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Race Issues Tackled in Latest Saints & Soldiers Film

When film producer Adam Abel and director Ryan Little came up with the idea to make a short film about Mormons during WWII, they had no idea that it would turn into a beloved film franchise—with three films, no less.

Latter-day Saint Life

5 things 2 Latter-day Saint moms with children of color want you to know

By Sheryl Ellsworth and Emily McCormick

Sheryl Ellsworth and Emily McCormick wrote, “We came together as mothers of children of color to [offer] five things we would hope others could learn about race and racism.”

Help build a monument to Black pioneers with the Green Flake benefit concert and film virtual watch parties

In 1847, a teenage Green Flake, as an enslaved person, was sent to trek 1,500 miles across the Western frontier to prepare a path for the pioneer trek of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Green Flake helped pave the way for over 70,000+ to follow—the largest pioneer migration in American history.

Bringing Jane Manning James into the 21st Century

Note: It is a pleasure to have Margaret Blair Young contribute to JI’s monthlong series on issues of Race and Mormonism. Margaret Blair Young has written extensively on Blacks in the western USA and particilarly Black Latter-day Saints. Much of her work has been co-authored with Darius Gray. She authored I Am Jane. The first staged reading of I Am Jane was on the Nelke theater stage at BYU. It was the climax of a playwriting class, and met some deserved criticism. It was, as I recall, about 120 pages. Too many words. The first draft I wrote used a clichéd convention: rebellious teenager dreams about/ learns about/ re-enacts the life of a heroic ancestor and gains self-respect and courage. But such a play is more about the teen than the character whose life I wanted to explore. And I was researching it even as I was scripting the play.

Latter-day Saint Life

‘Is there no blessing for me?’: Jane Manning James’s pleas to receive her endowment + her powerful testimony of the temple

By Margaret Blair Young

Born in 1822 to former slaves, Jane Elizabeth Manning was baptized in 1842 into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which brought her great reproach. This was the beginning of many trials for Jane as a convert of African descent.

Latter-day Saint Life

How a dream of her deceased husband led this convert to become a civil rights activist

By Alexandra Mortenson

“This message is my message to young people. They should have it in their hearts. Let us dig the soil of bitterness, throw in a seed, show love, and see what fruits it can give.”

Ronell Hugh: Abandoning Attitudes and Actions of Prejudice

Ronell Hugh has done marketing for some of the most well-known companies in the US, including Adobe, Walmart, HP, and Microsoft. His professional position and personal identity—first as a child of God and second as a Black Latter-day Saint—have given him a unique perspective on President Russell M. Nelson’s October 2020 call for Church members to “lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice.” On this week's episode, we talk with Ronell about how we can each respond to the prophet's call and why he believes we shouldn't give up in our efforts to promote respect for all of God’s children.

Podcasts

One man describes his journey from ‘Panther to Priesthood’

Ed Willis’s life began in a place literally called “The Lower Bottom.” Drugs, Alcohol, Prostitution—you name it, and it could be found in the lower bottom. Ed was always searching for something.

Latter-day Saint Life

Why Revelations Can Be Confusing (and Even Get Misinterpreted)

What a fascinating insight into how God speaks with His children through revelation.

From the Church

Official Church Statement: 'All are alike unto God'

Following is an official statement released by the Church on Feb. 29 titled, "The Church and Race: 'All Are Alike Unto God.' " The gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone. The Book of Mormon states, "black and white, bond and free, male and female; … all are alike unto God" (2 Nephi 26:33). This is the Church's official teaching.