The following public comments come from previously published materials.
- Gladys Knight
“I listened, I learned, and to my amazement I was filled with great joy. The Spirit testified to me again and again that [the missionaries’] testimonies of Jesus Christ were true. I knew that the doctrines they taught were of God. … As I learned, lifelong questions were finally answered, and I clearly saw my life in the perspective of God's eternal plan. There was no doubt in my mind: I wanted to be baptized. … Since I joined the Church, I desire to be more and more obedient to God. As I do so, many people say to me, ‘I see a light in you more than ever before. What is it?’ … During one performance at Disney world … [a member of the audience asked,] 'Could you please tell us ... how you got that light?' The question was direct. So I gave a direct answer: ‘I have become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.’ To the surprise of some of my friends watching the show, the audience suddenly burst into applause.” (Why I Believe, Bookcraft, 2002)
- Thurl Bailey
"I'd done some research when I was in college and had to write a paper on the LDS people, but I really didn't have much knowledge of their religion. I'd heard some things, of course, especially about how blacks at that time were not eligible to be ordained to the priesthood, but until you meet people and understand how they live, you don't see it clearly. I decided to study and search for myself, because I've had judgment passed on me before, and I hate to do that to anyone, any group of people. … I had an opportunity to really delve into and learn in-depth what the Church was all about. ... So, here I am. It hasn't been an easy process, but I've learned a lot about patience and forgiveness. A lot of people I've encountered insist on telling me this is a racist Church, but I say, 'Hey, there's racism everywhere in the world. You can't spend your time blaming imperfect people.' I searched for my answers with an open heart, without blame, and I got them. Anyone can do the same." (Why I Believe, Bookcraft, 2002)
- Catherine Stokes
“When I joined the Church, most of my friends and acquaintances thought I had taken leave of my senses. Some early comments were, ‘I thought you were smart until you joined the Mormon Church.’ ‘Are you the only black member they have?’ ‘If you're going to give that much money to a church, why would you give it to a white church?’ Are there diverse opinions about race among members of the Church? Of course there are, and they run the spectrum. At the same time, there is a no more welcoming, loving, helping place. You have to come and see for yourself.” (Why I Believe, Bookcraft, 2002)
- Delphrine Garcia Young
“I have been truly well-accepted by white Latter-day Saints. When you are around a white Latter-day Saint, it is just like going around your brothers and sisters.” (Marie Cornwall et al., ed., Contemporary Mormonism, 1994, quoted in Claudia Bushman, Contemporary Mormonism: Latter-Day Saints in Modern America, 2006)
- Eligiah Royster
“We sat through the sacrament service [when we visited an LDS Sunday meeting for the first time]. The chapel was full, so we had to sit in the [back]. ... I noticed with the children back there was a lot of noise. We were really trying very hard to listen to the speakers. There was a negative mood there. Then I noticed how all of the Saints were so friendly and kind and shaking our hands. Having been in life the way that I had, immediately I recognized that it was genuine; it wasn’t a put-on; it wasn’t something phony. That had a great bearing on my feelings and my thoughts about the Church.” (In Jessie Embry, “Ethnic Groups and the LDS Church,” Dialogue, 25:4, 1992, quoted in Claudia Bushman, Contemporary Mormonism: Latter-Day Saints in Modern America, 2006)
- Barbara Ann Pixton
“[I was] overwhelmed by the love, especially being black. We walked in [church for the first time]; we sat down in the back, after the meeting, the majority of the sisters got up, came in the back, introduced themselves to me, and shook my hand. They were very warm. I thought to myself, I want to learn more.” (In Jessie Embry, “Ethnic Groups and the LDS Church,” Dialogue, 25:4, 1992, quoted in Claudia Bushman, Contemporary Mormonism: Latter-Day Saints in Modern America, 2006)
The following comments are from African-American Mormons responding to the 1978 revelation in which the priesthood was extended to all worthy male members without regard to race or color:
- Gilmore Chappell
“Gilmore Chappell, a black American working in Holland, had been a member for six months when he heard the news. Chappell, overcome, went out to sit in his car, laughing and crying. ‘Then I went back into priesthood [meeting] and they welcomed me in with open arms.’” (In Jessie L. Embry, Black Saints in a White Church: Contemporary African American Mormons, 1994, quoted in Claudia Bushman, Contemporary Mormonism: Latter-Day Saints in Modern America, 2006)
- Mary Francis Sturlaugson
“Mary Frances Sturlaugson, who joined the Church while attending college, was living in Provo [Utah]. A former bishop told her that her people had been given the priesthood. She walked outside, ‘crying like a happy kid at Christmastime.’ Horns were honking. She stopped for a red light and a car pulled up. The driver asked if she had heard the news. As she half mumbled and half nodded a disbelieving yes, he whooped and blew his horn. At her apartment, her roommates ran to meet her, jumping up and down screaming with joy. Each said a prayer, ‘sobs punctuating every one.’ Within a month, she had submitted her paperwork for a mission.” (Mary Frances Sturlaugson, A Soul So Rebellious, 1980, quoted in Claudia Bushman, Contemporary Mormonism: Latter-Day Saints in Modern American, 2006)