“Knowledge that Christ suffers with us can provide solace to our hearts and minds while reflecting on the injustices done to our brothers and sisters.”
6 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 reflect on how I found the gospel, I realize that my family’s experiences informed two important pieces of my testimony.
5 Min Read
“My journey of trying to be the best disciple I can be has given me the confidence and the freedom to live at my best unapologetically.”
4 Min Read
“Major events in the nation, and within the Church, have necessitated honest examinations of our past, and of our hearts.”
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“Let me be clear where BYU stands on this issue: racism is disgusting and unacceptable.”
1 Min Read
My grandparents were forced to live in prison camps during Word War II. When they were released, they found their way to Utah where a new community awaited them.
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
Ed Willis’s life began in a place literally called “The Lower Bottom.” Drugs, Alcohol, Prostitution—you name it, and it could be found in the lower bottom. Ed was always searching for something.
2 Min Read
Lita Little Giddins explores how racism can be a “thorn in the flesh” for those who seek to gather Israel.
15 Min Read
Ronell Hugh has spent his career in marketing working for recognizable businesses like Adobe, HP, Microsoft, and Walmart, and recently spoke of approaching the prophet’s call to abandon attitude and actions of prejudice from the perspective of a marketer.
6 Min Read
Let’s seek to be less passive and more aggressive in this fight against racism. And more importantly, let us look up to Him who created us perfectly in His image.
7 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
"Either I would build a bridge between the two cultures, finding a way to accept both parts of myself, or else I would remain forever lost between the two worlds."
4 Min Read
Several articles in a recent issue of the ‘Liahona’ help members answer President Russell M. Nelson's call to “expand our circle of love to embrace the whole human family.”
1 Min Read
Author Taylor Ricks has often relied on unnamed scripture heroes and their examples during her darkest hours. But she’s found that unsung heroes aren’t just in the pages of scripture—they are in our wards and neighborhoods, too.
13 Min Read
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we celebrate a man who dreamed of a better nation—a dream of a nation that would “rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
2 Min Read
The year 2020 will be remembered for many significant reasons. Among them will be the way in which the year reminded us that racial strife is not a thing of the past but something that very much still exists in our world. It is something that we at LDS Living hope will soon come to an end, but until that time, it is up to all of us to contribute to the conversation rather than attempt to silence it.
6 Min Read
Speaking at the Marriott Center at Brigham Young University, President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, renewed Church leaders’ pleas to Latter-day Saints to “root out racism.”
1 Min Read
Sheryl Ellsworth and Emily McCormick wrote, “We came together as mothers of children of color to [offer] five things we would hope others could learn about race and racism.”
8 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
The friendship between Jane Manning James and Emma Smith—remarkable in a pre–Civil War era—is documented only in a few scattered lines of historical text.
5 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
This article is republished with permission from Book of Mormon Central. For more inspiring and instructive content on the Book of Mormon visit Book of Mormon Central, subscribe to our mailing list, see our YouTube videos, and follow us on Facebook.
10 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
LDS author, speaker, and founding member of the Genesis Group Darius Gray provides four key ways members can heal the wounds of racism in their own communities.
1 Min Read
For LDS marathon runner Wendy Garrett, being able to walk a mile is a miracle, let alone run 26.2. And now, Garrett is preparing to make history as she gears up to run her sixth World Marathon Major.
2 Min Read
"It was a very easy decision to make. Me and Blake have been through so much together. He's always been there for me. This was, honestly, the least I could do for him," Sean Rausch said.
1 Min Read
Six miles left and Heather Jenson could barely breathe.
5 Min Read
"We need to embrace God’s children compassionately and eliminate any prejudice, including racism, sexism, and nationalism," Elder Ballard said at the Sunday afternoon session of general conference this weekend.
1 Min Read
The Church recently updated their statement following the deadly events in Charlottesville, Virginia, adding this clarification:
1 Min Read
On Sept. 5, 2014, Kendal Levine was parked 15 feet off of the side of the road on her mission in Canberra, Australia, to take a picture of a double rainbow when she was hit by a 4,000-pound car traveling 40 mph.
1 Min Read
After years of recovery and therapy, a former sister missionary has decided to push herself to achieve a new goal and hopes to still complete her mission.
1 Min Read
Jocelyn McCauley says she wasn't thinking about anything when she crossed the finish line of the Ironman New Zealand 2017 race, finishing first place in the women's division.
5 Min Read
Are you a saint or a sinner?
6 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
In bringing home our son, Elie (A’lee) from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) five years ago, my previously only-Caucasian family added layers of complexity and richness to our lives. The benefits and challenges continue to emerge.
10 Min Read
*Editor's Note: This is a republication of an article written in 2011, prior to the release of the Church's essay "Race and the Priesthood" in 2013.
12 Min Read
“Many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white and a delightsome people”
1 Min Read
In ancient Greece, runners competed in a relay race called a lampadedromia.1 In the race, runners held a torch in their hand and passed it on to the next runner until the final member of the team crossed the finish line.
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
MR says: Learn what this athlete has to say about how she keeps her family life and training in balance.
1 Min Read
MR says: Help celebrate Pioneer Day this year with an unusual stake activity, by dedicating a temple-to-temple run to one of your ancestors.
1 Min Read
"Bull. One simple word. I'd put the other word behind it, but we don't talk that way." That's how Don Harwell responded when asked if he felt compelled to support President Obama -- a fellow African-American -- in 2012.
1 Min Read