2008: A new beginning: Blacks giving the Mormon Church a second look / Columbia News Service

See the original for this article in the North County Times at this link.

Thanks much,
Steve St.Clair
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A new beginning: Blacks giving the Mormon Church a second look
By JOHN DORMAN – Columbia News Service
Angela Carson used to jump up and frequently yell “Hallelujah!” in church. Now, she sits in the middle pew and sings quietly, with a softer, gentler demeanor.

Carson, a 28-year-old black woman, left her Baptist church in New York last year feeling uninspired and removed from the congregation. She visited many traditional black churches, but she found her new home with the Harlem branch of the Mormon church.The religious pillars of service and community outreach appealed to Carson, but so did something that may surprise many blacks: the commitment to diversity she saw at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I was approached by two younger African-American Mormon missionaries, and it made me think about the church in a different way,” she said. “So many people have asked me why I joined a racist religion, which makes me sad that people would think this faith teaches hate.”

Carson and other blacks who have left churches long associated with their communities, such as the Baptist and the African Methodist Episcopal congregations, say they often find cultural resistance from their families and friends who may be skeptical of how the Mormon church can minister to a black American.

“I remember my dad telling me that if I joined the church, I would have a hard time finding an African-American husband,” Carson said. “I thought about marriage prospects, but I date men from all persuasions, so it wasn’t an issue.”

There are roughly 13 million Mormons worldwide, and about half of those live in the United States, according to figures frequently cited by the church, which doesn’t record members’ racial or ethnic background.

However, about 3 percent of the Mormon Church in America is black, and less than 0.5 percent of black Americans are Mormon, according to a survey in 2007 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Policy. That would translate to slightly less than 200,000 black Mormons in America —- a huge increase from the 5,000 to 10,000 estimated by many experts at the turn of the century.

The growth of Mormonism among blacks is commonly tied to two events.

In 1978, the church abolished a long-standing practice that kept black men from seeking priesthoods and black women from participating in temple ceremonies. In 2006, Mormon president Gordon B. Hinckley publicly declared the faith open to all people.

“I am told that racial slurs and denigrating remarks are sometimes heard among us,” he said. “I remind you that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ.”

The Harlem church opened in 2005, about the same time as new Mormon facilities designed to attract more blacks and Latinos opened in Philadelphia, Detroit and San Antonio.

Congregations in these cities are often very racially mixed.

The church that Carson attends is part of a New York regional stake, the equivalent of a diocese, which is one of the more diverse stakes in the Church.

When she walked into the church for the first time, thoughts of any racial bias were forgotten.

“White and black people sat down with their families, extended their hands in worship, and sang alongside each other without any issues,” she said. “My faith and belief in diversity keeps me coming back here every week, no matter who resents it.”

Chris Carter, a 22-year-old black in Florida, is not affiliated with any congregation after leaving his Baptist church. He went to a Mormon service and said that he felt like more of an individual, despite the church’s reputation for homogeneity.

“My old church had this monolithic philosophy to it,” Carter said. “I just grew out of feeling like everyone was supposed to think the same, when I have always been my own individual.”

Ahmad Corbitt, the stake president of Mormon churches in southern New Jersey, is black. The congregations he oversees are predominantly white, and he said there is a lot the church can do to reach out to other blacks. He converted in 1980 and has nine other siblings, all of whom also became members of the Mormon church.

“The church decries racism and teaches equality among all citizens, and the average African-American member in our church wants to be here and feels a bond to what the church stands for,” he said.

Corbitt also is the northeast public and international affairs director of the church, and said that potential members have a right to examine the religion.

“I believe the church will actually be known as a model of diversity for the ability to bring people together, especially people of color, around Jesus Christ,” he said.

Church outreach efforts to blacks include a strong emphasis on missionary service and volunteer work in immediate neighborhoods. The church has a Family Home Evening once a week where families discuss Scripture and religious issues affecting their lives, often with the aid of books, videotapes and other audiovisual tools.

Carson grew apart from her former church partly because she felt they weren’t discussing real concerns that affected her fellow congregants. She has not started a family yet, but feels like the Mormon church places a strong emphasis on family bonds, which she thinks might appeal to other black Americans.

“There are issues with fatherless homes, broken schools, and poverty affecting so many African-Americans, and spending time with family could really make a difference for so many children,” she said.

2008: Blacks and the Latter-day Saints Presentation in Orange County, CA / Marvin Perkins

Friends and Colleagues ~ This month’s MESG lecture will be next Friday in OC, at the Thurston Mansion (as usual). Marvin is a fascinating and gifted speaker. Despite the tone of the 2nd paragraph below, I trust that this will NOT be a time to “bash Brigham”—or any Church leaders, for that matter. I also trust that there will be not only informative but uplifting. I hope to see you there. –jib

Also, please note the cast of truly distinguished speakers coming to MESG this summer. Mark your calendars now! Note that our regular hosts—Dawn and Morris Thurston—will be speaking on Friday, June 20. That promises to be both fun and inspirational. Following Claudia Bushman’s admonitions earlier this year, some of us may even be motivated to begin writing our own personal/family histories soon.

Best regards,
Joseph I. Bentley, Director
Orange County Public Affairs
61 Montecito Drive
Corona del Mar, CA 92625-1018
(H) 949/720-9777, (C) 949/500-9959
(fax) 949/759-8483

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Miller Eccles Study Group – May 16 2008 – Marvin Perkins

In March 1836 Elijah Able, an African-American, was ordained an elder in the Church, most likely by Joseph Smith. Ten months later he was ordained a Seventy, became a “minister of the gospel,” and served several missions for the Church. Elijah and his family came west to Salt Lake City where he remained a faithful Church member, passing away in 1884.

In February 1852, Brigham Young stood before the legislature as it approved a statute establishing slavery in the Territory of Utah and declared that, “Any man having one drop of the seed of Cain in him cannot hold the Priesthood and if no other Prophet ever spake it before I will say it now in the name of Jesus Christ.” Brigham was correct on one point, no other prophet had ever spoken it before. Brigham’s policy remained in force for 126 years before the Church repudiated the reasoning underlying it and gave every worthy male member the opportunity to hold the priesthood, regardless of race.

At the end of 1999 The Church News conducted a poll to determine which had been the greatest stories during the century then ending. President Kimball’s revelation on the priesthood was first; no other story was even close.

We are pleased to have Marvin Perkins as our next Miller Eccles speaker. The meeting will be on Friday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m. at our home (address below).

Brother Perkins has worked with Darius Gray to produce a DVD titled “Blacks in the Scriptures.” He will discuss the lingering legacy of the Church’s priesthood policy prior to 1978, how new guidance from the Church helps to clear up past misconceptions, and present one African American Mormon’s viewpoint on these issues.

About the Speaker: Marvin Perkins, who now lives in Valencia and is an accomplished vocal recording artist, was converted to the gospel nineteen years ago. He currently serves as co-chair for the Genesis Group public affairs, an official Church calling. He also serves as a temple worker in the Los Angeles Temple, and has represented the Church on numerous television and radio programs. He teaches throughout the country on Black and LDS issues.

Upcoming Calendar: Mark your calendars now for these stimulating upcoming meetings:

Dawn & Morris Thurston – June 20-21, 2008. How to make your personal history a page-turner.
Hugh Hewitt – July 11, 2008. Latter-day Saints in the contemporary political and religious culture of the United States.
Prof. Ronald W. Walker – September 19-20, 2008. The massacre at Mountain Meadows.

Things You May or May Not Already Know: Our meetings start at 7:30; it is a good idea to arrive a bit early to be certain of getting a good seat. The Miller Eccles Study group seeks to encourage LDS gospel scholarship, enlightenment and understanding in an open environment of good fellowship. To assure an open and frank discussion, we request that our meetings not be recorded. A donation of $10 per person (tax deductable) is suggested, but if this would be burdensome, contribute so much as is comfortable. The contributions are used primarily for transportation, lodging and related expenses of our out-of-town speakers. MESG is a non-profit, tax-exempt association, whose directors are Steve & Daryl Eccles, Russ & Christie Frandsen, Rob Briggs, Lael Littke, Armand & Ruth Mauss, Phil & Marilyn Bradford, and Dawn & Morris Thurston.

Best wishes,
Morris & Dawn Thurston
9752 Crestview Circle
Villa Park, CA 92861
morris@morristhurston.com

2008: Documentary chronicles history of black Mormons / Associated Press

See the website for this outstanding movie, and watch a trailer, at the official website at this link: http://www.untoldstoryofblackmormons.com/ .

Thanks very much,

Steve St.Clair

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By Jennifer Dobner
Associated Press
Published: Sunday, Mar. 9, 2008
MURRAY, Utah

Elijah Abel, Jane Manning James and Green Flake hold a unique, but rather obscure place in Mormon history: all three joined the church in its infancy and all three were black.They also remained faithful after policies were altered and blacks were denied priesthood blessings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Abel was the first black man ordained to the priesthood in 1836. James worked in the home of church founder Joseph Smith and followed the faith’s next president, Brigham Young, across the Plains to Utah in 1848. Flake came to Utah as well, but as the slave of white members. He was freed by Young in 1854.

Such stories won’t remain unknown if Darius Gray and Margaret Young have anything to do with it. They’ve chronicled the struggles of black Latter-day Saints in a new documentary, “Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons.”

“To me it’s parallel with the story of African Americans, period,” said Gray, who is black and has been a member of the church since 1964. “We talk about the black history and contributions being either lost, stolen or strayed generally, and it’s the same within the LDS church.”

Nearly six years in the making, the film is an extension of a longtime partnership between Gray, a former broadcaster, and Young, a writing teacher at the church-owned Brigham Young University. Together the pair have written three books on black Mormons.

Wrapped in soulful black spirituals, the 72-minute film takes viewers on a journey from the days of Mormon pioneers to the 1960s Civil Rights era, when some university athletic teams refused to compete against BYU because the church openly discriminated against blacks. It ends with current black church members sharing their own stories — good and bad.

“We’re not hiding anything, we’re not sugar-coating anything,” said Young, who is white. “We’re telling a very difficult history, but the people who are telling it have come through it.”

Tamu Smith of Provo is one of those storytellers.

“It is liberating,” Smith said of sharing her struggle to fit in and find other people of color in her faith. “We don’t talk about black Mormon history, and it’s sad. Every person in the church needs to see this.”

Church history shows that Smith granted blacks full membership in the faith not long after founding the church in 1830. Brigham Young later preached that blacks “bore the mark of Cain” and implied that they were inferior. For decades blacks were not allowed to served as missionaries, were denied access to church temples and to the sacred ceremonies that Mormons believed bound families for eternity. Black men were also denied the right to hold the priesthood, which gives men ecclesiastical authority.

Blacks remained marginalized until June 8, 1978, when a revelation by then-president Spencer W. Kimball, restored the priesthood for black men.

Some say Kimball was led by prayer and reflection to the announcement, while others believe the change was driven by more practical reasons. In the decades following the revelations, Mormon church membership in Africa grew by leaps and bounds. Today the church claims more than 250,000 members of the church in 27 African nations, statistics on the church Web site show.

Regardless of reason, Kimball’s announcement was a stunning change that Gray said he thought would “have to wait until the Second Coming for it to occur.”

A player in the film in addition to his behind-camera role, Gray said black Mormons needed to tell their own story instead of letting others continue to interpret their history.

“It’s important to be validated and it’s important to share it with our white brothers and sisters so that they can have an appreciation for who we are and from whence we’ve come,” he said. “Part of it is sweet, part of it is bitter, but it’s our story.”

Young said a goal of the film, is to build a bridge between blacks and whites both in and out of the church.

Gray and Young have been shopping their project to film festivals across the U.S. To date it’s been shown in Dallas, Detroit and San Diego, where so many people turned out that organizers had to move the showing to a larger theater. They hope to find a distributor that will allow the film to be widely. It was funded largely through a University of Utah grant and the church was not involved in its production.

On Saturday, the film drew a crowd of more than 100 at the Foursite Film Festival in Ogden.

“This was very impressive,” teacher Tamara Lei Peters said. “There have been so many questions about black people in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It made me weep in a few places.”

Peters said she knew nothing about black Mormon history before seeing the film.

David Rowe, who teaches at the Salt Lake Theological Seminary, knew the history, but said he was surprised by the film.

“I would say it was bracingly forthright about the black Mormons’ struggle,” said the self-described evangelical. “I didn’t expect them to allow quite as much criticism along with the commendation. I expected a bit more of PR gloss, but I didn’t find it overly romanticized.”

Mormon Jeanette Lambert of Salt Lake City said perhaps the film can begin to heal the divisiveness wrought by the past treatment of black church members. Sadly, some old doctrines that support the idea that blacks are less than full church members are still taught, said Lambert, a hospice nurse.

“I think there needs to be a concerted effort made to acknowledge that some things were wrong. It’s a part of the repentance process,” said the mother of two teenagers.

The dedication and faithfulness of pioneers and the decades of black members who came after them is something other church members should know about and celebrate, Lambert said.

Abel, James and Flake, “should be some of our heroes,” she said.