Black Mormons
Encyclopedia
Most Mormons
are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The church has never kept official records on the race of its membership, so exact numbers of black members are unknown. Black people have been members of Mormon congregations since its foundation, but before 1978 its black membership was small. It has since grown, and in 1997, there were approximately 500,000 black members of the church (about 5% of the total membership), mostly in Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean. Black membership has continued to grow substantially, especially in West Africa
, where two temples
have been built. In the United States, 3% of members are black.
, William McCary
, Walker Lewis
.
Jane Manning James
had been born free and worked as a housekeeper in Joseph Smith's home. When she requested the temple ordinances, John Taylor
took her petition to the Quorum of the Twelve, but her request was denied. When Wilford Woodruff
became president of the church, he compromised and allowed Jane to be sealed to the family of Joseph Smith as a servant. This was unsatisfying to Jane as it did not include the saving ordinance of the endowment, and she repeated her petitions. She died in 1908. President Joseph F. Smith
honored her by speaking at her funeral.
Other notable early black LDS church members included Green Flake, the slave of John Flake, a convert to the church and from whom he got his name. He was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the age of 16 in the Mississippi River, but remained a slave. Samuel D. Chambers was another early African American pioneer. He was baptized secretly at the age of thirteen when he was still a slave in Mississippi. He was unable to join the main body of the church and lost track of them until after the Civil War. He was thirty-eight when he had saved enough money to immigrate to Utah with his wife and son.
was one of the first to be baptized. Within one year there were more than 1,700 members in 35 branches in West Africa.
. After being baptized she joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
. She accepted it as her personal mission to prove to the world that there were in fact African-American Mormons and that the Mormons were not racist. She toured with the choir for two years before accepting her appointment on the faculty at BYU. She was employed in the training of nurses and tried to help them become more culturally aware. About the racial restriction policy, she said: "These two things: baptism and the Holy Ghost are the only requirements, contrary to popular belief, for entering the Celestial Kingdom and being with God for eternity if one is worthy. Therefore, the Priesthood covenants of the Temple which we are not allowed at this point are not really so crucial as popular belief dictates.
was established as an auxiliary unit to the church. Its purpose was to serve the needs of black members, including activating members and welcoming converts. It continues to meet on the first Sunday of each month in Utah. Don Harwell is the current president. When asked about racism in the church, he said "Now, is the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints racist? No, never has been. But some of those people within the church have those tendencies. You have to separate the two."
after the 1978 revelation. Freeman was also the first black member ever to receive church temple
ordinances. On June 23, 1978, Freeman was sealed to his wife and five children in the Salt Lake Temple
by then apostle Thomas S. Monson
.
(a leadership position) of the church. Martins was born in Brazil to parents descended from African slaves. He had found success in his professional life but felt unfulfilled with the religious life he was pursuing. The missionaries visited his home in 1972 while he was going through a difficult spiritual crisis. The missionaries visited his home late one night and were worried about how to teach an African since the church had not yet reversed its policy. Indeed, Martins' first question upon inviting the missionaries into his home concerned the church's attitude toward race. The spiritual experiences that the Martins family had while investigating the church superseded their concerns for the racial policy of priesthood restriction, and they were baptized. They experienced much resistance from members of their extended family and former church friends, but eventually found peace with them. Martins served in his ward as a Sunday school
teacher. He was not troubled by the priesthood restriction, but others were. Often, members of the ward would ask him how he could remain a member of the church without the priesthood. It was never an issue for him. He had resolved the issue in his own mind and never expected to receive the priesthood.
When the announcement came, he describes his reaction and that of his wife as unbelieving. It was something for which they had not dared to hope. Martins then served as a member of a stake presidency, as a bishop, a mission president
, and finally as a seventy. His son was one of the first three people of black African descent to serve a full-time mission for the church in nearly 100 years.
found that 3% of American Mormons were black. African Americans accounted for 9% of all converts in the United States. A 1998 survey by a Mormon and amateur sociologist, James W. Lucas, found that about 20 percent of Mormons in New York City were black. Melvyn Hammarberg explained the growth: "There is a kind of changing face of the LDS Church because of its continuing commitment to work in the inner cities." Sociology and Religious Studies Professor Armand Mauss says African Americans are particularly attracted by the focus on promoting healthy families. However, these numbers still only represent a fraction of total church membership in the United States, suggesting that African Americans remain comparatively hesitant to join, partly because of the church's past. Still, Don Harwell, president of the Genesis Group, sees it as a sign that "People are getting past the stereotypes put on the church." The revelation also helped pave the way for the church's exponential growth in areas like Africa and the Caribbean. The church has been more successful among blacks outside the United States than inside, partly because there is less awareness of this past historic discrimination. In 2005, the church had some 120,000 members in West Africa, and two temples, the Aba Nigeria Temple
and the Accra Ghana Temple
.
and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, have ever been black. There have been several black members of the Quorums of the Seventy; and, as of 2009, Brazilian Helvécio Martins
(a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 1990 to 1995) and Kenya
n Joseph W. Sitati
(a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy since 2009) have served as general authorities
. There has never been a black member of the general presidencies of the Relief Society
, Young Women
, Primary, Young Men
, or Sunday School
. The first African member of the Relief Society general board was chosen in 2003, and she shared her testimony at the general meeting of the Relief Society in September 2003.
Mauss commented "As far as leadership is concerned, the role of the various minorities in Mormonism as a whole is not yet very great, but it is growing, and it is crucial in parts of the world outside the U.S." Approximately 5% of church members have African ancestry (mostly in congregations in Africa, South America, and the Caribbean).
Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
, who joined the church in 1997, created and now directs the LDS choir Saints Unified Voices
. SUV has released a Grammy Award-winning CD entitled One Voice, and occasionally performs at LDSstake
fireside
s. Knight said:
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The church has never kept official records on the race of its membership, so exact numbers of black members are unknown. Black people have been members of Mormon congregations since its foundation, but before 1978 its black membership was small. It has since grown, and in 1997, there were approximately 500,000 black members of the church (about 5% of the total membership), mostly in Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean. Black membership has continued to grow substantially, especially in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, where two temples
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
have been built. In the United States, 3% of members are black.
Notable early black Mormons
Prior to 1847, blacks that were members of the church included Elijah AbelElijah Abel
Elijah Abel was the first black elder and seventy in the Latter Day Saint movement, and one of the few black members in the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to receive the priesthood.-Life:...
, William McCary
William McCary
Warner "William" McCary was an African American convert to Mormonism who was expelled from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1847 for claiming to be a prophet...
, Walker Lewis
Walker Lewis
Walker Lewis was an early African American abolitionist, Freemason, and Mormon elder from Massachusetts.-Family and personal history:Lewis was born Friday, August 3, 1798 in Barre, Massachusetts to Peter P. Lewis and Minor Walker Lewis. His full name was Kwaku Walker Lewis, named after his...
.
Jane Manning James
Jane Elizabeth Manning James
Jane Elizabeth Manning James was an early African American member of the Latter Day Saint movement who lived with Joseph Smith, Jr. and his family for a time in Nauvoo, Illinois....
had been born free and worked as a housekeeper in Joseph Smith's home. When she requested the temple ordinances, John Taylor
John Taylor (1808-1887)
John Taylor was the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887. He is the only president of the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States....
took her petition to the Quorum of the Twelve, but her request was denied. When Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death...
became president of the church, he compromised and allowed Jane to be sealed to the family of Joseph Smith as a servant. This was unsatisfying to Jane as it did not include the saving ordinance of the endowment, and she repeated her petitions. She died in 1908. President Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
honored her by speaking at her funeral.
Other notable early black LDS church members included Green Flake, the slave of John Flake, a convert to the church and from whom he got his name. He was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the age of 16 in the Mississippi River, but remained a slave. Samuel D. Chambers was another early African American pioneer. He was baptized secretly at the age of thirteen when he was still a slave in Mississippi. He was unable to join the main body of the church and lost track of them until after the Civil War. He was thirty-eight when he had saved enough money to immigrate to Utah with his wife and son.
Expansion in West Africa
The church began receiving letters from West Africa requesting information about the church in the 1940s. As the church began sending back literature, two LDS bookstores were formed. Because the Africans could not receive the priesthood, leaders hesitated sending missionaries. In 1960, David O. McKay sent Glen G. Fisher on a fact-finding mission to Africa, where he found thousands of people waiting for him. McKay decided to send missionaries, but the Nigerian government refused to issue the necessary visas. Five months after the 1978 revelation, the first missionaries arrived in Nigeria. Anthony ObinnaAnthony Obinna
Anthony Uzodimma Obinna , born in Umuelem Enyiogugu in Aboh Mbaise, in Nigeria, was the first convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nigeria....
was one of the first to be baptized. Within one year there were more than 1,700 members in 35 branches in West Africa.
Wynetta Willis Martin
In 1970, Wynetta Willis Martin gained the distinction of being the first African-American member of the faculty at Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
. After being baptized she joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...
. She accepted it as her personal mission to prove to the world that there were in fact African-American Mormons and that the Mormons were not racist. She toured with the choir for two years before accepting her appointment on the faculty at BYU. She was employed in the training of nurses and tried to help them become more culturally aware. About the racial restriction policy, she said: "These two things: baptism and the Holy Ghost are the only requirements, contrary to popular belief, for entering the Celestial Kingdom and being with God for eternity if one is worthy. Therefore, the Priesthood covenants of the Temple which we are not allowed at this point are not really so crucial as popular belief dictates.
Genesis Group
On October 19, 1971, the Genesis GroupGenesis Group
The Genesis Group is a social organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for African American members and their families. It was first organized in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1971 to provide members an organization where they could affiliate with fellow African American members. ...
was established as an auxiliary unit to the church. Its purpose was to serve the needs of black members, including activating members and welcoming converts. It continues to meet on the first Sunday of each month in Utah. Don Harwell is the current president. When asked about racism in the church, he said "Now, is the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints racist? No, never has been. But some of those people within the church have those tendencies. You have to separate the two."
Joseph Freeman, Jr.
Joseph Freeman, Jr. was the first African American to receive the priesthoodPriesthood (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind...
after the 1978 revelation. Freeman was also the first black member ever to receive church temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
ordinances. On June 23, 1978, Freeman was sealed to his wife and five children in the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
by then apostle Thomas S. Monson
Thomas S. Monson
Thomas Spencer Monson is an American religious leader and author, and the 16th and current President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . As president, Monson is considered by adherents of the religion to be a "prophet, seer, and revelator" of God's will on earth...
.
Helvécio Martins
Helvécio Martins was the first person of African descent to be a general authorityGeneral authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
(a leadership position) of the church. Martins was born in Brazil to parents descended from African slaves. He had found success in his professional life but felt unfulfilled with the religious life he was pursuing. The missionaries visited his home in 1972 while he was going through a difficult spiritual crisis. The missionaries visited his home late one night and were worried about how to teach an African since the church had not yet reversed its policy. Indeed, Martins' first question upon inviting the missionaries into his home concerned the church's attitude toward race. The spiritual experiences that the Martins family had while investigating the church superseded their concerns for the racial policy of priesthood restriction, and they were baptized. They experienced much resistance from members of their extended family and former church friends, but eventually found peace with them. Martins served in his ward as a Sunday school
Sunday School (LDS Church)
Sunday School is an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 12 and older, are encouraged to participate in Sunday School.-Purpose:...
teacher. He was not troubled by the priesthood restriction, but others were. Often, members of the ward would ask him how he could remain a member of the church without the priesthood. It was never an issue for him. He had resolved the issue in his own mind and never expected to receive the priesthood.
When the announcement came, he describes his reaction and that of his wife as unbelieving. It was something for which they had not dared to hope. Martins then served as a member of a stake presidency, as a bishop, a mission president
Mission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
, and finally as a seventy. His son was one of the first three people of black African descent to serve a full-time mission for the church in nearly 100 years.
Growth in black membership
The Church had an increase in membership upon repealing the ban by experiencing rapid growth in predominately black communities while other mainstream sects have been losing members. In the last 20 years, the church has been well received among middle-class African-Americans, and African American membership grew from minuscule before 1978 to an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 in 2005. A 2007 study by the Pew Research CenterPew Research Center
The Pew Research Center is an American think tank organization based in Washington, D.C. that provides information on issues, attitudes and trends shaping the United States and the world. The Center and its projects receive funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts. In 1990, Donald S...
found that 3% of American Mormons were black. African Americans accounted for 9% of all converts in the United States. A 1998 survey by a Mormon and amateur sociologist, James W. Lucas, found that about 20 percent of Mormons in New York City were black. Melvyn Hammarberg explained the growth: "There is a kind of changing face of the LDS Church because of its continuing commitment to work in the inner cities." Sociology and Religious Studies Professor Armand Mauss says African Americans are particularly attracted by the focus on promoting healthy families. However, these numbers still only represent a fraction of total church membership in the United States, suggesting that African Americans remain comparatively hesitant to join, partly because of the church's past. Still, Don Harwell, president of the Genesis Group, sees it as a sign that "People are getting past the stereotypes put on the church." The revelation also helped pave the way for the church's exponential growth in areas like Africa and the Caribbean. The church has been more successful among blacks outside the United States than inside, partly because there is less awareness of this past historic discrimination. In 2005, the church had some 120,000 members in West Africa, and two temples, the Aba Nigeria Temple
Aba Nigeria Temple
The Aba Nigeria Temple is the 121st operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.An announcement was made on April 2, 2000 that a Mormon temple would be built in Aba, in the state of Abia, to serve the nation's 68,000 Latter-day Saints. This temple was the third temple to be...
and the Accra Ghana Temple
Accra Ghana Temple
The Accra Ghana Temple is the 117th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .The building of the Accra Ghana Temple was announced on February 16, 1998. Years before the temple was announced President of the LDS Church Gordon B. Hinckley had promised members in the area...
.
Black people in church leadership
The church has never kept official records on the race of its membership, so exact numbers are unknown. No member of the two highest governing bodies, the First PresidencyFirst Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...
and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, have ever been black. There have been several black members of the Quorums of the Seventy; and, as of 2009, Brazilian Helvécio Martins
Helvécio Martins
Helvécio Martins was the first person of Black African descent to be called as a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
(a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 1990 to 1995) and Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n Joseph W. Sitati
Joseph W. Sitati
Joseph Wafula Sitati has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since April 2009, when he became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He is the first black African general authority of the church and only the second general authority of black African...
(a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy since 2009) have served as general authorities
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
. There has never been a black member of the general presidencies of the Relief Society
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...
, Young Women
Young Women (organization)
The Young Women is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, Primary, Young Men
Young Men (organization)
The Young Men is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, or Sunday School
Sunday School (LDS Church)
Sunday School is an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 12 and older, are encouraged to participate in Sunday School.-Purpose:...
. The first African member of the Relief Society general board was chosen in 2003, and she shared her testimony at the general meeting of the Relief Society in September 2003.
Mauss commented "As far as leadership is concerned, the role of the various minorities in Mormonism as a whole is not yet very great, but it is growing, and it is crucial in parts of the world outside the U.S." Approximately 5% of church members have African ancestry (mostly in congregations in Africa, South America, and the Caribbean).
Notable black Mormons
- Alex BoyéAlex BoyéAlex Boyé is a British-born Latter-day Saint singer and actor of Nigerian descent.Boyé was born in London, England. He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at age 16. He served as a missionary in the England Bristol Mission. He was then the lead singer in the boy band Awesome,...
- actor and musician. - Catherine M. Stokes, former deputy director of the Illinois Department of Public HealthIllinois Department of Public HealthThe Illinois Department of Public Health is a state agency of Illinois, headquartered in Springfield. The agency promotes public health.-External links:*...
, in August 2010 she was one of the original 13 members of the Deseret News Editorial Advisory Council. - Thurl BaileyThurl BaileyThurl Lee Bailey is an American retired professional basketball player in the NBA whose career spanned from 1983 to 1999 with the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves.- Basketball career :...
, basketball player and singer. - Mia LoveMia LoveLudmya "Mia" B. Love is the first woman of African descent to serve as a city mayor in Utah. She began her term as mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah in January 2010....
, mayor of Saratoga Springs, UtahSaratoga Springs, UtahSaratoga Springs is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. The elevation is 4,505 feet. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is a relatively new development along the northern shores of Utah Lake. It was incorporated on December 31, 1997 and has...
Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
, who joined the church in 1997, created and now directs the LDS choir Saints Unified Voices
Saints Unified Voices
Saints Unified Voices is an American Gospel music choir. The Saints Unified Voices Foundation, the governing organization of the choir, is directed by a 12-member board of directors, which includes Gladys Knight...
. SUV has released a Grammy Award-winning CD entitled One Voice, and occasionally performs at LDSstake
Stake (Mormonism)
A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. A stake is approximately comparable to a diocese in the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations...
fireside
Fireside (Mormonism)
A fireside is a supplementary, evening meeting in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are usually held for a subset of members of a congregation or congregations in an area. A fireside is most commonly held on Sunday evenings, but may be held on any day of the week...
s. Knight said:
See also
- Black people in Mormon doctrineBlack people in Mormon doctrineFrom 1849 to 1978, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had a policy against ordaining black men to the priesthood, and forbidding black men and women from taking part in ceremonies in Mormon temples...
- Blacks and the Latter Day Saint movement
- Joseph Freeman (Mormon)
- Genesis GroupGenesis GroupThe Genesis Group is a social organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for African American members and their families. It was first organized in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1971 to provide members an organization where they could affiliate with fellow African American members. ...
Further reading
- A Peculiar Place for the Peculiar Institution: Slavery and Sovereignty in Early Territorial Utah, Ricks, Nathaniel R., Master Thesis, Brigham Young University, 2007.
- Lester E. Bush, Jr. and Armand L. Mauss, eds., Neither White nor Black: Mormon Scholars Confront the Race Issue in a Universal Church, Signature BooksSignature BooksSignature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. The company was founded in 1980 by George D...
, 1984
External links
- black lds.org an indpendent (not owned or operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) site maintained by some black and some white Latter-day Saints.