Black Mormons Cherish Faith, Despite Priesthood Ban Legacy

(KCPW News) Don Harwell's faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was so strong that he says the church's former ban on blacks in the priesthood is almost irrelevant to him. Harwell is president of the Genesis Group, a support group for black Mormons. He says he thinks the practice of slavery likely led to the priesthood ban in the early years of the LDS Church:

"I think the church got itself into some problems with people because they did give the priesthood to Elija Able, who was a free black man, but the majority of the blacks from Illinois south, were slaves," Harwell says. "So how do you give the priesthood to a slave who is owned by another man."

Predating the revelation by seven years, the Genesis Group was created to support black Mormons and reach out to those who left the church because of the ban. It now extends that mission to all members of the LDS Church. Michael Joseph Rice, Genesis Group's mission leader, says he sees the 1978 revelation as a unifying sign from God.

"The revelation is, to me, a marvelous manifestation of God's love to all his children. And what he's saying to us: He wants us to come together as one," Rice says. "We have our differences, different races and nationalities, but ultimately God wants us together as one. I see this revelation as a starting point, to help us to do that."