In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Photo by Flip Schulke/Corbis
I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah with three black people in my high school. At the time, I was proud to be friendly with them, though arguably almost everyone at the school was. When one mentioned that he hated how we all patted his head to feel hair, I was sick when I realized my unintended racism.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was not a very revered person in my hometown. If I ever heard about him, it was about how he went about civil rights in the “wrong” way or about his extra-marital activities. I got the sense that race relations weren’t really that bad after the civil war, civil rights laws were not really necessary or just a matter of time, similar to the revelation on the priesthood ban.
My college years in Arizona saw the battle for the state to recognize the paid holiday, with much of the controversy stemming around the Mormon beliefs of key politicians involved in the debate. I had grown up some more exploring new ideas of race and gender and was embarrassed by the LDS notoriety.
It wasn’t until I moved to the South that I realized what a big deal this era was for real people and the powerful role King played. His childhood home and Ebenezer Baptist Church are on my must-see lists for visitors to the city.
Photo by Michael Ochs/Getty
And on a personal level, it was here that I made black friends. Ironically, they first and foremost came from my ward. I had the chance to serve, love and teach; and maybe more importantly BE served, loved and taught by my black brothers and sisters. It was here I learned that not everyone of color is an African American. I watched people live up to and defy stereotypes, and I did some of both myself.
I’m disappointed then, when my experiences with the institutional church mirror those of my early life more than my life in the South. Why is it that when I do a search on “Martin Luther King” at LDS.org or the LDS Newsroom, I can only find one entry (a very interesting story about the LDS stake in Washington DC responding to the riots there in 1964) yet I can find all kinds of references on the web about former LDS leaders with negative things to say about King or the civil rights movement?
And even more importantly, why is it that nearly 33 years after the priesthood becomes available to EVERY worthy male, there is only one black one (out of 97 total) serving as a current General Authority?
The problem with pointing the racism finger at the church is that I’m left with four fingers pointing back at myself. I’m sure my social and professional rolodex could be challenged, that I’ve said things before I would regret being publicly quoted now, that my MLK. Day plans are nothing to write home of, etc. Clearly there is still work to be done all around.
So how do your experiences in the church and outside of it match up when it comes to race? What’s your dream for where we go from here?
Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
These photos and more, see Rare Photos of Martin Luther King, Jr. at Home, Time
My childhood mirrored yours. I grew up in a Mormon home in Idaho Falls and there were only three black kids in my entire district. Still, my father banned his children from having anything to do with N-#$^%& (the N word). My father was such a racist, he even taught his white dog to hate black dogs. Blacks were not allowed in our house. One day, my friend came over and she was accompanied by one of the black girls from the school. I didn’t know how to tell them they weren’t welcome, so I invited them in.
Well, my dad came home. He wasn’t rude enough to kick the black girl out, but he made it known that I was to get rid of them immediately. I was so ashamed and embarrassed! Even at twelve years old, I knew his actions were wrong. I decided then and there that my children would not grow up in the same atmosphere of hate that I grew up in. I’m proud to say I’ve succeeded. Good thing, too. I’m currently co-writing the memoirs of a black Chicago blues musician. My dad is surely turning over in his grave!
I went on a business trip to Atlanta about 10 years ago. It was a beautiful fun city with vibrant people. I went sightseeing and ended up at Martin Luther King Jr’s home church – Ebenezer Church. I listened to the man who presented there. I had such powerful and overwhelming spiritual feelings there listening to that person. He had been friends and marched with Martin Luther King Jr – a first hand account of the events, in the mouth of witnesses shall every word be established. I was reminded of the scripture about . . . their blood shall cry to me from the ground. This was not long ago that people had to fight for more fair treatment by the law. Many, many thousands of people have died in America because of the color of their skin. They were enslaved, set “free”, but never given a fair chance in this country. The opportunity given to some in this country has been more than the opportunity given to others. We all wept in that church listening to the story of that struggle. I felt then – God has His hand on us all, God is watching, and He will be the Great Equalizer – He does not forget.
I continued down the street to the museum and to the houses where Martin Luther King Jr. live with his family. I watched films of all the brave things this man and the people he inspired had to do to bring attention to their plight. Story after story of people using his techniques to quietly and not so quietly stand up for themselves, their families, and friends. I read the walls and walls of good things this man did. I looked at all the people who were reading too and crying. We all seemed to be crying.
I learned lesson after lesson about standing up for what is good and right in that building. It profoundly affected me and how I will treat all people for the rest of my life. I learned a lot about group think – a term I learned while studying for an MBA. Just because those in power and in the majority think it is right – doesn’t make it so. The majority moves about and often tramples on the minority. We all lose innovation, creativity and diversity when we don’t value those who are different than ourselves. This experience has rivaled and actually influenced my life work more than any I ever had in the Mormon church – I have felt driven since that day to value individuality and civil rights in America. I also became an organizer and political activist. I feel strongly that the Martin Luther King Jr. movement was created and supported by our Creator. I feel Him and His Hands in the work I do organizing campaigns and supporting different causes.
We can do better. We are Christian and follow the man who walked through Samaria – and let the hated become apostles or the hated wash His feet. We must do better. We cannot stand by and watch others hurt people because of color, sexuality, or any other silly reason. No more blood on the ground.
My life growing up in Utah, did not mirror yours, in terms of attitude, though in almost every other aspect. My parents, both highly educated, and working with at-risk communities brought with them into our home growing up and very different attitude about race. so I can’t make the same connections you make here, even as a young person growing up neither the church, nor the community taught me my attitudes towards race, but rather my parents. I guess I was lucky that way….
Just a comment… I just tried to call SLC for a computer issue in our stake… They are currently close for the Martin Luther King Holiday… maybe that’s a sign ;) I’m certainly working today..
as a note, all my church email contains a few quotes from people who have impacted my life…. here is what goes out in every email I send (I’m currently a stake clerk)
“Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.” – Joseph Smith Jr. in a letter to Nancy Rigdon Dated 11 Apr 1842
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King Jr., assassinated on April 4, 1968.
“Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought. Let us have faith that right makes might and in that faith let us; to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.” –Abraham Lincoln, assassinated on April 14, 1865.
When teaching Freshmen English at Salt Lake Community College, I was amazed at how few of my students were familiar with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s major addresses, “I Have a Dream,” or “Letter from the Birmingham Jail.” Apparently King’s work is being ignored in most Utah schools.
Thanks for your stories.
I didn’t experience any overt racism like Vickie, but MLK was definitely not getting any props from anyone I knew. I wonder if it was a holdover from some of the general conference talks that trashed the civil rights movement.
When I think about it, I actually believe MLK and Joseph Smith had a lot of similarities – a keen spirituality and charisma to lead a group of people among them.
Vickie – can’t wait to read that book, sounds like such a fun project! Did your father’s racism taint your relationship or were you able to work around it?
Angie – as I revisited some of MLK’s words this weekend I was struck by the same sentiment – no more blood on the ground. My first visit to the center and his home were profoundly moving.
Zionssuburb – love all those quotes, think the similarities between the lives of JS and MLK are intriguing, including the relatively young age each was when murdered.
Course correction – I must say I hadn’t read either before leaving high school. King’s work is ignored, one of the reasons I completely underestimated it until moving to the south!
I love the quote you started this post with. Very sobering.
As a kid there honestly wasn’t too much of ‘outside of the church’– I was raised in Utah. It wasn’t until a summer reading assignment for an AP history class did I learn about Martin Luther King. I read a book of his speeches, I think, and the other book was about Jim Crow laws. It impacted me a lot. Probably more than I even realize.
So, thanks to your article I decided to do better by my children than my parents did on educating me about race relations and civil rights heroes. I read the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech at dinner last night. My oldest child is six and after a primer on slavery, on skin color, on prejudice, segregation and the reading of the speech she was probably a bit overwhelmed. My daughter looked up at my husband and I and said, ” I don’t want to have a servant, I can do my homework all by myself.” Well…… we have a long way to go, but I have hope that I can do better by my children and make a difference.
This is also a good time to re-watch Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons. If you haven’t heard of it, this is a documentary completed in 2009. Every Mormon should see it!
http://www.untoldstoryofblackmormons.com/
Aren’t we having a conversation of exactly this sort about the Hispanic population here in Utah right now? The fight for civil rights didn’t begin or end with Dr. King, it’s going on right now in our legislature, and our homes. When the rubber hits the road, middle-class white Mormons don’t want their kids to go to school with Hispanics. My family came to Utah from Brazil, escaping the military dictatorship of the 60’s, and we look pretty white. Even so, I had ask my mom what it meant when the kids at school called me “Spic”. Just because you didn’t know any black kids in school, doesn’t mean you can ignore the brown ones next door.
@Colin, I agree that yes, this conversation is still going on all over the place–in terms of other racial groups and in terms of gays/lesbians, etc. I don’t live in Utah, but I’ve been following the immigration stuff going on over there. Ugh.
I participated in a podcast last week re: the immigration issues in Utah. Check it out if you’re so inclined:
http://mormonmatters.org/2011/03/05/21-sex-and-immigration/
Hi Heather, I had a chance to listen to the podcast and I loved it. I thought a lot of the points were well put, especially regarding the humanitarian nature of this issue.
Apart from the charged politics, I’m concerned about living in a “Papers, please” East German-style society. Is that the kind of place we want to live? How well did that really work for East Germany?
The whole idea of routinely checking someone’s legal status based on their brown-ness seems really un-American. Or rather, very American, but in a bad way.
One last point: When the unemployment rate is back to normal, will anyone care who is harvesting our vegetables or cleaning our hotel rooms?
Glad you liked it, Colin.
Re: your last question. I actually don’t think anyone cares about that now. We’re all too happy to have everything cost less due to undocumented immigrant labor. Whenever people start belly aching about the “illegals,” I wonder if they would’ve liked paying $50K more for their beautiful new home or paying double for their yard work or to have their homes cleaned off the books. But no one seems to think about that. They’re too worried about whining about how “the illegals” are sending their kids to our schools and living off the government dole. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Okay, so yeah, I’m pretty opinionated. ;)