Blacks and the Priesthood

By Robert Rosskopf

In 1978, I was serving a mission for the LDS church in Peru. My mission calling was signed by Spencer W. Kimball. On Brigham Young's birthday, in 1978, Spencer W. Kimball received a revelation that instructed the church to give the priesthood to all worthy men, which at the time meant to give it to blacks of African descent. The message was sent by telegraph to Peru, and the news spread like a wildfire through the missionaries. When I first heard the rumor, the Spirit of the Holy Ghost bore a strong witness to me that it was true. The President of our Mission, President Sousa, cautioned us that it could be just a prank, and to wait for official confirmation, but commented to me that the spirit had also born witness to him that it was true.

Not long after the revelation on the priesthood came out, we were talking to a member of the church, a young single man, who told us this story. He fell in love, and wanted to marry this young lady in the temple, but because of her mixed blood, they could not be married in the temple. So he prayed about it, and received a revelation from God that it would be okay, that the priesthood would shortly be given to blacks. He showed us the entry in his journal where he recorded the revelation.

Billy Johnson was a black member of the church who lived in Ghana, and he too prayed and received a vision. In his vision he saw Brigham Young, who told him “Buck up, Billy. Help is coming.” Billy later named his first son Brigham Young Johnson. (As witnessed by Marcy May Brown, while filming in Ghana, and reported in the Salt Lake Tribune June 10th, 2018)

It was Brigham Young who put this burden on the backs of black members in the first place. Joseph Smith defended blacks, and ordained them to the priesthood. But in 1845, the church was under heavy criticism for promoting racial equality, and by extension, interracial marriage. Interracial marriage was illegal at the time, and there were strong public biases against interracial marriage, both within the church and without. So Brigham Young announced the priesthood ban, using the story of Cain, which was taught in the Southern states, as the reason. And he denounced interracial marriage. We can only speculate as to the reasons that Brigham Young might have had, but it is clear that the US was not ready to embrace the equality of blacks.