We wrap up our series on the 40th anniversary of the LDS Church lifting its priesthood ban on black members. We'll talk about what happened within Church hierarchy that led to the change and the role black members played.

Thursday, we’re wrapping up our series marking the 40th anniversary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lifting its priesthood and temple ban on black members. Historian Greg Prince joins us to talk about the pressure church leaders felt from outside the church as well as from within. There was a lot of maneuvering going on at church headquarters in the years before 1978. We’ll also hear reaction from Eugene Orr, a Latter-day Saint who stayed despite the racism he encountered.

Explore more coverage of Race and the Mormon Church from KUER.

Gregory Prince is an independent historian whose books include David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism [Indiebound|Amazon] and Leonard Arrington and the Writing of Mormon History [Indiebound|Amazon].

Eugene Orr joined the LDS Church in 1978 and was a founding member of Genesis, a group for African-American Mormons.