Latter-day Saints Have Much More Work to Do to Combat Racism
It’s time for white Latter-day Saint parents to have their own version of “the talk” with their children
On June 1, 2020, Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, issued a message of brotherhood and unity imploring its members to love one another and denounce prejudice and racism. He stated, “We abhor the reality that some would deny others respect and the most basic of freedoms because of the color of his or her skin.”
As an African-American and former member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who has experienced more acts of racism and microaggressions within the LDS community than I have outside of it, President Nelson’s remarks feel hollow.
After the first presidency of the LDS Church lifted a century-long ban that prevented Black men of African descent from holding the priesthood and Black church members from entering its sacred temples in June 1978, the LDS Church continues to use marketing and PR tactics to distance itself from its racist past. As Black lives in the U.S. continue to be extinguished at exorbitant rates through violent acts that often go unrecorded, unreported, and unpunished, the bold action that is required to address systemic racism should…
