The pictures of all the protests across the nation have lifted me, but this one one with the "Mormons Against Racism" sign gave me a tear. It's from Atlanta--courtesy @alleycatrn--and it struck me because of something I encountered in my #MormonAmerica research. A quick thread./1
As I mentioned in another thread, 1968 was a crossroads for both Mormonism and America when it came to race, as protests erupted across the nation. LDS Church leaders featured those both sympathetic and angered by the civil rights movement. /2
In July of that year, the First Presidency received a letter from William Nichols, who presided over the LDS stake in Atlanta. Nichols was requesting permission to take part in a multi-religious protest in favor of civil rights in the city. /3
Nichols mentioned how Atlanta had been a hub for racial protests--the March on Washington began there, MLK was raised there, and ministers prided themselves on taking a part in the protests. Nichols hoped participating with them would build camaraderie. /4
But the First Presidency was hesitant. They had been dealing with the race problem all year, and they feared the protests were going to far. Indeed, their only concrete action in response to the protests was to increase security around church offices and temples. /5
But they also didn't want bad press. So they told Nichols to neither participate in or publicly condemn the protests, "but merely to take a completely neutral stand in the matter." They were sitting out the crisis. /6
As @_joannabrooks has argued in her new book--my review goes up Monday!--this silence was part of an attempt to maintain the status quo, perpetuate the existing racial system, and preserve racial innocence. /7 global.oup.com/academic/produ…
I'd also be remiss if I didn't point out the tragic irony that the same reasoning some LDS leaders gave for black men & women being cursed--that they remained neutral on important matters in the pre-mortal existence--could be leveled against them as well. /8
Anyways, zoom forward 52 years, and in another moment of racial protests, the Atlanta stake president decided to get involved with a march, as recorded by @EliseMichaela. I don't know if they asked for, or received, support from Salt Lake, nor do I care./9
That's why I loved these images of LDS members joining an interfaith march for racial equality in Atlanta. Even if we have a long way to go, it is the actions of these members who have allowed us to come this far. /fin

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More from @BenjaminEPark

Jan 25
Okay, it's been a while, so here's a #MormonAmerica thread on the LDS Church being forced to reckon with racial ideas, doctrine, and folklore that persisted long after 1978. The story includes recent converts, scholars, leaked media, BYU, and, of course, Mitt Romney. /1
When LDS President Spencer Kimball announced a revelation in 1978 that ended a restriction for all members with African descent from priesthood ordination and temple ordinances, many leaders hope they could just turn the page without more discussion. /2
The most famous formulation of this was Apostle Bruce R. McConkie's speech later that year that urged people to "forget everything I have said" on the topic. "It is a new day and a new arrangement." Nothing before 1978, he claimed, mattered anymore. /3 speeches.byu.edu/talks/bruce-r-…
Read 18 tweets
Sep 22, 2021
This topic has come up quite a bit in the last while, so I thought I'd do a new #MormonAmerica thread.

Let's talk about the last century of Mormonism & American politics; or, the road to modern-day conservatism. /1
Modern day observers often, and justifiably, think Mormonism & conservatism are synonymous. However, that has not always been the case. Indeed, when looking over the entire past century, the LDS connection to GOP is a recent creation.

It's a fascinating tale. /2
When Mormon leaders gave up (public) polygamy in 1890, they also dissolved their own political party, the "People's Party." This now forced them to choose between the two parties, both of which had baggage & benefits. /3
Read 15 tweets
Sep 20, 2021
Hey y'all: I've been made aware that I goofed on a statistic in my WaPo essay--I gave the figure for Utah's total vaccination rate when I said "eligible." That is my mistake and I apologize. And I know that given Utah's demographics, that means something. washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/0…
However, I still stand by my broader points, and don't think much changes by switching those two words. (Though I'll certainly be haunted by the mistake!) And while smart people can differ on historical causations, I think Mormonism's anti-intellectual trajectory is clear.
I'll say this: it's odd for anyone to argue against the point that there's a large segment of Mormonism's population who are vaccine hesitant, given 1) the church's need to make repeated statements, and 2) the broad reactions to said statements.
Read 5 tweets
Jul 19, 2021
As Canadians and Americans come to grips with the grisly details of children's burials near boarding schools, it is also important to note the role that voluntary & religious organizations played, too.

A #MormonAmerica thread on the LDS Indian Student Placement Program. /1
In 1947, a young Navajo girl named Helen John traveled with her family to Richfield, Utah, hired as field laborers. Growing up, Helen hid whenever cars drove through her reservation out of fear they would abduct her and take her to boarding schools. /2
But in Richfield, she encountered a white family named the Averys who introduced her to Mormonism. At first she was reluctant, and the language barrier made it difficult, but eventually she was intrigued and desired to stay and learn more. /3
Read 24 tweets
Jul 16, 2021
I've been really enjoying the virtual #SHEAR2021 conference, though certainly missing seeing everyone in person. But one of my favorite events are the book awards, so in advance of tonight's @SHEARites announcements, here are my Top #10 Early Republic Books from 2020.
First, because I'm a cheater, I want to list three "Honorable Mentions"--books that I loved, but probably fall just outside SHEAR's scope, which I interpret as *after* the Revolution and *before* the Civil War.
Honorable Mention #1: @SerenaZabin's THE BOSTON MASSACRE: A FAMILY HISTORY, a gripping social history that brought new perspectives on the local conflict that ignited a global war. indiebound.org/book/978054491…
Read 16 tweets
Jun 6, 2021
Spent my sabbath morning returning to @benjamingwright’s powerful, and quite relevant, BONDS OF SALVATION: HOW CHRISTIANITY INSPIRED AND LIMITED AMERICAN ABOLITIONISM, to resurrect my #ReviewThread series.

Note: capitalized words are categories. /1
SUMMARY: from the beginning, most American Christians could be categorized in two camps: conversionists, or those who believed spreading salvation was too priority, and purificationists, or those who believed abolition would purify the nation. /2
During the revolutionary era, there was genuine hope that slavery could be abolished, and Wright highlights these early purificationist voices. However, most came to see missionary work and national salvation as the more pressing need, so they distanced from abolition. /3
Read 14 tweets

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