Today we are joined by Dr. Darron Smith, Summur-Rayn Barrett, and Nate Byrd of Black Menaces to react to the first three episodes with Matt Harris. Their commentary unpacks Joseph Smith's complex racial attitudes, Brigham Young's implementation of the priesthood ban, and the painful legacy of racist doctrines. Their candid discussion highlights the urgent need for accountability within the Mormon church and grapples with the lasting impact of this racial discrimination.
We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our donation goal to compensate Dr. Matt Harris for his contributions to this series. We sincerely thank everyone who supported this effort. While the goal to pay Matt has been met, producing this series incurred significant costs for the Open Stories Foundation. If you find value in this content and want to help cover these expenses and support future productions, we encourage you to donate at https://www.mormonstories.org/donate/ Your generosity makes a difference—thank you!
Purchase Matt Harris’ book “Second Class Saints”
https://www.amazon.com/Second-Class-Saints-Mormons-Struggle-Equality/dp/019769571X/
Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/black-mormons-respond/
00:00:00 Introductions
00:11:42 How they feel about this book being created
00:19:45 Summary of the priesthood and temple ban
00:22:50 Jane Manning James
00:28:00 Joseph Smith was not an abolitionist
00:39:33 Why Brigham Young started the ban
00:47:55 Interracial marriage
00:47:31 Summarizing the “one-drop” rule
01:12:09 John Taylor said that Satan needed representation
01:21:37 What would it mean for Mormon leaders to be anti-racist?
01:30:20 Modern leaders were confused about where the ban started
01:31:10 Way to Perfection
01:42:08 Blackface in Mormon road-shows
01:45:35 Reacting to the Mormons in blackface
01:56:01 Summarizing the Lowry Nelson letters
02:04:25 Bruce R. McConkie
02:06:45 Clip of Matt Harris talking about Bruce R. McConkie
02:15:14 Final remarks
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