David-James Gonzales was born, raised, and educated in Southern California by Mexican American parents that instilled in him a love for education and a commitment to family and community. He is a professor of history at BYU where he teaches and researches race, migration, and civil rights in US History. He has published in several academic journals and anthologies including the Journal of American Ethnic History, American Studies (AMSJ), 50 Events That Shaped Latino History, and The U.S.-Mexico Border: A Reference Handbook. He is the receptor of multiple scholarly fellowships and awards including the Career Enhancement Fellowship by the Institute for Citizens and Scholars and the Butler Young Scholar Award by the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies. His current book project is tentatively titled Breaking Down the Walls of Segregation: Mexican Americans and Civil Rights in Orange County, California. He is also a producer and co-host of the podcast New Books in Latino Studies, part of the New Books Network.

Image retrieved from Mormon.org

Cristi Brazao is an assistant professor at Daytona State College in Florida, where she teaches courses on writing and research, English composition, and African American literature. She and her husband have been married for 20 years and they have four children.

Throughout history, the arts have been greatly benefited by women—including Latter-day Saint women. While there are many women whom we could recognize, here are eight who have stood firm in their beliefs as they followed their passions.

David C. Dollahite is Professor of Family Life at Brigham Young University where he teaches classes and conducts research on the links between religion and family life. He is Co-Director (with Dr. Loren Marks) of the American Families of Faith Project. He received the Eliza R. Snow Fellowship for his research on religion and family relationships and was an Associate Director of the School of Family Life.

Rachel Cope received a BA and MA in history from Brigham Young University and a PhD in American history, with an emphasis in women’s history and religious history, from Syracuse University. Rachel is a scholar of women’s spirituality and conversion in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and works as an associate professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU. Rachel is deeply committed to raising awareness of and funding for obstetric fistula victims throughout the global south.

Janiece Johnson is a transplanted Bay Area, California, native who loves history, design, art, good food, and traveling in non-pandemic times. She has master's degrees in American History and Theology from Brigham Young University and Vanderbilt’s Divinity School, and a PhD from the University of Leicester in England. She co-authored The Witness of Women (Deseret Book, 2016) and was the general editor of the Mountain Meadows Massacre Complete Legal Papers (Oklahoma, 2017). Her book manuscript—American Punishment: Mormon Transgressions and the Mountain Meadows Massacre is under contract with UNC Press as she continues work on a book project on early Book of Mormon reception.

After pitching a revered and rare perfect game in the minor leagues, Latter-day Saint Roy Castleton got called up to play in the majors in 1907, becoming the first Latter-day Saint and first Utahn player in Major League Baseball.

The year 2015 has seen a lot of exciting changes in the Church. From five new temples built in Argentina, Utah, Peru, Indiana, and Mexico,to three new apostles being called to the Quorum of the Twelve, we've experienced a lot of joy and even a little heartache as we've moved forward in the work of the Lord.

Ben Spackman has a MA in Old Testament languages and literature, and a PhD in American Religious History. His scholarship focuses on the ancient contexts of scripture— especially Genesis— and the modern contexts influencing our interpretations of scripture. He lives with his wife Christy, a professor of Science and Technology Studies, and together they love to cook, travel, bike, and run.