Mauli Bonner and Paul Reeve: Understanding the History of Blacks in the Church

In 1830, the same year the Church was organized, a former slave named Peter became the first documented Black member of the Church. Nearly 200 years later, Mauli Bonner first heard Peter’s story when he started exploring his own faith as a Black member of the Church. This journey led him to Paul Reeve, a professor at the University of Utah who has studied Blacks in Church history extensively. On today’s episode, Mauli and Paul explain not only the importance of the stories of early Black Latter-day Saints, but also how their stories can strengthen our faith and our testimonies of the restored gospel.

“The beauty of it all is that we are here now and have an opportunity to learn and do something good. That’s what we have control over. We can’t change what was, we were not there. But we are here now.“ —Mauli Bonner

Show Notes

3:24- Blacks in the Early Days of the Church

8:50- Legislation with Theological Implications

12:00- Learning the History as a Black Latter-day Saint

15:22- Green Flake and Brigham Young

25:28- Strengthening Testimony Rather Than Weakening

31:44- Historical Accuracy

37:12- What Needed to Change?

44:22- Why Monuments Matter

51:22- What Does It Mean To Be All In the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

This episode originally aired on May 19, 2021.

View full show notes and transcript at ldsliving.com/allin.

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