28-39_ROUNDTABLE.qxd 5/21/2003 8:47 AM Page 28 SUNSTONE Twenty-five Years after the Revelation—Where Are We Now? “SPEAK THE TRUTH, AND SHAME THE DEVIL” A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON CHURCH, RACE, EXPERIENCE, AND TESTIMONY EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION. For the second part of SUNSTONE’s examina- NATALIE: [Looking at the survey sheet] Can we start tion of the question “Twenty-five Years after the Revelation on with this question right here? “What has the Church Priesthood—Where Are We Now?” we feel it is important to hear directly done really well in reaching out to African-Americans from black Latter-day Saints themselves, as well as others—spouses, close and blacks around the world?” Well, I think the Church friends, teachers—who deal daily with questions about race and has done an extremely good job in reaching out to Mormonism. To gather as many voices as we could, we wrote letters and Africans and people in other countries. I don’t think the sent a survey that netted many wonderful responses to our queries about Church has done very much at all reaching out to black memories and hopes surrounding the 1978 revelation, experiences with Americans. Black Americans are forced to assimilate lingering racism and folklore surrounding skin color and priesthood denial, into this whole culture, and we have had to reach out to freedom of black Latter-day Saints to share their authentic experiences in each other, but I don’t think the Church has done any- Church settings, the role of supporting organizations such as the Genesis thing to reach out to them. Branch, and reasons for a respondent’s optimism or pessimism about NKOYO: My only complaint about the Church and blacks finding a deep-rooted and comfortable spiritual home in the Church. the whole “blacks and the priesthood” issue is that they As we prepared to publish these responses, however, we received a call just don’t address it enough. The concept seems to be, from long-time friend Natalie Palmer Sheppard who, in lieu of writing an- “If it’s not talked about and swept under the rug, it’ll go swers to our survey questions, offered to invite several friends to her West away.” You just can’t do that with the history of blacks Jordan, Utah, home to discuss these issues. We were thrilled by her invita- and whites in this country, and especially with the his- tion but had no idea how wonderful the evening and conversation would tory this Church has. be! Whereas we had imagined a small gathering for a straightforward dis- NATALIE: I served as Relief Society President of cussion of the survey questions, what happened was an high-spirited, en- Genesis for five and a half years, and what I found here gaged, laugh- and emotion-filled, intensely spiritual four-hour give and in Utah is when people had an issue as a black Latter- take. day Saint and sent letters to the First Presidency, they Even though this gathering took place on 6 May, less than two weeks be- would send the same form letter back that says: “The fore our planned press date, John Hatch, SUNSTONE’s managing editor, and 1978 Revelation speaks for itself.” Well, what is it [the I knew immediately we had to transcribe the audio tapes and make space ‘78 revelation] saying? It’s not saying anything! It’s not in this issue for as much of the discussion as possible. saying anything to appease us in terms of the issues that The following record represents about two-thirds with the evening’s dy- need to be addressed. There are things that need to be namic conversation. Some edits required that we rearrange the order of dealt with. It’s an everyday issue. some sections, bringing a few loose comments into closer contact with sim- KARYN: It’s kind of like, “We let you in; why can’t ilar themes. But we’re pleased to present as much of this spirited give and you be happy just with that?” take with its original flow intact as such constraints allow. We’ve created a NKOYO: They’re trying to say 1978 speaks for itself, separate grouping of the survey responses we received and have placed it yet we feel like it doesn’t, because what does the decla- on our website, <www.sunstoneonline.com.> ration say that addresses issues of the past other than, The evening’s participants are: Natalie Palmer Sheppard, Beth “All that stuff we said in the past, it’s over, it’s done Sealey, Nkoyo Iyamba, Rasheedah Corbitt, sisters Lyn and Karyn with”? That doesn’t help. Dudley, husband and wife Kimberlee and Rich Mills, husband and wife NATALIE: It really doesn’t even say that. You want to Tamu and Keith Smith. The participant known in this transcript as talk about folklore? I remember teaching the Gospel “Beatrice” asked to be anonymous. Biographical information for each Doctrine Sunday School class and coming to the sec- participant can be found beginning on page 38, but we know you’ll tion on the 1978 revelation, and the manual said that enjoy getting to know them through their words, experiences, and testi- there is one group of people who have never held the monies in the following pages. —DAN WOTHERSPOON priesthood in this dispensation. Well, that’s a lie. The truth is that blacks were given the priesthood when this PAGE 28 MAY 2003 28-39_ROUNDTABLE.qxd 5/21/2003 8:47 AM Page 29 SUNSTONE Twenty-five Years after the Revelation—Where Are We Now? Church was restored in this dispensation. Elijah Abel died in full fellowship of this gospel, having served several missions for the Church, and he had the Melchizedek priesthood. KARYN: One problem I have is the misconceptions about I had a meeting scheduled with a general authority about the Book of Mormon and the mixing of this seed with that seed something totally unrelated, but I took this manual and I and the mixing of the evil seed. I remember a missionary showed him this page and he said, “I have a meeting with the telling me (and this was just in 1986) how I couldn’t marry a First Presidency later this week, I’ll bring this up with them, white man in the temple because I was black and he was white and I’ll get back to you.” He never did get back to me, and that’s and that would be the mixing of the seeds. I said, “From what nothing against him. I think he might have addressed it at that I understand (and I was only seventeen years old at this point,) point and they probably didn’t have any answers. It’s all right to I thought the mixing of the seed was the unrighteous with the tell me you don’t have any answers. It’s all right to tell me, “You righteous. And when I was baptized, I understood I was know, I’m not clear yet, I don’t have any concrete information grafted into your olive tree and became part of the righteous. to give you now.” But at least address it; give an answer! So you would rather have me marry a black man who’s not a KARYN: But President Hinckley has addressed it. When member outside of the Church than a righteous white man in- Mike Wallace interviewed him, he was asked about this issue side the temple? I find that hard to believe Heavenly Father and he said, “I really don’t know why.” would condone that.” LYN: Yes, he did say that. He said it’s basically not pin- I also remember once when I was asked to teach Gospel pointed when it was taken away, why it was taken away, and Doctrine up at Ricks college. I had to give the lesson on “every we don’t know. worthy male”—and I didn’t phrase it as the blacks getting the NATALIE: Can I tell ya’ll what happened when I had to teach priesthood, I phrased it as “every worthy male” receiving the that class on the revelation on priesthood? For this lesson, I blessing of the priesthood—and one guy in the class raised his had a friend come to my ward that day. And I threw the ques- hand and asked, “So how did your family feel when you found tion out to my class: “Why wasn’t the priesthood given back to out you were finally worthy enough to hold the priesthood?” I the blacks until 1978?” Well, everybody in that room had an said, “I want you to show me in any Church doctrine you have answer, including me. And then, after everyone had had their where it says that the blacks were never worthy enough to say, I asked my friend to share some of his experiences meeting have the priesthood!” with President Hinckley about this very question. My friend NATALIE: Be careful what you ask for because all he had to simply stated, very sweetly, “You know, it’s interesting to me do was look in his edition of Mormon Doctrine. It’s in there. that each of you know more than the prophet himself. I’ve RASHEEDAH: That’s right. I learned how prevalent that idea asked him on several occasions why he thinks the Lord had was when one of my missionary companions shoved that book withheld this blessing for so long, and he has told me just in my face in order to tell me why she was better than I was.