Smith, who implemented practices that were racially inclusive, was killed by a mob who opposed the Mormom church and its teachings, including polygamy and racial inclusion, in Illinois in 1844. After Smith's death, the church was turned over to Brigham Young. Where Smith had created space for Black humanity and advancement, Young held a differing view of Black people and viewed race relations through a lens of white superiority.

One of Young’s most infamous statements reads, “Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.”

Skin color and its relationship to righteousness is a central theme in the Book of Mormon, too. Of the two main groups of people who are often in conflict in it, the Nephites are fair skinned and the Lamanites are dark skinned. While each group has periods of time when they are faithful to the gospel they have been taught, more often than not, the white-skinned Nephites are considered the righteous or “good” people, and the brown-skinned Lamanites are considered the fallen or “bad” people. There are several scriptures in the Book of Mormon that highlight this difference of skin tone and relate it to obedience, righteousness, and blessings, including Alma 3:6, which reads: “And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren...”

When Young began his tenure as leader, members were grief stricken over the death of their former prophet, and had faced years of persecution from non-Mormons in the communities where they lived. Much of the marginalization they faced was persecution due to their relationship with people of color. In 1852, Young renounced the previous position of the Mormon church when he publicly announced that Black people were to be banned from priesthood ordination and stripped of access to the temple. Faithful Black members of the time, like Aunt Jane and Elijah Abel, were cast as second-class citizens in the church. According to Young, their eternal salvation and advancement in the hierarchy of the church and in the eternities was cut off.

For another century, Black Mormons were unable to enjoy full fellowship and the blessings of the priesthood. Young was concerned with bringing Mormonism into mainstream Christianity, and he sacrificed Black members to do it. (Teen Vogue reached out to the public affairs office of The Church of Latter-day Saints, who did not provide comment.)

After his death in 1877, as society has progressed over the years, Mormons and non-Mormons have at times questioned the reason for the ban, looking for answers to why it had been kept in place long after emancipation, Jim Crow, and the civil rights movement. In 1978, after pressure from the government and other sociocultural factors, the policy was reversed, the ban was lifted, and restoration of priesthood and temple blessings was granted to Mormons of African descent. Even today, folklore remains among many Mormons to explain the ban, from Blacks being cursed with the blood of Cain being less valiant in the premortal life. These false and damaging ideas are all manifestations passed from father to son through Young's priesthood.

While the anniversary event in Salt Lake certainly showcased pageantry, it did not heal the wounds of oppression, nor will it exterminate white rage from the Mormon psyche. Applause should be held until the church takes measurable and sustainable steps to atone by acknowledging its racist history, apologizing for the pain and inferior positioning to which it has subjected Black people, and dismantling current structural and cultural racism in the institution. People of color are the backbone of the church, and yet the face and power is still overwhelmingly white American men. Yes, temple and priesthood blessings have been restored for Black members; however, until Zion — being one in spirit and purpose — is achieved, Black Mormons will continue to recite the question of Aunt Jane when she petitioned for her temple blessing and her rightful place as an equal member in the eyes of the church: “Is there no blessing for me?”

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