Not sure if there have been any threads on this yet, but there's a celebration for 'blacks receiving the priesthood' 40 years ago.

https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/be-one-june-celebration-priesthood-revelation

What a PR stunt!

...and here we are, 40 years later, and there are 3 (count 'em, 3) black "general authorities," no apostles, no major leadership roles, and continued discrimination within the church.

https://www.lds.org/church/leaders?lang=eng

So much progress to celebrate! Whoopee!

Isnt it marvelous,it is a miracle.

LDS- racist free since 1978 !!

I didn't read the article... Does it mention if they ever caught the guy or guys responsible for The Ban? Is there a reward?

I was given the dubious responsibility of telling some of the ward members.
The first person I told was a missionary at a baptism. I thought he would be pleased. He was filling out the form. When I gave him the good news he threw his pen down in disgust and said, "Well, I've just about heard it all now!"

But blacks will still be servants in heaven ?

I wonder how many African converts are aware of what TSCC has in mind for them?

The first paragraph gives the gist, in case you don't want to read through it:

In scripture, Jesus tells us to “be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” “Be One” is the theme of a First Presidency-sponsored event on June 1, 2018, celebrating the 1978 revelation on the priesthood on its 40th anniversary. BeOne.lds.org has been created to provide more information about the event, which will feature a message from the First Presidency, stories of faith of Church members and music from Gladys Knight, the Saints Unified Voices, Alex Boyé, the Bonner family, the Unity Gospel Choir International and members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

I've always wondered why, with racism being as bad as we all know it to be, the Mormon church, with its direct pipeline to God, would be following the equal-rights movement rather than leading it.

I've noticed that when it come to human rights issues, the corporation is always bringing up the rear.

You'd think that god would speak to his living prophet and tell him to lead in treating everyone as equals, not have to be dragged along behind, kicking and screaming the whole way, after everyone else in the western world already got the message.

I’m not sure they even know how to spell Human Rights. Their
Sanctimonious attempt to use semantics to come up with a description of sexual assault that implies the victim is partially responsible, their behavior towards Jews during WW11,
Their complete disregard and actual ambivalence toward
Black people for 150 years before they finally lifted the ban 40 years ago.

That is more than enough to convince me that they only extend the proverbial olive branch if there is something worthwhile in it
For themselves

I remember comments similar to telling people the church came out with two piece garments.LOL. “You’ve got to be kidding” “oh now i’ve Heard everything” “ oh right!” “When donkeys fly”

I’ve often wondered about the 1 drop policy that existed for 150 years before blacks became real people forty years ago. Individuals like myself who got a surprise through running their DNA find out That they are 1% black. So does that make us a little better than a servant in the next life or is it an automatic Trip to Outer darkness since we went through the temple, unknowingly of course, while the ban was still on. Which of course is so much worse than Hitler and Tojo who get a free pass to the Ck.

It’s just a question???

Ban 'em all(races) and let God endowment them out (of the Telestial and Terrestrial Kingdoms.)

We were working together all those years ago and he was the one who came up to my desk to tell me about them lifting the ban. He isn't mormon. He asked me what I thought and I told him that it was about time. It was something that always bothered me.

Your comment was the best one!!!!

Boom--right there in the first paragraph....

"...celebrating the 1978 REVELATION...."

Am I mis-remembering or is this a classic case of rewriting history Orwell-style?

From Edward Kimball, writing about it:

"Ezra Taft Benson..."Our bosoms burned with the righteousness of
the decision we had made.” He also said he “had never experienced anything
of such spiritual magnitude and power.” Each who felt this powerful
spiritual experience confirming the decision proposed by President
Kimball perceived it as a revelation."

NOT a revelation, but that doesn't fit with the "God said so" narrative, so they let it go down in history as one...

I was a missionary in a tiny branch in seaport town in Scandinavia. On Sunday a Stake visitor read the proclamation.
Half of the members jumped to their feet shouting " this is wonderful" the other half jumped to their feet shouting expressions of distress and horror. When I was there the country was about 99% Scandinavian with a few Turks and Pakistani guest workers. (We were not supposed to teach them because they were "black".) Now there are very large numbers of North African immigrants. When I was in the country 40 years ago, I met people who used to ask me what black people were like, they had never met anyone who was black. We were excited at the time because many Pakastanis were interested in learning about the Church. The revelation came with instructions from the Mission President. We were not to seek out or teach blacks (including any dark foreigners) still. My mission president and his wife were very racist, another book on my shelf.

I went on my mission just after the change (no, I won't call it a "revelation").
Even so, on day one we were instructed to NOT seek out or teach any of the "Africans" in France. The excuse given?

"Because they're almost always just looking for a way to get to the US."

Racism doesn't disappear just 'cause some old white guy in SLC says "we're no longer racist!" :(

ificouldhietokolob Wrote:
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> The excuse given?
>
> "Because they're almost always just looking for a
> way to get to the US."


Well, I think he was right. In my personal experience, most of the people who joined TSCC in Europe in the second half of the 20th century were interested in an American religion because they liked America and were willing, or even longing, to move there. Now most of those that I knew in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain in the early 2000s whose families had joined TSCC in the 1970s and 1980s were upper class or upper middle class whites. But if their interest in TSCC was closely related to their interest in America and all things American, then why would poorer African immigrants have been different?

I suspect if white upper class people had been willing to listen to American mishies because they had a keen interest in American culture, your fellow missionaries and your MP would have seen this as an opportunity! In other words, the racists in your mission were holding those African immigrants to higher standards than the local whites. A typical form of discrimination. But I guess you noticed that too.

I remember thinking. Great now....... can hold the priesthood and realized I didn't know any black males. There was on black girl in our school.

We were also given the "marry within you races eventhough the ban was lifted" speach.

Ghawd does seem to the distinction of being a racial purist...

Did you read Brigham Young’s proclamation
Of Marry within your own race or die?

That was pre ban

Once the ban was lifted they didn't want white girls marrying black men. So....there was something put out saying basically to marry in your race AND social level.

I knew that but I didn’t know they had said that after the ban had been lifted. What a travesty the whole thing was

My (California-born) bishop in Spain once reprimanded me for becoming too close to darker girls when I was a teen. He strongly advised me to pay more attention to the daughters of American expats. "Look at your beautiful blond hair and blue eyes! Wouldn't you feel sad if your children didn't look like you?"

I was stunned he dared to say that, because I got my features from two of my grandparents while the other two were more exotic. My (christian) Arab grandfather had pitch-black hair and dark brown eyes. My father had his hair and his mother's blue eyes. I had my mother's hair and my daddy's eyes. But surely my kids could come out quite different with my genes?

Anyway, this was in 2001. The 21st century. Go figure.

I learn something new every day reading on this board.

Do they not get that it just calls attention to their history of racism and makes them look worse?! Plus the whole thing of pursuing oneness ... P.S. We're not weird!

That is precisely why they only advertise this towards the inner circles. Investigators with annoying questions can be pointed towards this. Left-of-center leaning members can be sent the link. But you won't see it on Billboards on Times Square or Piccadilly Circus. Mere lip service, that is all.

I really appreciated reading your story although I felt I was reading Something that happened back in the fifties.

I had blonde hair and blue eyes but to only look at a picture of my grandmother and all of her sisters with very dark hair, skin and eyes one Would suppose they weren’t even related to me.
They were all from Swiss parentage.

I, on the other hand, discovered I was 1% black from a DNA test.
I’m pretty sure I have located the line where this came from
Thanks to some books and personal autobiographies that i’m ashamed to say I had never read before.

I grew up during the church’s one drop rule and had I known
Would have been labeled “black” even though to have only
1% black blood would go back as far as the early to mid 1700’s
and because they said the Congo or Cameroon, you can be sure
It was someone abducted from their home and sold into slavery

And now only 40 years after reversing such an outrageous rule that lasted over 150 years before that they are celebrating.

Fortieth anniversary of a tax dodge!

quatermass2 Wrote:
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> Fortieth anniversary of a tax dodge!


And as an aside, I'm also old enough to remember my dear Mother, when I was in my very early years (5ish or younger even) when I got my face dirty throwing up her hands in mock horror and saying "seed of Cain!"

I have no words for the contempt for this sick 'church'.

When I was a kid in the 80's some of the tv shows we liked were The Cosby Show, In Living Color (90's), Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, etc. If my dad caught us watching any such shows he would yell, "why are you watching this black show???'.

I grew up in a very diverse part of So-cal, so to us kids it was weird that he would say that and have such an angry attitude about it. I'm guessing he was one of the ones who was angered by the priesthood ban lift...having occurred only a few years prior.

To this day he is still a racist prick.

Article also says: "eliminate any prejudice, including racism, sexism, and nationalism."

1) well for racism there is a long ways to go for improvement
2) for sexism, Mormons in Utah are close to the top for Christain denominations.
3) and for nationalism, I would think that would be good, We in America are so proud to wave our little flags around and let the world know that America is such a great flippin place! dangit!