The words Black, White, and Mormon are all important parts of my identity, they were also the title of a conference recently held at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The conference attempted to create a platform for a critical conversation; the intersection of race and the LDS church.
Participants included renowned scholars Like Lester Bush, Black Mormon pioneers and spiritual leaders of the Black Mormon community Cathy Stokes and Darius Gray. Famous Mormons like Jermaine Sullivan (co-star of the film Meet the Mormons) and Tamu Smith (author and radio host), and a few of my close personal friends Tamu and LaShawn Schultz who have been sisters to me. An LDS general authority Elder Joseph Sitati of the first quorum of Seventy delivered a keynote speech on the Black international church. Elder Sitati is from Kenya, and based on his remarks is obviously more familiar with experiences of Africans in the church than those of the diaspora. Creating understanding between American and International members of the church is essential when conversations about race are taking place with a global church as a back drop.
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