Have you noticed how many of the LDS commercials and videos in recent years feature numerous black actors? Or how during general conference the cameraman will focus on the one black guy in the choir for an extremely long period of time? Do they think by showing black people in these commercials that people will forget how racist the church was (is) and how few blacks are actually in the church?

And he is done with it now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/2010 01:53AM by AmIDarkNow?.

Me too. One black man. He was a really cool guy but I very rarely saw him at church.

I only knew one as well. He took off two weeks after his baptism, really can't say I blame him.

Something else of interest though, at youth conference last year they had some multi-cultural "pow wow," with black speakers and such. There was a video played, trying to play up how diverse the church is. It featured various members of different ethnicities, all thanking the profits for the revelation in '78; it made me nauseous. The whole thing had a "we're not racist, really!" vibe to it. The final speaker had an entire entourage of black members with him. Wanna know the kicker? During the dance that night, his entourage was talking about pot, booze, and "fucking some bitches." I still don't know why they stuck around long enough to become the speaker's entourage.

I've always wondered this myself. I've only known 1 Black member and she was RS Pres 5 yrs ago when I lived in MI. she was single and had a teenaged daughter with disabilities. she owned her own company which was mildly sucessful. She wasn't American but from the carribean somewhere. I heard she has since resigned (probably discovered the rascist doctrines of the church). I think if she hadn't resigned she would have been a shoe-in for the ad campaign!

Another time, about a year ago, there was a Black investigator visiting our ward. she was an older lady and was alone. After SM there was a line out the door to meet this woman as if she were the prophet herself! It is one thing to be polite and welcoming but the fuss they made over her was totally over the top and weird.

but I guess seeing a Black person at church especially where I live in the MorCor is probably equivalent to seeing a unicorn. the members were falling all over themselves with excitement over this woman.

funny enough, she was never seen at church again after that sunday...

I suppose that exaggerated welcome is better than the shunning a family friend of ours used to experience in Wasatch Front wards in the eighties. She was blonde, but her daughter was part black.

Speaking of exaggerated welcomes, last time I visited our local, the assigned greeter dude almost broke my hand with his mighty squeeze. He prolly wanted to drive me away. Pretty sure they don't want me back. Waaay too much hair...

because the more I think about the concept of being shunned by MORmONS the more I like it.

"Do they think by showing black people in these commercials that people will forget how racist the church was (is) and how few blacks are actually in the church?"

Of course. And they want to make the few black members they have feel less like they're alone or that maybe they made a mistake.

go to Our People > Meet Mormons > Select an Ethnicity > Search

How about "Find an ethnicity" among the LEADERS of the church?

but they have to rely on slow white boys and try to compete for Polynesians with other big schools

But on a serious note, if the LDS had a good number of Blacks in the USA who were active, Y could recruit Black football player and even in hoops and probably win lots of national championships not back into one like they did in 1984 by barely beating a 6-5 michigan team 21-17

You need to go to my old ward. It was one of the most multi-cultural wards in the Church. We had 50 cultures represented there, with a black Bishop, who went on to become a member of the Stake Presidency by the time I'd left. I think they now have an Hispanic Bishop. They've had a Chinese Stake President. It all depends on where you live. My ward was a sea of various faces and ethnic groups.

especially the General Confernce and the leadership

Do I know you? By your multi cultural description, I think I know what city you are from. I was raised in a bedroom community of your city. 2 other posters, FreeAtLast and Karin, are also from my home city.

I went to Humber College for 3 yrs, but now live in SW Ont.

Greyford & 6 iron,

I used to live in that area myself. My parents still do but I recently moved across the country. I know the bishop who made stake presidency. There was another black bishop in the same stake about 10 years ago, too. Who knew there were so many exmos? We should do a TO shoutout.

Elise

Actually, there are two black guys. Alex Boye refers to himself as "the other black guy". He is well aware that they always show him, typically as part of a group shot, so it is not so obvious that they are showing the black guys.

with Congregationalists.

They have zero percent Black members when rounded of to the nearest percent.

http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_studies/aris.pdf
page 35

There Hispanics keep them from being the most white, but not by much.

I see a possible career path for mormons who are black. They can spend all their time posing for photos and acting in videos for the newly revised LDS website, and the "I'm a mormon" advertisements. They can name their price.

LDS leaders could also pay black members to tour. There aren't enough black members to back up the diversity story, and some wards have no black members at all. The darker-skinned brothers and sisters could be paid to tour from ward to ward, promoting the lie of diversity and lifting the hearts and hopes of the faithful.

The regular Mormons need to think they are diverse, international, and growing. So, the images the church presents serve to confirm what the members are told about their church.

Really, not many people who are outsiders care about or look at Mormon publications. It's mostly the faithful insiders who like to read the propaganda. The church tells them how the church is doing and they rarely fact check.

The mystery to me is why Gladys Knight can't see through it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/2010 03:31PM by dagny.

Yet when you look at the "Liahona" there are still more Utah-type middle-class white people in the photos and illustrations than you'd expect for a publication aimed at a global audience. It's better than it used to be, but still...

getting away with hating gays and lesbians.

"See how liberal we are now? See...? See...?"

Because they are racist pieces of s***!

The real question is, why are there any black people in the church? Don't they read the Book of Mormon? The BofM is so inherently racist its not even funny.

As noted, there are 0% black Mormons, so didn't anyone else find it interesting that the one Mormon character on a TV show (House) was black? Even though they used that as a plot device, I thought it a little off. Well, very off.

They made his life miserable over it. Not the Omar Epps character, but one of the group of guys they were eliminating in seasons 3 or 4. He actually made it pretty far--if I remember correctly, his Mormonism was one of the reasons given for elimination by House. House couldn't trust someone who belonged to a religion that believed he was a second class citizen.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/26/2010 06:44PM by nwmcare.

Wow, what a wonderful zinger on the Mormon church and total House-ism. :)

I only knew one Black member. He joined when he was 17 and kids were always asking him if it bothered him that he couldn't hold the Priesthood. Obviously we're talking early 70's here. He said it bothered him sometimes but not enough to let it get to him. Last I heard he's married and the family is active in the Church. Only one other Black member in the ward.

there have been others that have come, but then gone rather quickly though

6 iron, by your mention of Humber, I'd say you're right. ;o)

P.S. I don't know if I'd know you though. I'm from the opposite end of the city.

i remember on my mission the dl had some lame video trying to show how many blacks are in the church and we showed it to this black guy and he laughed in our faces and said "you expect me to buy that? nice try"

They fantasize they are not racist by lying that there are so many black members.

Its always easy to pretend to be friends with those who are not around.

Truth is, most Utah TBM have never stood in with priesthood members while a black father names and blesses his child. They have never home taught a black family. They have never been asked to assist in giving a blessing of comfort to a young black mother, anointing with oil and then laying hands with the black husband while he blesses his wife. They have never been to a funeral of an elderly black man who lived a good life. If they have, they talk about it because it was such a rare occurrence.

These are Utah traditions that blacks have never been a major part of in any way in Brigham Young's "Deseret". Pictures in the gospel art book and family home evening manual show a white God and white children of God.

The old claim "I'm not racist, I'm friends with many black people is a true Utah fairy tale.

The wind blows white in Zion.