Calling the American Red Cross “important and indispensable,” Steven K. Petersen, the managing director of Welfare Services, met with American Red Cross President and CEO Gail J. McGovern on Wednesday, June 20, 2012, at Welfare Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA to reaffirm the decades-old ties between the humanitarian foundation and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “The Church is a valued partner of the American Red Cross, and they have helped us in so many, many different ways,” Ms. McGovern said. “The LDS Church and its members provide financial support and in-kind donations to the Red Cross, and these generous donations have helped ease the plight of millions suffering from disasters not only in our country, but around the world.”

Military records kept by the United States government about soldiers and sailors who served their country can be a major source of information about individuals. The four major wars of interest to genealogists are the following:

No sooner had Mitt Romney lost the presidential election than various pundits and journalists began to declare that the "Mormon moment" was over. Certainly, Romney's candidacies in 2008 and 2012 brought about increased visibility and often scrutiny for Mormonism. Since its founding less than two hundred years ago, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been often ridiculed, attacked and misunderstood by a skeptical and American public. But as Americans learned more about Romney through the campaigns, many wanted to better understand his faith and what impact it might have on his presidency. Owing to that interest, the American media landscape cultivated a robust and largely informative conversation about all things Mormon, including its baptismal practices, the church's missionary efforts, the status of Mormon women and African-Americans, and the faith's history regarding polygamy. "What Do Mormons Believe?" has read the headline of numerous articles of late.

African Americans have been members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints almost since its founding in 1830. Their numbers were initially small, but their role was significant. Green Flake, for example, Brigham Young’s driver and scout, was one of the first Mormon pioneers to reach the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.

What does sunshine have to do with family history? Well, besides helping our plants and vegetables grow, sunshine has a profound effect on our bodies. One of those effects is melanin production. Melanin is a dark pigment in our hair, skin, and iris of the eye that protects us from the sun’s radiation. Tragically, throughout history some have used melanin to create caste systems that determine social status, ultimately affecting our family history. In this episode, Dr. David-James Gonzales discusses how these caste systems and resulting colorism began and the impact they still have on us as we seek to learn more about ourselves and our ancestors.

Before my mission, I never watched soccer—let alone the World Cup. I knew that the world at large loved it, but I just didn’t see the appeal. I never grew up watching it, and so I didn’t bother learning about the sport. I was happy with my basketball and my American football, thank you very much.

"It's really important to know not just who you are, but from which you come," said U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge. "I think it's really, really important. I'm really ecstatic about the fact that I have some more information about my family."

How exciting for the Saints in Brazil and Peru! This will be the seventh temple in Brazil and third in Peru.

As Americans cast their ballots and the clock ticks toward midnight in Mitt Romney’s presidential quest, this much is clear: Americans didn’t know much about the candidate’s LDS faith when this "Mormon moment" began. Now, thousands of headlines, dozens of TV newscasts and one Tony-winning Broadway musical later, Americans still don’t know much about Latter-day Saints and their beliefs.