)." The newspaper described him as:
Freeman is remembered as a soft-spoken youngster who always provided leadership for interracial groups and youth meetings in area churches.
- Joseph Freeman Jr. is the first known Black person to be ordained to the priesthood in modern times.
- Joseph Freeman tells of his experiences following his having been the first Black man ordained to the priesthood in modern times.
[4]↩︎
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, President Kimball "refused to discuss the revelation that changed the church’s 148-year-old policy against ordination of blacks, saying it was a 'personal thing.'"
- Spencer W. Kimball said the Church won't extend the priesthood to women.
[5]↩︎
A Church News article stated, "For a number of years, President Spencer W. Kimball has counseled young members of the Church to not cross racial lines in dating and marrying."
It then quoted from talks Kimball had given previously that had referenced the same topic.
- President Spencer W. Kimball advocates marrying those of "the same racial background generally."
- The Church News publishes previous statements from Church President Spencer W. Kimball discouraging interracial marriage.
[6]↩︎
E. Gary Smith stated that his father, Eldred G. Smith, concluded sometime after 1978 that "when receiving patriarchal blessings [Black Saints] should be assigned to the tribe of Manass[eh]. It should be kept in mind that Eldred has never believed that a patriarchal blessing pronounced a literal lineage."
- E. Gary Smith reports that his father, Eldred G. Smith, concluded at some point that Black Saints should be assigned to the tribe of Manasseh.
[7]↩︎
Bill Pope (brother-in-law of Elder Bruce R. McConkie, professor at BYU, and bishop) reportedly told a ward and students at BYU the story about the revelation lifting the priesthood ban that Elder McConkie told his family. Pope said:
Elder McConkie said it was a true revelation and that the words which were spoken by President Kimball were like scripture. He then compared it to the Day of Pentacost, yet just as Paul, he could not find the words to describe it. He said that the Heavens opened up and there were many, many of the early brethren who were there.
- A second hand report of Bill Pope's retelling of Bruce R. McConkie's experience with the lifting of the priesthood ban.
- An anonymous author reports what they heard Bill Pope say about Bruce R. McConkie's experience with ending the priesthood ban.
[8]↩︎
Arguing that the revelation was not valid, fundamentalist Ogden Kraut wrote:
In summary, . . . your “revelation” (a) contradicts a former revelation, (b) it has not been voted upon by the members of the Church, and (c) it is not to be found in the Archives of the Church or in any of the Church publications. How then can we have any assurance that it came from God?
- Fundamentalist Ogden Kraut questions the legitimacy of the priesthood revelation.
[9]↩︎
According to President Kimball's son Edward, his father received in the first few days after the revelation "more than a hundred letters from members expressing elation and gratitude." This included one from US President Jimmy Carter.
Edward also stated, "[President Kimball] received about thirty negative letters, nearly all from non-Mormons, mostly calling him a fraud in claiming revelation or a traitor to his race."
- Edward L. Kimball writes that letters received in the few days after the priesthood revelation by Spencer W. Kimball were overwhelmingly positive.
- US President Jimmy Carter praises the priesthood revelation.
[10]↩︎
One telephone poll of Utah County residents had the following results:
The survey shows that 71 percent of the 245 Utah County residents contacted were “very happy” with the revelation and another 14 percent were “pleased,” though they expressed some reservations. . . . Those surveyed appeared surprised by the announcement. . . . Thirty-nine percent said they did not think “it would ever happen”—that the priesthood would ever be given to blacks. Another 40 percent expected it years in the future, after Christ’s return, during the Millenium [sic], or “not in my lifetime.”
- BYU professor Edwin O. Haroldsen supervises students in a survey finding that the overwhelming majority of Utah County residents are pleased with the news of the priesthood revelation.
[11]↩︎
Joseph LaMoine Jensen wrote a 5,000-word essay criticizing the end of the priesthood ban. He asked Elder Bruce R. McConkie directly to say where he stood on the change:
Will the Author of the book, Mormon Doctrine, get into line with the recent Church declaration and apologize for his teaching, or will he stand on the words of the scriptures and of the prophets?
[12]↩︎
Elder McConkie’s talk about the revelation, along with some introductory comments, was published in the 1981 book Priesthood. For example, he stated:
Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whosoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation. We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that now has come into the world.
- Bruce R. McConkie gives an account of the powerful confirming experience of the Twelve following Spencer W. Kimball's priesthood revelation, and its implications.
[13]↩︎
According to President Kimball's son, Edward, Elder McConkie's statement that President Kimball "heard the voice and we heard the same voice" left some "with the mistaken impression that the group had heard a voice speaking specific words."
Kimball was asked to revise the statement in a later published version to avoid this misunderstanding. He said he would do so, but the published version was never changed.
- Edward L. Kimball reports that Spencer W. Kimball asked Bruce R. McConkie to edit his account of the revelation to avoid possible misunderstanding.
[14]↩︎
Arrington's diary entry stated:
[Glen Leonard] said that Elder Packer in bearing his testimony said that Jesus himself had appeared at the June 1 meeting of the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency. In speaking of it he was all choked up and said now he could testify that Jesus was a person of body, parts, and passions--a person of flesh and blood, and that Jesus himself had been seen by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve in that meeting.
- Leonard J. Arrington reports that Boyd K. Packer told him that Jesus Christ appeared when the revelation ending the priesthood ban was given.
[15]↩︎
In his 1979 memoir, Russell M. Nelson reported that in a dream on September 16, 1978, he was told that "the revelations received and the actions subsequently taken by President Kimball were the very same as would have been received and performed by President Lee had he remained as the prophet."
Nelson added, "President Lee exclaimed that the Lord gives His will to His living prophet regardless of who the prophet is at the time, for the Lord indeed is directing his Church."
- Russell M. Nelson recounts a dream where Harold B. Lee told him that he would have lifted the ban if he had continued to live.
[16]↩︎
Anthony Obinna, a pioneer member and unofficial missionary for the Church in Nigeria, wrote the following in a letter to the First Presidency and the Twelve:
Dear President, Your long silence about the establishment of the Church in Nigeria is very much embrassing [sic]. . . . Did Christ not say–“ Go yee [sic] and teach all nations?” . . . We here are the true sons of God, but colour makes no difference in the service of our Heavenly Father and Christ. . . . Sincerely, Anthony Obinna N .B. For eight years now—1971–1978 Our faith is still on trial.
- Anthony Obinna calls on President Spencer W. Kimball to speedily establish the Church in Nigeria.
[17]↩︎
At a General Conference session held on September 30, 1978, President Tanner said the following prior to presenting Official Declaration 2 for a sustaining vote:
In early June of this year, the First Presidency announced that a revelation had been received by President Spencer W. Kimball extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy male members of the Church. President Kimball has asked that I advise the conference that after he had received this revelation, which came to him after extended meditation and prayer in the sacred rooms of the holy temple, he presented it to his counselors, who accepted it and approved it. It was then presented to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who unanimously approved it, and was subsequently presented to all other General Authorities, who likewise approved it unanimously.
- Official Declaration 2 describes the events that marked the official end to the priesthood ban.
[18]↩︎
While at a mission conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, on October 23, 1978, President Kimball gave his most lengthy public description of the events surrounding the priesthood revelation. He stated:
I remember very vividly the day after day that I walked over to the temple and ascended up to the fourth floor where we have our solemn assemblies, where we have our meetings, the Twelve and the Presidency. And after everybody had gone out of the temple, I knelt and prayed. And I prayed with such fervency, I tell you! I knew that something was before us that was extremely important to many of the children of God. And I knew that we could receive the revelations of the Lord only by being worthy and, uh, ready for them and, uh, ready to accept them and to put them into place. Day after day I went, and with great solemnity and seriousness, alone in the upper rooms of the temple. And there I offered my soul, and offered our efforts to go forward with the program, and we wanted to do what He wanted, because we talked about it to Him. And we said, Lord, we want only what is right. We're not making any plans to be spectacularly moving. We want only the thing that Thou dost want, and we want it when You want it and not until. We met all the Council of the Twelve Apostles time after time in that holy room where is the picture of the Savior in many different moods and the pictures of all of the presidents of the church in this room. And finally, we had the feeling, we had the impressions from the Lord, who made them very clear to us, that this was the thing to do to make the gospel universal to all worthy people.
- At a mission conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, President Spencer W. Kimball describes the events of the priesthood revelation in his own voice.
[19]↩︎
A few months after the priesthood revelation, President Spencer W. Kimball spoke at the South Africa area conference. In his opening talk to the mostly white Saints, he urged them to let go of old ideas and prejudices.
He also reportedly taught, "The work of the Lord must go forward and those who fight against it 'will find disillusionment and misery.'"
- In his first address to Saints from South Africa, Rhodesia, and South West Africa, President Spencer W. Kimball declares that the work of the Lord must go forward and those who fight against it "will find disillusionment and misery."
[20]↩︎
Elder Khumbulani Mdletshe spoke about the challenges he and others faced because myths about the old priesthood ban lasted so long in South Africa. He stated:
From time to time, the issue of blacks and the priesthood would come up, and the same reasons would always be given. on one such occasion, a very close friend of mine got up during a Sunday School class and never returned to church.
- Elder Khumbulani Mdletshe reports persistent myths in South Africa about the reasons for the priesthood restriction.
[21]↩︎
The dedicatory prayer included the following:
Lord, we regard with intense and indescribable feelings the completion of this holy temple. . . . We are jubilant and have hearts filled with praise to Thee that Thou hast permitted us to see this day for which we have hoped and toiled and prayed.
- Gordon B. Hinckley gives an account of the revelatory experience of the First Presidency and the Twelve on June 1, 1978.
- Spencer W. Kimball dedicates the São Paulo Brazil Temple.
[22]↩︎
Rendell Mabey gave this account of how the first day of baptisms in Nigeria began:
A cock was crowing just before daylight the following morning, and we arose early, full of excitement. November 21, 1978: Although the events of that day may never be recorded for the world at large, it was to become a great landmark in the history of the Church and among the peoples of Black Africa.
Later that day the first branch in Ghana was organized.
[23]↩︎
Branch records show the branch was officially organized on August 9, 1981, and its leaders were sustained at the branch conference on October 11, 1981.
According to Latter-day Saint historians Richard E. Turley Jr. and Jeffrey G. Cannon:
Moses Mahlangu and white member Craig Russel served as counselors to the black elders quorum president, Robert Mathebe. Nearly every presidency in the branch consisted of both black and white members working closely together as a hopeful portent of the coming end of apartheid in South Africa, which would allow for increased cooperation and progress.
[24]↩︎
According to Reed L. Clegg, thirty expatriate West African missionaries attended the first meeting and "by April a charter had been granted by the state of Utah."
- Reed L. Clegg organizes Friends of West Africa, the first known Latter-day Saint non-profit humanitarian organization focused on West Africa.
[25]↩︎
In the dedicatory prayer, Gordon B. Hinckley, as a First Presidency counselor, mentioned the restoration of the priesthood and the long wait for a temple in Africa:
We are mindful of the first missionaries who arrived at Cape Town in 1853, and of all who have labored here in the many years that have followed. We thank Thee for their faith and devotion, and for their trust in Thee in their labors. We thank Thee for . . . their witness of the restoration of Thy work and Thy priesthood in this the dispensation of the fulness of times.
- First Presidency counselor Gordon B. Hinckley dedicates the Johannesburg South Africa Temple.
[26]↩︎
Church attorney Oscar W. McConkie Jr. reported on the dinner he and others had with Mobutu:
We went to see the president. . . . And he saw in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints— . . . he thought all of this would help him. Sure, he had a hidden agenda. It didn’t make the slightest bit of difference. It was a huge help to us.
- Oscar W. McConkie Jr. describes circumstances and includes certificate of recognition for the Church in Zaire.
[27]↩︎
The first baptisms after the mission was organized, in Aba, Nigeria, took place on January 22, 1981. The first African stake outside of South Africa was organized in Aba by Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Twelve on May 15, 1988 with David W. Eka, president; Ephraim S. Etete, first counselor; and Lazarus Onitchi, second counselor.
- Elma Singleton Bradshaw records first baptisms in Aba, Nigeria.
- Church News reports that First African stake outside of South Africa is formed in Aba, Nigeria.
[28]↩︎
While Bruce R. McConkie and Boyd K. Packer described divine visits on June 1, 1978, Gordon B. Hinckley said:
No voice audible to our physical ears was heard. But the voice of the Spirit whispered with certainty into our minds and our very souls.
- Gordon B. Hinckley gives an account of the revelatory experience of the First Presidency and the Twelve on June 1, 1978.
- Edward L. Kimball reports that Spencer W. Kimball asked Bruce R. McConkie to edit his account of the revelation to avoid possible misunderstanding.
[29]↩︎
In the interview, Elder Oaks was asked what he had learned from his participation in the decision to lift the priesthood and temple ban. He said:
It's not the pattern of the Lord to give reasons. . . . Some people put reasons to the one we're talking about here, and they turned out to be spectacularly wrong. . . . The lesson I've drawn from that, I decided a long time ago that I had faith in the command and I had no faith in the reasons that had been suggested for it.
- The Associated Press interviews Neal A. Maxwell and Dallin H. Oaks about the reasons for lifting the priesthood and temple ban.
[30]↩︎
Some in Ghana believed that missionaries in Ghana were agents of the United States, and numerous false claims about the teachings and practices of the Church circulated during this period. The government then banned any activities of the Church.
Prior to the freeze, Ghanaian Latter-day Saints had been called to fill all the leadership roles of the Church and continued to meet at each other's homes for sacrament meetings.
[31]↩︎
Elder Helvécio Martins was serving as the Fortaleza Brazil mission president when First Presidency counselor Thomas S. Monson asked him to attend the April General Conference. He wrote:
President Monson told us something we never, never expected to hear: the prophet and First Presidency of the Church had called me to be a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, for the next five years.
- Helvécio Martins describes experiences leading up to his call as a Seventy.
[32]↩︎
The Freeze in Ghana ended in November 1990. During that time, Latter-day Saints were accused of ties to the CIA, foreign missionaries were expelled in 1989, and public Church meetings were suspended. In response, local leaders took charge, and members worshipped in homes.
[33]↩︎
Armand L. Mauss, a member of the committee, said the effort started with David and Betty Jackson, two recent Black converts, and Dennis Gladwell, their home teacher. Gladwell had used "racist folklore" to try to "explain" the priesthood ban to the Jacksons, but before long, Gladwell "broke down in tears, conceded that he had been wrong, and asked forgiveness."
According to Mauss, "From that point on, he and the Jacksons became allies in a campaign to disabuse the LDS Church and its members of their continuing reliance on such racist folklore."
Later, Gladwell talked to his friend Marlin K. Jensen about it. Jensen then created a committee to ask the First Presidency to reject the Church’s past race-related teachings.
- Armand L. Mauss provides background leading to ban repudiation campaign.
- Armand Mauss discusses efforts to campaign church leadership to repudiate ban.
[34]↩︎
The Los Angeles Times reported:
Sources close to the sensitive and still secret deliberations hope that a statement will be issued as early as next month, the 20th anniversary of the landmark 1978 decision.
- Larry Stammer provides report on initial efforts to repudiate the ban.
[35]↩︎
The Church issued a statement that read:
We have read the story which appeared in the May 18, 1998, Los Angeles Times and are surprised at its contents. The matter it speaks of has not been discussed by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve.
- The Church states that the LA Times story about an earlier plan to retract "doctrines concerning blacks" is incorrect.
[36]↩︎
It began with wording similar to revelations found in the Doctrine and Covenants but quickly devolved into satire. Packham ended his report of the supposed revelation by saying:
All right, I confess, I admit it: I made it up... Of course, I personally think that they are not prophets at all, and - regardless of whether, one believes in divine prophecy or not - these so-called prophets are fakes. At least they are not in the same league as Joseph Smith (again, regardless of whether one believes that Smith was a genuine prophet)... Either way you look at it, the whole thing shows that the Mormon church is NOT led by God.
- Richard Packham publishes a pseudo-revelation from Spencer W. Kimball on the priesthood ban.
[37]↩︎
In a letter to the Salt Lake Tribune, reader Kathy Erickson claimed, "In 1978 the federal government informed the LDS Church that unless it allowed blacks full membership (including the priesthood) they would have to cease calling themselves a non-profit organization and start paying income taxes."
Two events are sometimes linked to this rumor. One is a short meeting between Church President Spencer W. Kimball and U.S. President Jimmy Carter at the White House on March 11, 1977. The other is a report that Latter-day Saint Solicitor General Rex E. Lee stepped away from a case about a segregated university’s tax-exempt status because he had earlier represented the Church in a similar case before 1982.
Church spokesman Bruce L. Olsen denied that the federal government had ever threatened to take away the Church's tax-exempt status, in 1978 or at any other time. He also said the revelation on the priesthood "had nothing to do with federal tax policy or any other secular law."
[38]↩︎
A 2006 article in LDSLiving reported:
Creating this choir is also the realization of her dream of bringing a new level of passion and cultural awareness to traditionally reserved LDS hymns. “I do love the music in this Church, but I think some of it could use a little zip!” Gladys once told President Gordon B. Hinckley. “Our congregations are filled with a growing diversity of people from different races and cultures. I look forward to the day when we embrace their music without feeling uncomfortable.”
- Cheryl Stewart Osborn describes the musical legacy of Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices (SUV) Choir.
[39]↩︎
Saints Unified Voices Choir won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Choir for their album One Voice. Cheryl Stewart Osborn wrote:
Since its January release, One Voice has remained in the top-40 on Billboard's Gospel charts for 48 weeks. In the first week, the album soared to Billboard's #1 on the Hot Shot Debut, while it simultaneously shot to the #1 Gospel Album and #2 Inspirational Album on iTunes. . . . From the energetic, gospel classic "Pass Me Not," to the African beat of "Come Come Ye Saints," to the four-part harmony of "Prayer" to the moving duet "Did You Know," One Voice offers uplifting musical insight into how various cultures worship Christ.
- Cheryl Stewart Osborn reports the nomination of Saints Unified Voices for a Grammy Award.
- Cheryl Stewart Osborn describes the musical legacy of Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices (SUV) Choir.
[40]↩︎
A 2005 Meridian Magazine article reported:
The SUV Choir has now presented stake firesides in California, Georgia and England, and will present a fireside in Hawaii this year. As with all SUV Choir firesides held in LDS stake centers, nearly half of the 1,200 or so in attendance are visitors of other faiths. Most of them have never been inside a LDS church and likely wouldn’t come except to see the R&B legend Gladys Knight.
The choir also performed at the 2003 and 2018 celebrations of the priesthood revelation.
- The Church News announces "Be One," a celebration marking the 40th anniversary of the 1978 revelation on the priesthood.
- Meridian Magazine article summarizes biography of Gladys Knight, including the activities of the Saints Unified Choir.
[41]↩︎
The Church News summarized the dedicatory prayer for the Accra, Ghana temple this way:
In the dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley said, "We thank Thee for the brotherhood that exists among us, that neither color of skin nor land of birth can separate us as Thy sons and daughters who have taken upon us sacred and binding covenants." . . . He described some of the difficulties in acquiring a building permit, which caused a lapse of five years from the time of the application until the dedication.
- The Church News reports the dedication of the first temple in Ghana, which is the second in Africa and the first in West Africa.
[42]↩︎
During part of his talk, President Gordon B. Hinckley said:
Racial strife still lifts its ugly head. I am advised that even right here among us there is some of this. I cannot understand how it can be. It seemed to me that we all rejoiced in the 1978 revelation given President Kimball. I was there in the temple at the time that that happened. There was no doubt in my mind or in the minds of my associates that what was revealed was the mind and the will of the Lord.
- Gordon B. Hinckley tells Church members "there is no basis for racial hatred . . . in this Church."
[43]↩︎
In his interview, Elder Holland stated:
All I can say is, however well-intentioned the explanations were, I think almost all of them [explanations for the ban] were inadequate and/or wrong. It would have been advantageous to say nothing, to say we just don't know, and, [as] with many religious matters, whatever was being done was done on the basis of faith at that time . . . We simply don't know why that practice, that policy, that doctrine was in place.
After the series aired, Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Boyd K. Packer's PBS interviews were published by the Church Newsroom,
[44]↩︎
This partial description of Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons was prepared for the 7th Annual LDS Film Festival, 2008:
This documentary talks about that little-known legacy, and confronts the hard issues which surfaced in the most turbulent years of the Civil Rights Movement, when the Church restricted its priesthood from those of African descent. It discusses how that restriction was lifted and what the lives and challenges of the modern Black Mormon pioneers are.
- Darius Gray and Margaret Blair Young publish the script of their film telling the story of Black members of the Church.
- Gregory Prince, Darius Gray, and Margaret Blair Young discuss the story of the making of the film "Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons."
[45]↩︎
At the celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the priesthood revelation in 2008, two members of the Seventy and three Church members of African-American heritage spoke:
- Are A. Parker III, president of the Atlanta Georgia Stake;
- Catherine M. Stokes, a former deputy director of the Illinois Department of Public Health; and
- Ahmad S. Corbitt, president of the Cherry Hill New Jersey Stake.
Alex Boye and a multicultural choir also performed.
Elder Earl C. Tingey said he looked forward to "the day when all men and women of the earth will be seen only as God's children."
- R. Scott Lloyd reports on a Church celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the priesthood revelation.
[46]↩︎
The Washington Post reported the following statement from BYU Professor Randy Bott:
“What is discrimination?” Bott asks. “I think that is keeping something from somebody that would be a benefit for them, right? But what if it wouldn’t have been a benefit to them?” Bott says that the denial of the priesthood to blacks on Earth — although not in the afterlife — protected them from the lowest rungs of hell reserved for people who abuse their priesthood powers. “You couldn’t fall off the top of the ladder, because you weren’t on the top of the ladder. So, in reality the blacks not having the priesthood was the greatest blessing God could give them.”
- Jason Horowitz reports BYU Professor Randy Bott's description of Church theology for the priesthood ban, a theology that had previously been disavowed.
[47]↩︎
The Church stated:
The positions attributed to BYU professor Randy Bott in a recent Washington Post article absolutely do not represent the teachings and doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU faculty members do not speak for the Church. . . . We condemn racism, including any and all past racism by individuals both inside and outside the Church.
Bott reportedly said that he had been "misquoted" and "misrepresented" and that he regretted that he was not given the opportunity to review his quotes before the story was published.
- BYU Students Katie Cutler and Stephen Whitaker say that Randy Bott told them he had been misquoted and misrepresented.
- Church disavows purported statement of Randy Bott and condemns past and current racism, in and out of the Church.
[48]↩︎
In the 2013 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, this paragraph was added as a heading to Official Declaration 2:
The Book of Mormon teaches that “all are alike unto God,” including “black and white, bond and free, male and female” (2 Nephi 26:33). Throughout the history of the Church, people of every race and ethnicity in many countries have been baptized and have lived as faithful members of the Church. During Joseph Smith’s lifetime, a few black male members of the Church were ordained to the priesthood. Early in its history, Church leaders stopped conferring the priesthood on black males of African descent. Church records offer no clear insights into the origins of this practice. Church leaders believed that a revelation from God was needed to alter this practice and prayerfully sought guidance. The revelation came to Church President Spencer W. Kimball and was affirmed to other Church leaders in the Salt Lake Temple on June 1, 1978. The revelation removed all restrictions with regard to race that once applied to the priesthood.
- Official Declaration 2 describes the events that marked the official end to the priesthood ban.
[49]↩︎
The Gospel Topics essay on "Race and the Priesthood" discussed the creation of race-based temple and priesthood policies under Brigham Young. It also noted that "a few black men" were ordained to the priesthood and stated that "there is no evidence that any black men were denied the priesthood during Joseph Smith's time."
- In the Gospel Topics Essay, the Church denounces past theories and racism.
[50]↩︎
The "Race and the Priesthood" essay, authorized by the First Presidency, stated:
Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else. Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form.
[51]↩︎
Tamu Smith and Zandra Vranes, Black Latter-day Saints who manage a blog and radio show called Sistas in Zion, release a popular book entitled Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons—later retitled as Can I Get an Amen? Celebrating the Lord in Everyday Life.
They described the purpose of their work as follows:
We attempt to put a humorous twist on the LDS faith, but not be offensive. We really like to laugh and have fun. For us, and the Mormon community, this has turned out to be a great missionary tool, although that was not what was initially intended [when we started our blog] in 2009.
- In an article in the Preston Citizen, Tamu Smith and Zandra Vranes discuss their blog, their radio show, and their new book.
[52]↩︎
Russell W. Stephenson wrote the following description of his 2014 book "For the Cause of Righteousness": A Global History of Blacks and Mormonism, 1830–2013:
This volume seeks to explore the story of blacks and Mormonism through an intimate lens, focusing not only on the experiences of Church leaders but also the ordinary Latter-day Saint. . . . Race was both a spoken and lived experience. The Mormon people witnessed it, felt it, and absorbed it. But for the Mormon people, racism was also a conscious decision—and one that exacted a heavy toll during their epoch in the wilderness.
In their introduction to The Mormon Church & Blacks: A Documentary History, Matthew L. Harris and Newell G. Bringhurst wrote:
This volume offers an important new perspective of LDS racial history through the lens of authoritative documents. The seven chapters contain official and/or authoritative statements tracing the changing status of black people during the period 1830 (the date of the founding of the Mormon church) down to the present.
- Russell W. Stevenson summarizes the subject matter of his documentary history of Black Saints in the global Church.
- Matthew L. Harris and Newell G. Bringhurst summarize the contents of their documentary history of the priesthood and temple ban.
[53]↩︎
The dust jacket flap of W. Paul Reeve's volume, entitled Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness, states:
In this book, W. Paul Reeve explores the ways in which nineteenth-century Protestant white America made outsiders of an inside religious group. . . . At least part of those efforts came through persistent attacks on the collective Mormon body, ways in which outsiders suggested that Mormons were physically different, racially more similar to marginalized groups than they were white. . . . Mormons ultimately emerged triumphant, but not unscathed. Mormon leaders moved away from universalistic ideals toward segregated priesthood and temples. . . . [T]his groundbreaking book brings together literatures on religion, whiteness studies, and nineteenth-century racial history with the history of politics and migration.
- W. Paul Reeve summarizes his study relating the idea of a racialized 19th-century marginalization of Latter-day Saints to the history of the priesthood ban.
[54]↩︎
The Freedmen's Bureau was created after the American Civil War in order to administer property confiscated from Confederate citizens during the war. This property was then used to help the recently emancipated enslaved population of the United States to become self-sufficient. It was created in 1865 and was closed in 1872.
- History of the Freedmen's Bureau.
[55]↩︎
Reporting for USA Today, E. R. Shipp wrote:
In 2016, [FamilySearch] presented an indexed database of Freedman’s Bureau records to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Some 25,000 volunteers worked on the project, uncovering 1.8 million names of formerly enslaved people.
- E. R. Shipp describes efforts of FamilySearch in behalf of African American genealogy research.
[56]↩︎
The New York Times reported:
The city of Charlottesville was engulfed by violence on Saturday as white nationalists and counterprotesters clashed in one of the bloodiest fights to date over the removal of Confederate monuments across the South.
- New York Times reports on deadly racial strife in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 11–12, 2017.
[57]↩︎
In addition to citing President Gordon B. Hinckley's 2006 condemnation of racism, the 2017 statement condemned white supremacy. In part, it read:
Some among the various pro-white and white supremacy communities . . . assert that the Church is neutral toward or in support of their views. Nothing could be further from the truth. . . . White supremacist attitudes are morally wrong and sinful, and we condemn them. Church members who promote or pursue a “white culture” or white supremacy agenda are not in harmony with the teachings of the Church.
After Zandra Vranes, a Black member of the Church, read the Church's condemnation of white supremacy as "morally wrong and sinful," she wrote:
When I read those words joy filled my soul. Until that moment, I don’t think I truly realized how desperately I’d been longing for words from church leaders that spoke to the pain that its members of color face every day. I pray that yesterday is just the beginning of what is yet to come.
- Church Newsroom publishes the Church's condemnation of the Charlottesville riots that took place on August 11–12, 2017.
- Zandra Vranes speaks of her joy when she read a Church statement condemning "white supremacy" attitudes and behavior.
[58]↩︎
In a joint statement of the First Presidency and the leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, President Nelson said:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to affirm its fundamental doctrine—and our heartfelt conviction—that all people are God’s precious children and therefore our brothers and sisters.
The Church Newsroom also reported:
The NAACP and Church leaders are exploring a possible service project where local members of each organization can work together, as the Church does with a number of organizations. Current plans are being considered to increase education and wage improvement among members of a mutually identified community.
- First Presidency and NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) leaders issue a joint statement calling for "greater civility, racial and ethnic harmony and mutual respect."
[59]↩︎
The posting of a fake announcement of an apology for the Church's "History of Racism" capitalizes on the release of the joint statement of the First Presidency and the NAACP that occurred on the same day. Among other things that the false statement claimed that President Nelson said was the following:
Today, as Prophet, Seer and Revelator, and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day [sic] Saints, I offer a full unqualified apology for the error of racism which was taught from this office and in the tabernacle and over the pulpits of our churches the world over.
- Jonathan Streeter publishes fake apology purporting to be from President Russell M. Nelson apologizing for the priesthood ban.
[60]↩︎
On the same day that the hoax was published, the Salt Lake Tribune released an article identifying Streeter's work as false and sharing the hurt and betrayal some Latter-day Saints of African descent felt.
Rodric Anthony Johnson later wrote the following about the pain of the fake apology:
The emotional trauma to many Black Church members after the event caused one sister to post a tearful video expressing her hurt and dismay, which lasted for over an hour! Tamu Smith and Zandra Vranes, the authors of Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons and Sistas in Zion creators both posted videos reacting to the poor judgment of the people involved in the fake news about the leader of the Church.
- Rodric Anthony Johnson describes the pain of Black members after the hoax announcement of a Church apology for the priesthood and temple ban.
- The Salt Lake Tribune reports on feelings about Streeter's hoax apology for the priesthood ban.
[61]↩︎
During the Church's "Be One" event, President Russell M. Nelson said:
Ultimately, we realize that only the comprehension of the true Fatherhood of God can bring full appreciation of the true brotherhood of men and the true sisterhood of women. That understanding inspires us with passionate desire to build bridges of cooperation instead of walls of segregation.
- The Church News announces "Be One," a celebration marking the 40th anniversary of the 1978 revelation on the priesthood.
- Russell M. Nelson tells attendees of the "Be One" celebration that an appreciation of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man should inspire us "with a passionate desire to build bridges of cooperation instead of walls of segregation."
[62]↩︎
According to a Deseret News report, President Dallin H. Oaks shared the following:
I observed the pain and frustration experienced by those who suffered these restrictions and those who criticized them and sought for reasons. I studied the reasons then being given and could not feel confirmation of the truth of any of them. As part of my prayerful study, I learned that, in general, the Lord rarely gives reasons for the commandments and directions He gives to His servants.
In the same article, Church member Robert Foster commented on President Oaks's statement:
Some of the people here and many watching online were waiting to hear something like that.
- Dallin H. Oaks tells of his joy at the time of the priesthood revelation, concluding that "we all have cause for celebration."
- President Dallin H. Oaks acknowledges pain of past priesthood and temple restriction, his joy at its end, and his hope for the future.
[63]↩︎
Following the "Be One Celebration," an AP News article by Brady McCombs reported a range of opinions.
For instance, Phylicia Norris-Jimenez, a thirty-year-old Black Latter-day Saint, was said to have been "unsatisfied," saying: "A lot of members are waiting for the church just to say, 'We were wrong.'"
McCombs wrote that Ahmad Corbitt, a Black member and Church employee, "declined to address a church apology, saying the faith is focused on a forward-looking approach to unity."
According to McCombs, Darius Gray, a co-founder of the Church's Genesis Group that was formed to support Black Saints, shared that he "wouldn’t be opposed to an apology for the ban but that he’s more interested in helping the faith make progress in rooting out racism."
"An apology is here today and gone tomorrow,” Gray said. “More significant is what an organization does long term. The LDS church has been moving forward and changed its paradigm in massive ways.”
- Brady McCombs reports on varied opinions of Church members following the 2018 "Be One Celebration."
[64]↩︎
According to Riess, her study asked "whether respondents felt that the ban on members of African descent was 'inspired of God and was God's will for the Church until 1978.'"
She found that "a majority of Mormons still support the idea that the priesthood/temple ban was inspired by God. Only about one in five say they know or believe the ban to have been wrong."
- Jana Riess reports the results of her 2016 study showing that the majority of Church members in the USA believed the priesthood and temple ban was God's will.
[65]↩︎
The website "contains digital records of original documents, photographs, and biological essays. It also shares statistics pertaining to gender, slavery, and locations of their conversion. However, the most compelling aspect of the database is the rich stories of African-American members."
As of August 2022, it contained 125 names and biographies.
- W. Paul Reeve and the Church partner to develop a database and website featuring biographical information about African-American Latter-day Saints.
- W. Paul Reeve says that Century of Black Mormons database now contains 125 biographies.
[66]↩︎
The New York Times reported:
After the death of George Floyd on May 25, protests and unrest have rocked Minneapolis and other cities. In cities across the United States, tens of thousands of people have swarmed the streets to express their outrage and sorrow during the day. That has descended into nights of unrest, with reports of shootings, looting and vandalism in some cities. Since the death of Mr. Floyd, protests have erupted in at least 140 cities across the United States, and the National Guard has been activated in at least 21 states.
- The New York Times describes violent protests following the death of Black American George Floyd while in police custody.
[67]↩︎
In a public social post, President Russell M. Nelson said:
We join with many throughout this nation and around the world who are deeply saddened at recent evidences of racism and a blatant disregard for human life. We abhor the reality that some would deny others respect and the most basic of freedoms because of the color of his or her skin. . . . Any of us who has prejudice toward another race needs to repent!
- Russell M. Nelson denounces racism and calls for respect of human dignity.
[68]↩︎
In a conference talk just prior to the contentious November 2020 United States presidential election, President Oaks called for the peaceful and lawful resolution of conflicts while saying, "We must do better to help root out racism."
An Associated Press report of the talk was generally favorable.
- Elder Dallin H. Oaks denounces racism and encourages the Saints to love their enemies.
- Brady McCombs reports calls at General Conference for end to racism and violence.
[69]↩︎
In his BYU devotional talk, President Dallin H. Oaks alluded to, but did not specifically endorse, the "Black Lives Matter" movement. The paragraph that evoked the biggest reaction from the press was:
The shocking police-produced death of George Floyd in Minnesota last May was surely the trigger for these nationwide protests whose momentum was carried forward under the message of “Black Lives Matter.” Of course Black lives matter! That is an eternal truth all reasonable people should support. Unfortunately, that persuasive banner was sometimes used or understood to stand for other things that do not command universal support. Examples include abolishing the police or seriously reducing their effectiveness or changing our constitutional government. All these are appropriate subjects for advocacy, but not under what we hope to be the universally accepted message: Black lives matter.
- President Dallin H. Oaks denounces racism and encourages peaceful resolution of conflicts.
[70]↩︎
The Black 14 Philanthropy had reached out to Elder Gifford Nielsen, a former BYU and NFL Quarterback and a member of the Seventy. He helped them arrange a food donation from the Church.
As a result of the joint effort, the Church arranged to give 180 tons of goods to food pantries in November 2021.
- Tad Walch reports joint effort of Black 14 Philanthropy and the Church to overcome past enmity and provide goods to food banks.
[71]↩︎
In 2020, nationwide protests against discrimination led Church leaders to call for members to “root out racism.”
In response and following a petition with over 18,000 signatures, BYU President Worthen commissioned the Committee on Race, Equity, and Belonging to assess campus conditions.
The report highlighted concerns from BIPOC students feeling “isolated and unsafe” due to racism and recommended institutional and faculty reforms. Its key proposal, a central Office of Diversity and Belonging, was established six months later as the Office of Belonging.
[72]↩︎
The contributions were made “to encourage service and help to those in need” in "underprivileged areas of the United States," and through these efforts "teach important principles of self-reliance."
The Church also announced support for scholarship through the United Negro College Fund and funding for an Amos C. Brown Student Fellowship to Ghana.
- First Presidency and NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) leaders announce joint educational and humanitarian initiatives.
[73]↩︎
BYU News reported on the announcement, writing:
The announcement of the new Office of Belonging follows an in-depth report from BYU’s Committee on Race, Equity and Belonging (CoREB), completed in February. President Worthen expressed appreciation to the members of CoREB who gave so much of “their time, their talents and their hearts” in responding to the joint call of President Russell M. Nelson and leaders of the NAACP for “educational leaders . . . to review processes, laws, and organizational attitudes regarding racism and root them out once and for all.”
According to the article, the BYU president "emphasized that the Office of Belonging will not only be core to BYU’s efforts to root out racism, but also to combat 'prejudice of any kind, including that based on race, ethnicity, nationality, tribe, gender, age, disability, socioeconomic status, religious belief and sexual orientation.'”
In their "Statement on Belonging," the new office outlined their mission: to create a community where students, faculty, and staff are united as children of God, value each individual's differences, foster loving relationships, and support each student’s divine potential.
- BYU outlines a mission statement for the new Office of Belonging.
- The Church Newsroom reports on the creation of the BYU Office of Belonging.
[74]↩︎
According to Church News, at the fiftieth anniversary celebration, the Genesis Group members celebrated its half-century-long mission of giving Black Latter-day Saints a place to feel connected and supported. Elder LeGrand Curtis presided at the celebration, and current president Davis Stovall and former president Darius Gray both spoke.
- Jon Ryan Jensen reports the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Genesis Group.
[75]↩︎
In the introduction to Amy Tanner Thiriot's book Slavery in Zion, she described its primary purpose:
Although this book contains material applicable to a legal history or a history of race and Mormonism, its most important goal is to be a treasury of the experiences of Utah's enslaved Black residents.
- Amy Tanner Thiriot provides an extensive documentary and genealogical history of slavery in Utah.
[76]↩︎
During the multi-stake youth fireside in Alpine, Utah, Wilcox said:
How come the Blacks didn't get the priesthood until 1978? . . . Maybe we’re asking the wrong question. Maybe instead of saying, "why did the Blacks have to wait until 1978," maybe what we should be asking is, "why did the whites and other races have to wait until 1829?"
The next day, Wilcox posted on Facebook, writing:
I made a serious mistake last night, and I am truly sorry. The illustration I attempted to use about the timing of the revelation on the priesthood for Black members was wrong.
A few days later, Wilcox said at another youth devotional that “it wasn’t the first time that I’ve used the ideas that I shared or the line of reasoning that I used to try to address some difficult topics. . . Once again, I apologize."
[77]↩︎
According to a JAM'N 107.5 radio news report:
In their TikTok videos, the Black Menaces put their fellow white classmates on the spot with questions about race, identity, and politics. Their account has reached over 670,000 followers and gained 23 million likes as of Friday (April 22).
According to journalist Sara Weissman:
The group has already started 10 chapters since the announcement, and students from at least 70 campuses have expressed interest in starting chapters of their own.
On October 11, 2022, "dozens of students, and a smattering of allies, staged a walkout . . . at Brigham Young University, joining a national protest against restrictive LGBTQ policies at colleges with religious affiliations."
[78]↩︎
Elder M. Russell Ballard, President of the Twelve, dedicated the monument. Scott Taylor of the Church News quoted him as saying:
I don’t think we’ll ever stop talking about those who blazed the trail and made it easier for us.”
Peggy Fletcher Stack of the Tribune quoted Black Latter-day Saint Tamu Smith, a descendant of Green Flake, as saying:
“The unveiling for me was speaking a truth and having that validated by [church] leaders and the governor, rather than getting pushback,” Smith said. “It felt like being rediscovered by your family, like being adopted and then finding your real family."
- Peggy Fletcher Stack writes Tribune article celebrating the dedication of the African American Pioneer monument.
- Scott Taylor of the Church News reports on the dedication of the African American Pioneer monument.
[79]↩︎
In a Twitter post two days after the game, Rachel Richardson wrote:
Friday night in our match against Brigham Young University my fellow African American teammates and I were targeted and racially heckled throughout the entirety of the match. The slurs and comments grew into threats which caused us to feel unsafe.
After speaking with Richardson, Heather Olmstead, women’s volleyball coach at BYU, issued this statement:
Racism in any form has no place at BYU, or anywhere else. I apologize for what the Duke student-athletes experienced during our match on Friday. We must do better. I have been able to have productive conversations with the student-athlete who was impacted the most Friday night, Rachel Richardson, the Duke volleyball team captain and the Duke volleyball head coach. They have helped me understand areas where we can do better. I thank them for taking the time to speak with me. I want the very best for them and the entire Duke team.
Tom Holmoe, the BYU athletic director, made a statement concerning the incident. Part of his statement included:
Regardless of whether we were able to identify racist statements during the event, my first concern remained for the student athlete who felt unsafe in our venue. I met with Rachel and her head coach the following morning. I apologized to her and spoke to our entire fan base later that night. BYU Athletics separately issued a statement condemning racism, which we continue to stand by.
- Duke University volleyball player Rachel Richardson accuses BYU fans of shouting racial slurs during a match.
- BYU women's volleyball coach Heather Olmstead makes a statement against racism after a conversation with Duke player Rachel Richardson.
[80]↩︎
Major news networks picked up the story, and Richardson appeared on Good Morning America.
- Victoria J. Arancio, reporter for Good Morning America, reports that Rachel Richardson was allegedly the target of racial slurs during a BYU volleyball game.
- Victoria Hill of KUTV summarizes ESPN interview of Duke volleyball player Rachel Richardson about her report of racial slurs at a match with BYU.
[81]↩︎
Dawn Staley, head coach for the University of South Carolina volleyball team was reported by CNN as saying:
"As a head coach, my job is to do what's best for my players and staff," Staley said in a statement. "The incident at BYU has led me to reevaluate our home-and-home, and I don't feel that this is the right time for us to engage in this series."
- Wayne Sterling of CNN reports that South Carolina basketball team cancels BYU games due to Rachel Richardson's accusations of racial slurs.
[82]↩︎
The results of the BYU investigation were summarized this way:
We reviewed all available video and audio recordings, including security footage and raw footage from all camera angles taken by BYUtv of the match, with broadcasting audio removed (to ensure that the noise from the stands could be heard more clearly). We also reached out to more than 50 individuals who attended the event: Duke athletic department personnel and student-athletes, BYU athletic department personnel and student-athletes, event security and management and fans who were in the arena that evening, including many of the fans in the on-court student section. From our extensive review, we have not found any evidence to corroborate the allegation that fans engaged in racial heckling or uttered racial slurs at the event.
[83]↩︎
Following the report of the BYU investigation, Nina King, Duke VP and Director of Athletics stated:
The 18 members of the Duke University volleyball team are exceptionally strong women who represent themselves, their families, and Duke University with the utmost integrity. We unequivocally stand with and champion them, especially when their character is called into question. Duke Athletics believes in respect, equality and inclusiveness, and we do not tolerate hate and bias.
- Duke University VP and athletic director Nina King stands with player Rachel Richardson and the rest of the team following report of BYU investigation.
[84]↩︎
For example, John McWhorter of the New York Times reported:
To be clear: It is possible that some racist spectator shouted a racial slur at Richardson at some point during the match. But it seems apparent that no rising tide of slurs and threats occurred during that match; that would be clear in the recordings. And Richardson’s having possibly exaggerated what happened casts into doubt whether there were any slurs at all, given that people leveling such words tend to do so with the intention of being heard by others, and no people present have come forward and explicitly said they heard it. Richardson and her representatives have presented no explanation as to why recordings via modern technology do not reveal what she claimed.
Fox News writer Joseph A. Wulfsohn criticized the heavy media coverage of the initial reports and the limited attention given to new evidence that challenged those claims.
- New York Times columnist John McWhorter discounts the story of Rachel Richardson and argues that "not all claims of racist abuse hold water."
- Fox News reporter Joseph A. Wulfsohn reports initial media attention for incident involving Rachel Richardson, but loss of interest when evidence began to weaken claims.
[85]↩︎
In a preface to Stay Thou Nearby, the publisher, Deseret Book, states that the collection of essays builds on the Church’s Gospel Topics essay "Race and the Priesthood" by sharing reflections and experiences from Black members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about the priesthood restriction. It goes on to add:
As we explore delicate questions regarding a policy that has led to pain, heartbreak, and even anguish, inevitably we will encounter a wide variety of individual reactions and responses. At the heart of so many disparate cries to the Lord for understanding and faith, however, we find the same yearning: "Stay Thou nearby." Whether in joy or pain, wherever we are in our journey toward understanding, no voice can bring peace to our souls like the Savior's. These essays from Church leaders who have navigated rough waters invite you to come and stay close to Christ, who offers healing and hope when none else can.
- Four prominent Black church leaders describe their personal stories and understandings of events and teachings relating to the priesthood and temple ban that have brought them peace.
[86]↩︎
In the preface to Second-Class Saints historian Matthew L. Harris explained:
My focus, rather, is on racism as it affected Black and biracial people in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Readers will see that I include a wide variety of voices and perspectives. Some of these people are well known to Latter-day Saints and to outsiders; others are obscure. They include bishops and stake presidents, newly baptized converts, college professors, LDS religion teachers, disaffected Latter-day Saints, believing Latter-day Saints, politicians and government figures, dark-skinned Africans and light-skinned Brazilians, Motown singers, former Black Panthers, and civil rights organizations like the NAACP.
- Matthew L. Harris explains his reasons for writing Second-Class Saints.
[87]↩︎
In March 2025, the Church released a new gospel topic essay titled "Race and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
The article focused on answering questions about the Church's relationship with people of African descent, with questions like:
- "What do we know about the origins of the priesthood and temple restriction?"
- "Did the Church racially segregate its congregations?"
- "Is dark skin a curse or sign of divine disfavor?"
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publishes a new gospel topics essay on race in 2025.
- The Church Newsroom reports on new gospel topic essays including one on race.
[88]↩︎
When the priesthood ban was lifted, the apostles described a profound spiritual experience during their temple meeting. They spoke of overwhelming unity, a powerful outpouring of the Spirit, and a personal confirmation to each of them that the decision was the will of God. Many compared the event to the Day of Pentecost, feeling forever changed by the sacredness and magnitude of the revelation.
[89]↩︎
On June 8, 1978 the First Presidency sent a letter to stake presidents and bishops which announced:
All worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color. Priesthood leaders are instructed to follow the policy of carefully interviewing all candidates for ordination to either the Aaronic or the Melchizedek Priesthood to insure that they meet the established standards for worthiness.
This letter was then published in the Deseret News on June 9, 1978.
- Deseret News publishes First Presidency press release announcing the revelation on the priesthood.
- First Presidency letter from June 8, 1978 announcing the revelation on the priesthood.
[90]↩︎
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that President Spencer W. Kimball called the revelation ending the priesthood ban a "a personal thing."
At general conference in September 1978 N. Eldon Tanner read out the letter announcing the end of the priesthood ban. After finishing it, he said:
Recognizing Spencer W. Kimball as the prophet, seer, and revelator, and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is proposed that we as a constituent assembly accept this revelation as the word and will of the Lord. All in favor please signify by raising your right hand. Any opposed by the same sign.
Following this the letter was added to the Doctrine & Covenants as Official Declaration 2.
- Official Declaration 2 describes the events that marked the official end to the priesthood ban.
- Spencer W. Kimball said the Church won't extend the priesthood to women.
[91]↩︎
For example, in his biography of Spencer W. Kimball, Edward Kimball recounted apostolic descriptions of the lifting of the ban as a revelation and a spiritual experience similar to the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 and the dedication of the Kirtland Temple.
- Edward L. Kimball quotes the accounts of several apostles who were present at the June 1, 1978 meeting where the revelation on the priesthood was confirmed.
[92]↩︎
In the Salt Lake Tribune, it was reported that President Kimball "refused to discuss the revelation that changed the church’s 148-year-old policy against ordination of blacks, saying it was a 'personal thing.'"
However, in his autobiography, Oscar McConkie claimed that in a 1980 general conference, President Kimball intended to say:
It was then that the voice of God, given by the power of His Spirit, ‘the still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things’ (D&C 85:6) made manifest that the Holy Priesthood, all of the blessings of the temple, including celestial marriage, together with all the obligations that appertain thereto, should now be offered, on the sole basis of personal worthiness, to all men of every race and color. . . . What then happened is one of the signs of the times which had to occur before the second coming of the Son of Man. So that the gospel could be taken—in its everlasting fullness—to those of every nation and kindred and tongue and people.
[93]↩︎
Official Declaration 2 says,
Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God’s eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood, and witnessing the faithfulness of those from whom the priesthood has been withheld, we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance. He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, with power to exercise its divine authority, and enjoy with his loved ones every blessing that flows therefrom, including the blessings of the temple.
[94]↩︎
The "Race and the Priesthood" essay says:
Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else. Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form.
- In the Gospel Topics Essay, the Church denounces past theories and racism.
[95]↩︎
In the 2018 "Be One" celebration both President Russell M. Nelson and President Dallin H. Oaks celebrated the end of the priesthood ban and condemned racial equality without giving any explanation for the ban itself.
The 2025 gospel topic essay "Race and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" stated:
Brigham Young’s explanation for the restriction drew on then-common ideas that identified Black people as descendants of the biblical figures Cain and Ham. The Church has since disavowed this justification for the restriction as well as later justifications that suggested it originated in the pre-earth life. There is no documented revelation related to the origin of the priesthood and temple restriction. Church Presidents after Brigham Young maintained the restriction, in spite of increasing social pressure, because they felt they needed a revelation from God to end it.
[96]↩︎
For example, on June 17, 1978 the Church News reported that members of the Church from many places celebrated the lifting of the ban, and that non-members were also celebrating it.
A BYU class surveyed resident of Utah County about their feelings on the lifting and found that the majority of residents were in favor of it.
- Church News shares comments of Monroe Fleming and other Black members about the announcement of the priesthood revelation.
- BYU professor Edwin O. Haroldsen supervises students in a survey finding that the overwhelming majority of Utah County residents are pleased with the news of the priesthood revelation.
[97]↩︎
Joseph Freeman, the first Black man ordained to the priesthood following the 1978 revelation, described the experience as both deeply spiritual and publicly overwhelming. His ordination enabled him to bless his family, receive temple ordinances, and serve fully in the Church.
Reflecting on that moment, he wrote: "My elusive dream had come true. . . . I had been found worthy to receive the greatest power bestowed on man."
- Joseph Freeman tells of his experiences following his having been the first Black man ordained to the priesthood in modern times.
[98]↩︎
According to President Kimball's son Edward, his father "received about thirty negative letters, nearly all from non-Mormons, mostly calling him a fraud in claiming revelation or a traitor to his race."
- Edward L. Kimball writes that letters received in the few days after the priesthood revelation by Spencer W. Kimball were overwhelmingly positive.
[99]↩︎
For example, in a long letter to President Kimball, fundamentalist Ogden Kraut asked questions such as, "How can there be any justification for giving the Priesthood to anyone who still has the mark of a curse from their pre-mortal life?"
A leader in the Apostolic United Brethren (a fundamentalist sect), Joseph LaMoine Jenson, took out an ad in the Salt Lake Tribune criticizing the ban and calling on Latter-day Saints to reject it.
There are still a few valiant, uncompromising men, within and without the official Church, whose integrity leaves no room for changing the doctrines and ordinances, breaking the everlasting covenant, or for presuming to bestow blessings out of session.
[100]↩︎
For example, in 1967, Stewart Udall wrote an open letter calling upon the Church to end the priesthood ban, expressing the view that it was corrupting the central tenets of the Church.
In 1969, Stanford University warned that the LDS Student Association would not be able to operate on campus because of the priesthood policy. They also refused to schedule sporting events with BYU.
Edward Kimball reported that his father, Spencer W. Kimball, had acknowledged pressure from inside and outside of the Church to end the ban, but reportedly said:
The conferring of priesthood, and declining to give the priesthood is not a matter of my choice nor of President McKay’s. It is the Lord’s program. . . . When the Lord is ready to relax the restriction, it will come whether there is pressure or not.
[101]↩︎
Edward Kimball reported that his father, Spencer W. Kimball, firmly believed the end of the priesthood and temple restrictions had to come by revelation from God. President Kimball acknowledged pressure from inside and outside of the Church to end the ban, but reportedly said,
The conferring of priesthood, and declining to give the priesthood is not a matter of my choice nor of President McKay’s. It is the Lord’s program. . . . When the Lord is ready to relax the restriction, it will come whether there is pressure or not.
At the June 1, 1978 temple meeting, President Spencer W. Kimball sought confirmation of his proposal to end the priesthood ban. After the Twelve expressed unanimous support, the First Presidency and ten apostles (including Hinckley, McConkie, Perry, Packer, Benson, Haight, Hunter, Ashton, and the absent Petersen and Stapley) experienced what they described as a powerful, unified outpouring of the Spirit.
McConkie likened it to Pentecost; Hinckley called it a “conduit” to heaven; others recalled it as the most intense spiritual moment of their lives.
Kimball later said only, “It was a personal thing.”
[102]↩︎
In the late 1990s, Elder Marvin K. Jensen formed the committee for petitioning the First Presidency.
Armand L. Mauss, a member of the committee, traced the effort to the relationship between David and Betty Jackson, both recent Black converts to the faith, and Dennis Gladwell, their home teacher, who used racist folklore to "explain" the ban to them.
Eventually, Gladwell became convinced that he had been incorrect, so he approached his friend, Marlin K. Jensen about the matter. Jensen then formed the committee for petitioning the First Presidency.
- Armand Mauss discusses efforts to campaign church leadership to repudiate ban.
[103]↩︎
The Los Angeles Times reported on the meeting, and in the article, William S. Evans, a public affairs committee staffer, confirmed that the committee members had discussed the matter. But he cautioned that "only the church’s highest authorities—not the committee—could make such a statement."
- Larry Stammer provides report on initial efforts to repudiate the ban.
[104]↩︎
On May 19, 1998, the First Presidency issued a statement, noting:
We have read the story which appeared in the May 18, 1998, Los Angeles Times, and are surprised at its contents. The matter it speaks of has not been discussed by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve.
Armand Mauss, a meeting participant, recalled of the leak:
My comment was always to the effect that [those who leaked it] had killed any chance for such a formal statement of repudiation to occur.
- Armand Mauss discusses efforts to campaign church leadership to repudiate ban.
- The Church states that the LA Times story about an earlier plan to retract "doctrines concerning blacks" is incorrect.
[105]↩︎
The gospel topic essay affirmed:
The Church proclaims that redemption through Jesus Christ is available to the entire human family on the conditions God has prescribed. It affirms that God is “no respecter of persons” and emphatically declares that anyone who is righteous—regardless of race—is favored of Him. The teachings of the Church in relation to God’s children are epitomized by a verse in the second book of Nephi: “[The Lord] denieth none that cometh unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; . . . all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."
- In the Gospel Topics Essay, the Church denounces past theories and racism.
[106]↩︎
At the "Be One" devotional, President Dallin H. Oaks acknowledged the pain caused by the Church’s past priesthood restriction and called it a divine mandate to abandon prejudice. President Russell M. Nelson urged members to build bridges, not walls, and emphasized that all are alike unto God.
[107]↩︎
In March 2025, the Church released new essays in the Gospel Library addressing common questions, including one on race and the Church.
The essay stated that all are alike unto God and condemns racism in all forms. It acknowledged the past priesthood and temple restrictions for Black members, clarified that there is no surviving revelation instituting the ban, and stated its end came by revelation in 1978. It also reiterated that past justifications are disavowed, and Church leaders now urge members to abandon prejudice, promote unity, and reflect Christ’s love for all people.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publishes a new gospel topics essay on race in 2025.
- The Church Newsroom reports on new gospel topic essays including one on race.
[108]↩︎
In 2014, the Church published Race and the Priesthood, affirming that God is "no respecter of persons" and that "all are alike unto God" (2 Nephi 26:33).
In 2018, at the Be One devotional, Church leaders acknowledged the pain caused by the restriction and urged members to abandon prejudice.
In 2025, a new Gospel Topics Essay reaffirmed that racism in all forms is condemned, clarified that there is no surviving revelation instituting the ban, and disavowed past justifications.
[109]↩︎
Reeve wrote,
As I have come to see it, the racial restrictions took on a life of their own after Brigham Young articulated and then defended them. They were not set in stone at his first utterance, nor were they poured down from heaven. The context is earthly, and they grew over time to accumulate historical weight with each succeeding generation unwilling to violate the precedent of the previous generation. Even as late as 1900, President Lorenzo Snow did not consider the restrictions to be settled doctrine. They did harden in place during the opening decade of the twentieth century at the height of racial segregation in the United States, important context to consider.
- Historian W. Paul Reeve states that the priesthood restriction was not inspired and was a mistake.
[110]↩︎
In the book, Elder Corbitt explained,
I believe when we analyze the priesthood ban in a way that seeks to assign blame, either to early leaders of the Church or to people of African descent . . . we become distracted. . . . We essentially ask, “Master, who did sin, Black people or the early Church leaders, that the priesthood ban was imposed?” I believe if the Savior stood beside us, His answer would be just as forward-looking and glorious as His response to His disciples’ question about the blind man: Neither have my Black children sinned, nor the prophets: but that the power of God should be made manifest through a miraculous work.
- Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt gives his perspective on the priesthood ban.
[111]↩︎
For example, Joseph Freeman was ordained within days of the announcement and became the first man of African descent to receive the priesthood after the end of the restrictions.
- Joseph Freeman tells of his experiences following his having been the first Black man ordained to the priesthood in modern times.
[112]↩︎
The first temple was announced in Sao Paolo, Brazil in 1975 and was dedicated in 1978. The first temple dedicated in Africa was in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1985. Today there are 29 temples in Africa and 24 in Brazil.
[113]↩︎
For example, a 2013 panel hosted by the Salt Lake Tribune discussed issues Black Latter-day Saints still felt were relevant in the Church. They reported subtle discrimination, exclusion, and the persistence of racist folklore among members. Panelists emphasized the need for open dialogue, education, and possible institutional reckoning, arguing that the Church had not fully addressed the legacy of the ban. While some advocated for an official apology, others focused on grassroots change and hoped for continued progress.
- A Salt Lake Tribune panel expresses a desire that specific justifications for the priesthood ban were addressed by Church leadership.
[114]↩︎
For example, in a 2020 devotional at BYU President Dallin H. Oaks denounced racism and stated, "Black lives matter." In 2021 the First Presidency met with leaders of the NAACP to discuss joint education and humanitarian efforts.
- First Presidency and NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) leaders announce joint educational and humanitarian initiatives.
- President Dallin H. Oaks denounces racism and encourages peaceful resolution of conflicts.
[115]↩︎
Soon after the lifting of the ban, fringe and fundamentalist Latter-day Saints (such as John Singer and the Apostolic United Brethren) publicly rejected it. Some attacked it as a form of integration, while others insisted the ban was rooted in scripture.
A 2013 panel hosted by the Salt Lake Tribune discussed issues Black Latter-day Saints still felt were relevant in the Church. They reported subtle discrimination, exclusion, and the persistence of racist folklore among members. Panelists emphasized the need for open dialogue, education, and possible institutional reckoning, arguing that the Church had not fully addressed the legacy of the ban.
[116]↩︎
President Gordon B. Hinckley and President Russell M. Nelson were particularly pointed in their condemnations of racism. For, example, President Hinckley said to a priesthood meeting:
Brethren, there is no basis for racial hatred among the priesthood of this Church.
Two years after having made a joint statement with the NAACP on the subject, President Russell M. Nelson said the following in a social media post:
We join with many throughout this nation and around the world who are deeply saddened at recent evidences of racism and a blatant disregard for human life. We abhor the reality that some would deny others respect and the most basic of freedoms because of the color of his or her skin. . . . Any of us who has prejudice toward another race needs to repent!
[117]↩︎
In 1982, BYU sponsored a panel discussion on issues relating to the growth of the Church in West Africa. As one example, senior missionary Mark J. Bradshaw expressed these concerns:
They have no musical instruments other than drums. . . . When they are not allowed to use their drums, sing their songs or clap, we deny them their culture. Attempts have been made to get the church music department to go over and help, but they have not come yet. . . . It is difficult to separate the culture . . . and the essence of the gospel.
- Ernie Taylor in Daily Universe reported the difficulties in separating culture and religion as the Church is expanding in Africa.
[118]↩︎
According to a report in Slate:
The TikTok account came in response to some comments that were made by a faculty member here on campus. . . . Brad Wilcox is the name of the faculty member. He’s also a leader in the church. He made some comments that were racist, sexist, and xenophobic. So we took the part that was racist, and we said, “We got to do something about this.” And we decided to make a reaction video.
The BYU Office of Belonging grew out of a report detailing why students who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) feel "isolated and unsafe" because of racism on the BYU campus.
[119]↩︎
Two couples were called to Nigeria and Ghana to open missionary work in the fall of 1978.
The São Paolo Brazil Temple was also dedicated that fall, to the joy of Black Saints who could now enter to receive their temple blessings.
In South Africa, the acceleration of growth took longer. According to Latter-day Saint historians Richard E. Turley and Jeffrey G. Cannon:
There do not appear to have been any baptisms of black converts in South Africa during 1978 and only one in 1979. . . . [But] the year 1980 proved to be momentous. South African Mission records show that in May of that year, "African" converts outnumbered "European" converts for the first time.
[120]↩︎
Brady McCombs reports Matt Martinich as saying that "members of African descent account for at least 8% of Latter-day Saints globally while African-Americans likely make up 3-5% of U.S. members."
- Brady McCombs reports Matt Martinich as saying that "members of African descent account for at least 8% of Latter-day Saints globally while African-Americans likely make up 3-5% of U.S. members."
[121]↩︎
For example, Africa, which accounted for 4% of Church membership in 2019, experienced 121.41% growth from 2011 to 2021, the fastest growth of any region in the Church.
In addition, Brazil, which accounted for 8.6% of Church membership in 2019, experienced 27.88% growth in the same period, virtually tied with the Philippines and Central America as the next highest regions of growth after Africa.
- David Schneider reports that Brazil accounted for 8.6% and Africa for 4.0% of Church membership respectively in 2019.
- David Schneider reports rapid growth of the Church in Africa and Brazil from 2011–2021.
[122]↩︎
Temples announced, under construction, or dedicated in Africa numbered 21 in April 2023. All are located in the sub-Sahara.
- Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website maps a score of temple sites in Africa.
[123]↩︎
A Church Newsroom article listed the following temples planned or built in Brazil:
Including the temple in Brasília, there are 18 houses of the Lord in Brazil, with dedicated temples located in Belém, Campinas, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo; one under construction in Salvador; and others announced in Belo Horizonte, Londrina, Maceió, Ribeirão Prêto, Santos, São Paulo East and Vitória.
- The Church Newsroom reports that there are 18 temples announced or built in Brazil.
[124]↩︎
Presidents of the Church and their counselors have publicly denounced racism in 2006, 2018, and 2020.
[125]↩︎
Following violent demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, the Church condemned the actions and words of white supremacists.
- Church Newsroom publishes the Church's condemnation of the Charlottesville riots that took place on August 11–12, 2017.
[126]↩︎
On the thirtieth and fortieth anniversaries of the priesthood revelation, members of the Church worldwide gathered to watch the programs celebrating the event.
- The Church News announces "Be One," a celebration marking the 40th anniversary of the 1978 revelation on the priesthood.
- R. Scott Lloyd reports on a Church celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the priesthood revelation.
[127]↩︎
Examples include the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Genesis Group and a 2023 BYU "Perspectives: Black by Design" program.
- BYU Multicultural Student Services organizes a program of music, dance, and poetry celebrating a diversity of cultures.
- Jon Ryan Jensen reports the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Genesis Group.
[128]↩︎
A 2021 USA Today article reported:
Over the last decade, FamilySearch has become an influential resource for African American genealogy.
FamilySearch maintains a large collection of online African American genealogy records and Wiki-based tutorials.
- E. R. Shipp describes efforts of FamilySearch in behalf of African American genealogy research.
- FamilySearch publishes an index to their holdings of online African American online genealogy records.
[129]↩︎
Tad Walch of the Church news reported on the joint effort of Black 14 Philanthropy and the Church.
- Tad Walch reports joint effort of Black 14 Philanthropy and the Church to overcome past enmity and provide goods to food banks.
[130]↩︎
Since 2018, First Presidency has undertaken a series of initiatives undertaken in cooperation with the NAACP.
- First Presidency and NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) leaders issue a joint statement calling for "greater civility, racial and ethnic harmony and mutual respect."