If you are interested in LDS Black History, apparently the people at BlackPast.org are highlighting LDS Black History. Here is a press release encouraging you all to visit the LDS pages.
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The Latter-day Saints Page on BlackPast.org
African Americans have been members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) almost since its founding in 1830. Their numbers were initially small but their role was significant. Green Flake, for example, LDS President Brigham Young’s driver and scout, was one of the first Mormon pioneers to reach the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
Yet, for 126 years (1852-1978) men of African ancestry were denied the priesthood and other restrictions were placed on black women and children. Often overlooked in discussions of the ban were the 22 years before the ban was in place where African Americans, such as Elijah Abel and Joseph T. Ball, played important roles in the church. As an LDS Bishop, Ball led the Boston congregation in the mid-1840s, which at the time was the largest outside of church headquarters in Nauvoo, Illinois.
After the ban was lifted African Americans such as internationally prominent entertainer Gladys Knight, Utah Jazz basketball star and actor Thurl Lee Bailey, and many others joined the Church. One black LDS member, Mia Love, sits in the U.S. Congress representing Utah’s 4th Congressional District. Far larger numbers of Africans and people of African ancestry in Latin America were converted as well. Today, an estimated 700,000 people of African ancestry call the LDS faith their own
BlackPast.org captures that history. With financial support from the LDS Church, we have assembled profiles on individual LDS women and men written by LDS and non-LDS volunteer contributors as well as documents, speeches, and public statements from the LDS Church and other sources. This page also includes a bibliography of the leading books on the subject and features a timeline that briefly outlines the history of black Mormons. These assembled resources are the largest concentration of information on blacks and the LDS church on the Internet. Here is the link to the page:
http://www.blackpast.org/african-americans-and-church-jesus-christ-latter-day-saints
This is not, however, a static page. We invite others to contribute profiles of significant LDS Church members of African ancestry, to write articles on the history of blacks and the Church, and to suggest other resources that can be linked to this page. We also need your help in spreading this information to LDS members and non-LDS folks around the world. We believe this history should be shared with all. If you are interested in contributing please contact, quintard.taylor@blackpast.org.
Whilst I know this doesn’t put any wrongs right, I have black members friends to whom this will be felt as significant and inclusive .
Thanks for highlighting this. I know Russell Stephenson, Margaret Young, and many others posted articles. (I even posted 2.) Check out my articles on Joseph Ball, who was ordained the first Black Branch president (in the 1840s!), as well as Joseph Freeman, the first black man ordained to the LDS Priesthood in 1978 after the ban was lifted. http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/freeman-joseph-1953 and http://www.blackpast.org/aah/ball-jr-joseph-t-1804-1861
I posted this to my ward’s FB page, and the diehards are doubting that the church helped to sponsor this. I want to prove them wrong. Any ideas where I can find proof?
Your die-hards are correct. BlackPast.org is not sponsored by the LDS Church. BlackPast.org highlights all black history (LDS or not.)
I am pretty certain, however, that people who contributed (like Darius Gray, Margaret Young, Rick B, and Russell Stephenson) are upstanding church members, but no this is not an official publication of the LDS Church. If they want official stuff, they have to go to the Gospel Topics essays which are official Church publications. (The essays won’t cover the new history such as Joseph Freeman and others.) I do know that the “More Good Foundation”, which is owned by the LDS Church, is promoting this LDS specific page, but no this is not official LDS Church sponsored, though the history is from reputable scholars.
Another unofficial site is blacklds.org. the only official sources I know of that deal with African American experiences in the church is the Race and Priesthood essay, an associated four-part essay by Ahmad Corbett at the Church History website (https://history.lds.org/article/personal-essay-on-race-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng), church-produced videos on diversity ( https://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-the-priesthood/videos?lang=eng&_r=1),
and a Mormon newsroom piece (http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/additional-resource/experiences-of-african-american-church-members)
Please do not gloss over the fact that Green Flake was a SLAVE. He was not a Mormon pioneer seeking Zion. He came because he was their property; like a plow, a wagon, or an ox. His story is important, but should be not be guilded by attributing to him the same motivations and agency others in that company enjoyed.
Oh, by the way, Brigham Young was a SLAVE OWNER. He was given ownership of Mr. Flake as tithing. I never learned that in church history, not even in university classes.
http://ilovehistory.utah.gov/people/difference/flake.html