“Only the comprehension of the true fatherhood of God can bring full appreciation of the true brotherhood of men and the true sisterhood of women,” President Nelson said during “Be One”, a 2018 broadcast celebrating diversity and oneness in the Church. “That understanding inspires us with passionate desire to build bridges of cooperation instead of walls of segregation.”
We remember the early black Latter-day Saints who remained steadfast, despite hardships and racial divisiveness, and learn from them that we can also remain faithful, even in difficult circumstances.
Elijah Able
An early African-American member of the church and one of the few black men ordained to the priesthood during Joseph Smith’s lifetime. He was ordained an elder and, later on, a Seventy. Converted to the Gospel in 1832, he moved to Kirtland, served a mission in NY and Canada, then joined the Saints in Nauvoo. After his mission he moved his family west where he helped build the Salt Lake Temple.
In 1852, a year before Elijah moved to Utah with his family, Brigham Young publicly announced the policy of withholding the priesthood from black males. Elijah desired to receive temple ordinances and be sealed to his family. (Elijah petitioned twice for permission to be sealed to his wife and was denied.) Though his desires weren’t granted during his lifetime, he remained faithful and undaunted in serving the Lord until his passing on December 25, 1884.
Read more about Elijah here.
Jane Manning James
Jane and many of her family members were baptized during the winter of 1842-1843. They wanted to join the Saints in Nauvoo, so they traveled from Connecticut to New York, from where they were planning to continue on by steamboats and canal boats to reach their destination. Because of their race, they were denied boat passage and had to walk the remaining 800 miles. Jane married Isaac James and they, along with Jane’s son, decided to head west in 1846. Jane experienced many hardships during her life but remained a committed and faithful member of the church.
From her autobiographical life sketch, recorded in 1893, “And I want to say right here that my faith in the Gospel… is as strong today, nay, if it is possible, stronger than the day I was first baptized…”
Learn more about Jane here.
Anthony Obinna
Anthony and Fidelia Obinna (center) with members of the unofficial Latter-day Saint congregation in Owerri, circa 1974
One of the first black members in West Africa. In 1965, he had a dream in which a person showed him a beautiful building. Later on, he picked up an old magazine and saw the building from his dream which turned out to be the Salt Lake temple. He wrote a letter to the Church asking for instructions and received pamphlets and the Book of Mormon. Despite persecution, he gathered unofficially with others and “continued asking God to open the door for [them]” until November 21st, 1978 when the Church was officially opened for the black race in Africa.
A response written in 1976 to a letter from Elder W. Grant Bangerter indicating that the church could not yet be organized in Nigeria: “We are not discouraged anyhow but shall continue to pursue the practice of our faith which we have found to be true…
We are very optimistic that Our Lord Jesus Christ will make it possible in the future for the Church to take more direct action. We are well aware that our faith is being tried. We are doing everything we can to establish the truth among so many of Our Heavenly Father’s children in this part of the world.”
Learn more about Anthony here.
Joseph William “Billy” Johnson
Billy was one of the first converts in Ghana. In 1964, he received a copy of the Book of Mormon and knew it was true. He felt a call to help others prepare for the restored gospel. He boldly went house to house sharing teachings of the Book of Mormon. Even though he wasn’t baptized until 1978, congregations of believers grew under his leadership. After his baptism, he became the first branch president in Ghana. In 1991, he became the first patriarch in Ghana.
On his feelings about the Book of Mormon: “As I read the Book of Mormon I became convinced that it was really the word of God, and sometimes while reading I would burst into tears. I felt the Spirit as I read. I have a strong testimony [of] the Book of Mormon. It is a very powerful book!”
Regarding the June 1978 declaration: “I heard the message of President Spencer W. Kimball that all worthy males in all the world could receive the priesthood. I burst into tears of joy because I knew the priesthood would come to Africa, and if we did the right things, we would all receive the priesthood.”
Learn more about Billy here.
Victor and Verna Nugent
An American co-worker introduced him to the church. Despite feeling initially troubled about the priesthood restriction, Victor gained a strong testimony. Victor, his wife Verna and his older son Peter became the first members in Jamaica on January 20th, 1974. A few year later, all non-Jamaican workers were ordered to leave the country. The Nugent family and 2 other members chose to continue meeting to read scriptures and worship as best they could without the priesthood. They continued to share the gospel with others and eventually another family joined them. In September of 1978, the Nugent family was sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. The Nugent family was key in establishing the church in Jamaica.
Regarding his feelings about the priesthood restriction: “My ego was hurt but I had a strong feeling that the message was the truth, and more was involved than pride and vanity. I sought the Lord in prayer and the answer came back loud and clear. It was the truth! I had received a testimony of the truth through the Spirit.”
Regarding his conversion and growing faith: “The more I heard, the more my joy increased that I had at last found what I was seeking,” Nugent remembered. “We were convinced of its truthfulness, and our convictions grew stronger.”
Upon hearing the news that all worthy male members would be able to receive the priesthood: “I was at my office at Alpart. It was two o’clock in the afternoon, six minutes past two in my records that I got [a message from Richard Millett] on the phone and I called back. He said, ‘Brother Nugent, are you sitting?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He told me, and I just couldn’t believe. If it wasn’t coming directly from the mission president, I probably would not have believed. I was just in shock, because it was the last thing I expected to hear. … I mean for quite awhile I couldn’t say anything. I was just stunned. It was the last thing I ever expected. I just said, ‘What is this?’ Of course, I knew exactly what it meant, and I just started to tremble. The tears came to my eyes.”
A quote from Richard Millet: “Wherever the Nugent family has lived, the Gospel has flourished and the membership of the unit of the Church has grown. Their example and commitment to the Lord are rarely found anywhere.”
Learn more about the Nugent family here.
Helvécio Martins
Helvécio felt a spiritual void in his life that led him to seek God. Missionaries came to teach him and his family in 1972. They were subsequently baptized and later on received patriarchal blessings that spoke of eternal covenants and preaching the Gospel. They wondered what those blessings meant and how they’d be fulfilled. The Martins family sacrificed to build the São Paulo Brazil temple even though they knew they wouldn’t be able to go in after the dedication. After the 1978 revelation, the Martins’ were sealed as a family when the São Paulo temple opened, and their son Marcus served a mission. Helvécio was the first General Authority of African descent. He said, “We had found the truth, and nothing would stop us from living it… when the Spirit tells you the gospel is true, how can you deny it?”
On his being the first black General Authority, he says, “Rudá and I are somewhat embarrassed [by all the publicity]. But if my calling encourages others and furthers the work, then the publicity is okay. It’s an enormous responsibility, but God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and I confide in him.”
Learn more about Helvécio here.
You can learn more about the history of race and the priesthood here.