Black Mormons
The limits of Mormon obedience
By Jana Riess — April 6, 2023
(RNS) — LDS prophets have been on the wrong side of justice. When it is acceptable to disobey them?
General Conference would be a good time for the LDS church to apologize to the Black community
By Kristin Lowe — September 28, 2020
(RNS) — ‘Racist statements and policies were once made by prophets and apostles, and we specifically need prophets and apostles to overturn them now,’ says guest columnist Kristin Lowe.
Black Mormon pioneer Jane Manning James finally gets her due
By Jana Riess — June 13, 2019
Jane Manning James was overlooked for much of Mormon history. Now she's finally getting her due in a feature film and a new biography by historian Quincy Newell.
Black Mormon students respond to LDS Church’s “Be One” celebration
By Jana Riess — June 6, 2018
"The Be One celebration is a step in the right direction for the LDS Church," says a young African American Mormon, one of three guest respondents today. But the bigger task is to take its message about countering racism to every single congregation.
Mormons celebrate African American members and 40th anniversary of historic announcement
By Jana Riess — May 31, 2018
June marks the 40th anniversary of the reversal of Mormonism's race-based priesthood/temple restriction, and the month is chock-full of events celebrating the importance of black Mormons.
Mormons praised — and criticized — this week for race relations
By Jana Riess — June 24, 2015
White Mormons in the United States live in a bubble of racial privilege. What changes need to happen to make the Church more sensitive to diversity?
New book tells story of forgotten black Mormons
By Peggy Fletcher Stack — July 22, 2014
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) A new book by Mormon scholar Russell Stevenson will spread awareness of black pioneers more widely and provide historical support for their contributions to LDS history.
African Americans and the Mormon experience
By Jana Riess — April 23, 2014
BYU professor Margaret Blair Young will speak in Cincinnati this weekend on black Mormon pioneers.
Mormons Officially Disavow Racist Folklore
By Jana Riess — December 9, 2013
The LDS Church has anathematized racist justifications that once propped up a ban barring African Americans from priesthood ordination and temple endowments. However, the Church stopped short of a formal apology.
Black Mormons face a political choice like no other
By Peggy Fletcher Stack — June 11, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney. The matchup is both thrilling and complicated for one particular group - black Latter-day Saints. "I've been black my whole life and a Mormon for 30 years and never thought either of these (candidacies) would happen in my lifetime," says Utah attorney Keith Hamilton. By Peggy Fletcher Stack.
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