In Indianapolis, there was a very large black family that went to our church. Other than that there were two other black people. One didn't come to church very often. The other was adopted by a the white bishop's family. As soon as the bishop got released both he and his adopted black son left the church. It was quite the scandal.
A girl married to a white guy and a guy married to a white girl. The black guy was in the Bishopric and was the biggest jack-ass I have ever met in church. I don't care for his wife very much either. The black girl was probably one of the nicest girls I've ever met. I judged both of them on their character alone, but it was always weird seeing the couples (two different wards, two different countries) knowing what I knew about church policy on interracial marriages.
I've only known one. He was dating one of our friends. He would have sex with her all the time, but if we were ever partaking in alcoholic beverages, he would make rude comments and was very judgmental about it. What a buzzkill!
There was a season when Dr House had a resident who was a black mormon. House was relentless with him, kept reminding him that before 1978 he couldn't hold the priesthhood because Stanford football boycotted BYU (soooo white and delightsome). He just stabbed the guy on every episode that "black" and "mormon" were not compatible. It was awesome. The black resident sorta brushed those comments off.
I guess being raised outside of Utah and among more progressive people, I don't categorize friends and acquaintances by race, so I hadn't really thought about it. I'm sure I know more, but my brain just doesn't work like it used to and I'm also not used to thinking in these terms.
In my ward growing up, there were three families-- 10 people total. I had a friend across town in another stake (all the girls were hot after him, he was so cute!). In the last ward I was in before I left the church, I had a visiting teachee and her daughter and brother, and we had a medical student and his family, plus a student from Utah and her son.
I know there's racist doctrine in the church and I know they've dealt with some of that, with lots of tacky questions, and with problems with racist people in the church. But they have all been extraordinarily well-integrated and much-loved and I believe that only two of them have actually left the church.
I can only think of ONE! It was a middle aged lady married to a white Mormon and they served my companion and I dinner. That's the only black Mormon I can think of!!!
When I was young, 5 or 7, there were two black brothers converted in our ward. The week after they were baptized, I saw them in the Hispanic ward instead of with us pasty white folks. My grandmother commented as we passed the doors that they would be more comfortable with people like themselves.
Then when I was a teen, a single black lady moved into the ward with a daughter a bit younger than me. She was assigned to teach, and man I did not enjoy her teaching! I think she came from an evangelical background, she could turn any lesson into praising Jesus, but I just wanted to sit quietly, I am not a praiser or participator.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/13/2011 12:55AM by WinksWinks.
There are a lot of white mormon families in Utah who adopt black or bi-racial children. How exactly does that work now? I know of one family who adopted their child through LDS services. The church said years ago not to marry someone of another race, but I guess this is different. Who knows? Things like this is what has me convinced the LDS church will have to accept gay marriage in order to keep collecting tithing and retaining membership.
I know one. She was my student last semester. She is an adult convert to Mormonism (from Pentecostalism, so as she put it to me, she actually found she had relatively "more freedom" becoming a Mormon). She even attended BYU Idaho for a time.
I'm Nevermo but I visited an F&T meeting once and saw quite a few...
...but I should probably mention that this was in a meetinghouse in the south side of Atlanta ;)
The bishop, RS main lady, and mishie that tried to get me to stay for a lesson were all black. So were most of the people that asked me what I though about it all (they knew I was a visitor). They said it was normal to feel weird the first time, which makes me assume that they were converts. I really wonder if they all did enough research or if they knew and just put it on "the shelf".
I don't know what I would count as under LDS racial standards but any organization that makes any issue about it, or even says that your status in heaven/with a higher power depends on it is not something I would want to be a part of!
One, a lovely, intelligent single woman who converted as an adult. Heaven help us, we went through those worthless temple prep sessions together, went to Beehive Clothing to get our garments and took out our endowments together. We went to the temple together a few times; she always was the only black person there.
I always wanted to ask her what appealed to her about Mormonism, but never had the nerve. I moved away after a couple of years and eventually we lost track of each other.
But when I knew her, she seemed completely at ease in Mormonism. More so than I, now that I think of it, and I'm fifth-generation BIC.
i do not know any, and have not met any although the same week that the bishop announced that black men could hold the priesthood, there was a black man at sacrament meeting who I had never seen before and never saw again. hmmmm.
I'm a non-mo who's been lurking on this board for some time. The missionaries were driving us crazy! But I had to answer this one. There is a new set of missionaries wandering around here and one of them is black. I thought it odd, but someone can correct me.
I guess there's a distinction between "black" and African American. I know Haitians and Fijians that are blacker then kids I played sports with in HS in Detroit. Does this missionary have an accent? LOL
Funny enough Ron, my wife is the first one to say "they are not black" they are Haitian, Cuban, Dominican, etc... I laugh when she says that. She tells me I just don't understand.
That's part of the reason why I find Toronto so enjoyable to visit. On the other hand, when I get off the plane in Utah, the sea of white faces is blinding. Very different from the east coast!
boy I believe that. Went there once with a group from college and man, I never saw so many nationalities. The places we went I saw tons of oriental folks. We were in schools and some health facilities. Very multicultural. Way over the top compared to the US.
Some wards in the DC area have quite a few. I knew a young couple..he was a doctor and she was nanny. They were awesome and I always wondered why they would join the LDS church. We also had a large family from the Congo..also incredible. On the other hand we also noticed that there were some others that seemed to join for the food pantry and welfare assistance. It was a very mixed bag.
One of my closest friends at church was black, and he eventually became my Bishop. I don't know where he is now, but when I left the area, he was 2nd Counsellor in the Stake Presidency.
We've had black Bishops, Hispanic Bishops, Chinese Bishops, and a Stake President. Where I come from, it's just the norm. If I walked into an all-white ward, I'd think I landed on another planet. LOL
However, I do remember when my friend was finally allowed to be given the Priesthood. At that time, I didn't even know he didn't have it, and wasn't allowed to. Although I was excited for him, I did wonder why he'd join in the first place.
I could probably identify that as my first case of having to put something on a shelf. I'd only been baptized for 2 years at that time.
I knew several - one of whom became a dentist, moved south to florida, and was a bishop when he sadly passed away much too soon. One of the truly nicer people on the world...
So I had a lot of friends from various parts of South America and the Caribbean.
Now, though? There are a handful of black students at BYU-I right now, it's fairly easy to remember them because they stick out like a sore thumb compared to everyone else. My neighbors are one of those few families, and I'm not sure where they're from, but I'm fairly sure they speak Portuguese and a second language at home. Their son is adorable, and he and my daughter play all the time...I don't think many other kids play with him, because his mother is always extremely nice and thanking me when we talk, to the point of it being a bit awkward.
Our former (black) bishop is now in the stake presidency and his sizable family attends our ward and is very well respected. One son is on a mission in Hawaii. Until recently, the Institute director at a local university was a black CES employee married to a Caucasian spouse. (North Texas . . . DFW area)
He is actually half black. His bio mom was a white Mormon woman and the bio dad was black and a never-mo. As an adult, my son would be recognized as black rather than of mixed race. He is one of 2 of my kids who no longer believes.
There were two people of African descent in our ward. One was a convert that joined a few months after I did. He was from Trinidad, had travelled the world, and was possibly the oldest batchelor in the entire church, being unmarried at the age of 70 (not that there's anything wrong with that).
The other (and I heard Elders refer to her as black) was mixed race, probably 1/8 caste - more white and English than black and African; as you'd think from the way my HT partner talked about her. It was then, as the first inklings that not everything is right in Zion, that I had my first indication that the church had a class system.
Does the church still have something on the books about mixed-race marriage? I figured that would have been edited out by now, but reading some of your comments, is that not so?
The word was that mixed race marriages were discouraged but could not be prevented.
I heard about a Regional Rep whose daughter became engaged to an Asian man sometime in the 1980's or 90's. The rumor was that he and his wife were going to boycott the temple wedding until someone (not certain who) talked to them and got them to change their minds. As I recall, the Asian groom was an born in the US and was an RM. Perhaps there was something else about him the RR didn't like (or perhaps the whole story is untrue, I don't have but third hand retelling of it).
Well, yet another reason to add to my list of why I irrationally hate the Morg. (My husband's Asian FOTB and I'm just a mutt, haha.)
I actually know of a Mormon married couple that is a white woman and Asian man (not closely though, more of an acquaintance) and thought she claims that everything's peachy and they face no discrimination at their church, it's sad to see how much they blatantly disregard his parent's and the rest of his family's beliefs. I highly respect my in-law's beliefs.