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New York Times: Black Mormons and the politics of identity

When Marguerite Driessen, a professor here, entered Brigham Young University in the early 1980s, she was the first black person many Mormon students had ever met, and she spent a good bit of her college time debunking stereotypes about African-Americans. Then she converted to Mormonism herself, and went on to spend a good deal of her adult life correcting assumptions about Mormons.So the matchup in this year’s presidential election comes as a watershed moment for her, symbolizing the hard-won acceptance of racial and religious minorities.

D.C. Third Ward Mormons would welcome Romney, even though most are Democrats

If Mitt Romney wins the presidency, one decision about life in Washington would be made for him: His church. Mormonism mandates that followers attend their assigned local congregation, called a “ward,” and folks at the Third Ward on 16th Street NW are already revved up with excitement. Well, kind of.They’re mostly Democrats, including the sort of Obama supporters Romney was secretly videotaped disparaging in his now-notorious remark about “the 47 percent” of Americans who don’t pay federal taxes.

Washington Post: What lies ahead for the Mormons?

It was a long way from American presidential politics, but as Romanians gathered around their dinner tables one day last week, a national television station aired a 20-minute segment on Mormon core values - close families, hard work, clean living and helping others. Romanian Mormons were surprised, but pleased. With fewer than 3,000 of them in the country, they aren’t used to being on prime time.

Mormon 'Night Writers' put kids to bed, write books

If you have a yearning to write, the American Night Writers Association has a cheering section for you. This nationwide organization -- with a local Provo chapter -- is made up of women who want to support each other in the goal of becoming published writers. The "night writers" name comes from the habit of some who can only squeeze writing time in after putting the kids to bed at night. Some of the local members are already successful authors, such as Loraine Scott, author of the "Summer Winter" mystery series, which focuses on a senior missionary couple.

From the Church

New Mormon.org Article: Who Wrote the Book of Mormon?

The Book of Mormon is a collection of inspired writings by prophets who lived on the American continent anciently. The main writer was the prophet Mormon, who abridged other records to compile the volume named for him. He engraved his record on plates of gold, and, many years later, these plates were revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith by an angel in upstate New York.

Pioneer Day concert features renowned Welsh mezzo-soprano

She will perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the annual Pioneer Day concert 20-21 July 2012 at 8:00 p.m. in the Conference Center. Jenkins became more familiar to American audiences recently as she competed on ABC’s 14th season of Dancing with the Stars. She said the invitation to sing with the choir came when she was participating on the popular television program. She said she was “absolutely thrilled” with the opportunity to perform with the choir. “I was well aware of the choir and its Welsh roots and thought it would be a lovely thing to do.”

Famous Latter-day Saints

NPR: Sen. Hatch Announces Retirement, with Speculation Focused on Romney

Here's the latest national news involving two high-profile LDS politicians.

Deported Mormon glass artists making new life in new country

The Correa family's first few months in their home country of Argentina after being deported from the United States nearly two years ago were miserable. Buenos Aires didn't feel like home. It was too big and too busy compared with the small towns in Iowa and Utah where they had lived for 10 years. They felt like they experienced the best America had to offer. They missed their friends and neighbors in American Fork. They spent many nights crying.

Latter-day Saint Life

Elizabeth Smart Shares the One Compelling Detail that Helped Her Escape

Faith Counts, a multi-faith initiative that represents more than 100 million Americans, is celebrating the release of a new video. The compelling YouTube video that features kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart is the 14th video produced by the group.

Pop Band The Strike Tells "The National" About Its Mormon Roots: "Mormon Culture Is Musically Ambitious"

Thanks to the Deseret News for making us aware of this story.