‘I have been overwhelmed with a sense of belonging. I have been inspired, humbled, and changed.’
5 Min Read
Carol shares how her path to baptism started with seeing the Osmonds on TV, but nearly ended when she learned of the priesthood and temple restriction.
10 Min Read
“After the revelation, the gospel spread out everywhere across Brazil,” Elder Soares said. “We saw many cities being opened for the teaching of the gospel, and more and more people accepting the gospel.”
1 Min Read
“As my focus on Christ and His Atonement increased, the vision of Heavenly Father’s unified human family became clearer.”
10 Min Read
In 1967, Isaac Thomas walked onto the Missouri Valley College campus on fraternity pledge night. As one of only 32 black students at the school, he stood out starkly, but, being an outgoing young man fresh from an all-black high school, Thomas didn’t think anything of it. He had never come face to face with the violence and hatred racism breeds—until that night.
26 Min Read
Over time, Church leaders and members advanced many theories to explain the priesthood and temple restrictions. None of these explanations is accepted today as the official doctrine of the Church.
2 Min Read
“When I started nosing through old photo albums, I discovered my mom was the first Black woman to receive a mission call.”
9 Min Read
“Major events in the nation, and within the Church, have necessitated honest examinations of our past, and of our hearts.”
9 Min Read
In 1951, Martha Ann and her husband, Abner, were called to serve an extraordinary mission, one that was never again duplicated.
7 Min Read
“Life was a disappointment to me. I was living terribly, breaking my mother’s heart. And I thought, ‘There’s got to be something better than this.’”
1 Min Read
Ed Willis authored the raw, gritty memoir, ‘Panther to Priesthood.’ From matters of race to matters of the heart, here are a few principles he wants you to know.
2 Min Read
Wanda was so overjoyed by the blessings of the Church that she tried to share the good news of the gospel with anybody who would listen! She especially wanted to let Black Americans know that they didn’t have to struggle.
7 Min Read
For Ed Willis, life was one harsh blow after another. He sought higher meaning in the Black Panther Party, but ultimately only Jesus Christ brought peace.
7 Min Read
This week’s ‘Come, Follow Me’ lesson includes Official Declarations 1 and 2, which involve policy changes within the Church.
1 Min Read
In October 1971, Elders Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson, and Boyd K. Packer, under the direction of the First Presidency, established an official congregation of Latter-day Saints unlike any other the Church had ever seen or has seen since.
2 Min Read
Marcus Martins is a former mission president who served as the first Black missionary following the 1978 revelation on the priesthood. In a 2021 “All In” episode, he discusses how misguided attempts at explaining the priesthood ban hold lessons for all of us regarding racism of all kinds.
4 Min Read
President Ballard went on to express appreciation for the prophets he has had the opportunity to learn from in over 40 years of full-time Church service.
1 Min Read
How we misinterpret “black” and “curse” in the scriptures: Insights from an African American convert
This story was originally published by LDS Living in May 2018.
15 Min Read
Thomas had never come face to face with the violence and hatred racism breeds—until he walked onto the Missouri Valley College campus in 1967.
10 Min Read
Since becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I’ve encountered a few cultural differences that took a little adjustment. For example, in the Baptist church, the same preacher delivers the sermon almost every Sunday, so it was strange to me that in this Church we didn’t have the same preacher every week. To make things even stranger, it was folks from the congregation that delivered the sermons!
3 Min Read
When Harry Bailey Jr. learned from his bishop he could finally hold the priesthood after waiting a quarter of a century for the opportunity, he had his temple clothes already pressed and ready. “He told me once that if he could strip off his skin to hold the priesthood, he would,” Johanna Brutinell said. Learn more about how this amazing Latter-day Saint ministered to his community and remained faithful, despite racism and priesthood restrictions.
1 Min Read
Read the touching responses of black members of the LDS Church when they learned about the 1978 priesthood revelation by following the link below.
1 Min Read
Editor’s note: This article was originally published to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the revelation declaring that all worthy males, regardless of race, may receive the priesthood. We are sharing it again to mark the 40th anniversary and to celebrate the continuing growth of the Church in Africa.
14 Min Read
During the Church's "Be One" event celebrating the 40th anniversary of the priesthood revelation, touching stories were shared of the black pioneers in the Church who remained faithful despite painful priesthood and temple restrictions. President Dallin H. Oaks acknowledged, “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.” He also shared the touching moment when he sat down and cried for joy learning of the priesthood revelation. President Russell M. Nelson added, "Differences in culture, language, gender, race, and nationality fade into insignificance as the faithful enter the covenant path and come unto our beloved Redeemer." Read President Nelson's full remarks here, and President Oaks's full remarks here.
1 Min Read
June 8, 1978, is emblazoned into our collective memory as Latter-day Saints. Many of us identify with the sentiments of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who said, "I can remember exactly where I was. For us, that's the 'where we [were] when Kennedy was shot' [moment], this deep, deep, spiritual, emotional moment in the history of the Church."
8 Min Read
The Church’s history with race is complex and controversial. Here is a look at the priesthood and temple bans, the “curses” associated with dark skin, and the evolution of LDS beliefs and doctrine.
19 Min Read
The following is from the 2014 BYU Religious Education Student Symposium. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the revelation that extended the priesthood to black men in the Church, we wanted to share this article highlighting female black pioneers and their sacrifices for their faith.
2 Min Read
With the Church's special worldwide event on June 1to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1978 revelation on the priesthood, now is the perfect opportunity for parents to discuss the priesthood and temple ban with their children. We hope the following article will help facilitate this important discussion in LDS homes.
8 Min Read
A powerful article onlds.orgshares the faithful stories of black members of the Church and their experiences before and after the priesthood revelation in 1978. This is the story of the Martins family.
2 Min Read
The following article was written by Elder Fred A. “Tony” Parker and shared in a special Ensign issue celebrating the revelation extending the priesthood to all worthy male members in the Church.
1 Min Read
This story from Elder Edward Dube of the Seventy was published in a special edition of the Ensign celebrating the 40th anniversary of the priesthood revelation. Learn more about the Church's celebration here. As Elder Dube said, "The priesthood has blessed me and my family in every way possible. It has been a great strength to me to have the blessings of the temple, the blessing of knowing that we will live together as families for eternity."
1 Min Read
"I say unto you, be one," a new Church website reads, quoting Doctrine and Covenants 38:27.
1 Min Read
On June 1, 2018, a worldwide celebration will be held celebrating the 40 year anniversary of the 1978 revelation that extended the priesthood to all worthy male members of the Church. The First Presidency announced the celebration on April 9, which will be held in Salt Lake City.
1 Min Read
After being arrested at age 14, Donald Kelly knew something needed to change in his life.
6 Min Read
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the revelation on the priesthood in June 1978, which allowed all worthy black male Church members’ to have the priesthood. As we celebrate this event, let us learn more about our black brothers and sisters around the world.
1 Min Read
Burgess Owens played starting position for the Oakland Raiders when they won the Super Bowl in 1981. Just a year later, good LDS teammates and the feeling that there was “something missing” led Owens to meet with the missionaries.
1 Min Read
"People expect Latter-day Saints to be a lot of things: white, rich, serious. They picture who they’ve seen in the media like Mitt Romney,” says Zandra Vranes, although then she adds, “But I’m black, broke, and funny, and I’m a Latter-day Saint too.” She and her longtime friend Tamu Smith are known as the Sistas in Zion: two soul sisters whose faith and humor unites them. Their shared mission? To provide “a relief from sobriety where hilarity never faileth.”
8 Min Read
Recently, The Ringer featured Jabari Parker and his Mormon faith. Here are a few highlights from the article:
2 Min Read
The following article, posted on lds.org, shares the story of six faithful black Latter-day Saints who were members of the Church when the priesthood ban was lifted.
2 Min Read
African Americans have been members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints almost since its founding in 1830. Their numbers were initially small, but their role was significant. Green Flake, for example, Brigham Young’s driver and scout, was one of the first Mormon pioneers to reach the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
2 Min Read
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints embraces the universal human family. Latter-day Saint scripture and teachings affirm that God loves all of His children and makes salvation available to all. God created the many diverse races and ethnicities and esteems them all equally," reads the opening to the Church's Gospel Topics Essay "Race and the Priesthood."
1 Min Read
Elder Joseph W. Sitati of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke at the “Black, White and Mormon” conference Friday, October 9, 2015, at the University of Utah on the topic of “Race and the International Church.” Elder Sitati, who is from Kenya, addressed self-reliance, race and the growth of the Church in Africa.
1 Min Read
Lester Bush said Thursday night he couldn't imagine the future positive historical developments for blacks in the LDS Church when he wrote his landmark 1973 history about the restriction on giving blacks the priesthood.
1 Min Read
MR says: See what interesting insights were added to the Church's in-depth essay which explores the role of race and the priesthood in our Church History.
1 Min Read
Freetown, like director Garrett Batty’s previous film, The Saratov Approach, will sufficiently terrify all mothers wanting to send their kids on a mission. It’s by no means a perfect film. It’s not even a great film. But it definitely is a good film, and an ambitious one at that, with beautiful scenes and a rather engaging story. The very fact that a small band of Utah filmmakers pulled off shooting a feature narrative in Africa, while also trying to tackle difficult subject matters that many of us would rather not face, is quite remarkable and worth the watch. Truth be told, it’s also the first time I’ve ever watched a film and had to google the words “cognitive dissonance.”
3 Min Read
Editor's note: In an effort to ensure that we are sharing accurate information with our readers, we have removed this 2014 article due to a lack of reliable sources.
1 Min Read
We all want to be good member missionaries, and usually we can answer questions about our religion without too much difficulty. But occasionally a particularly difficult question comes up. Thankfully, the Church is providing valuable resources and very recently released new topic pages to help with these challenging questions at the "Gospel Topics" section of LDS.org.
4 Min Read
As Mitt Romney’s status as the Republican presidential nominee is becoming more and more certain, Mormonism—Romney’s declared faith—is facing new scrutiny. Last month, a comment in the Washington Post by a Brigham Young University professor prompted an official Mormon Church statement clarifying its position on the historical priesthood ban on African-Americans, which was lifted in 1978. “We condemn racism, including any and all past racism by individuals both inside and outside the Church,” the statement read.
1 Min Read
A recent Washington Post article that discussed the origins and history of Mormonism’s racialized teachings and policies has caused quite a stir, launching important conversations. The article’s most controversial element was the inclusion of comments from BYU religion professor Randy Bott in which he denied that the former LDS ban on black persons holding the priesthood or participating in temple ordinances was racist, as God’s actions were for their benefit. They weren’t ready. Through these restrictions, God was acting as a loving parent, keeping them from having to live at a higher level than they were capable of doing. Church reaction was swift–a news release the next day completely distancing the Church’s position from the justification attempts of Professor Bott, and stating unequivocally that no one knows the reasons for the ban and the church does not sanction any attempts at explaining or justifying it.
1 Min Read
While Mitt Romney, the leading contender for the Republican nomination for president, looks to lock up his nomination during the Super Tuesday Republican primary races, some members of the black community have concerns about Mormon literature that says "dark skinned people" are from "the seed of Cain." Yet Romney, who has said he is proud of his Mormon faith, said the doctrine in question has not been followed for years and was glad to see the change.
1 Min Read
Over my head I see trouble in the air Over my head I see trouble in the air
1 Min Read