Op-ed: The vestiges of LDS Church racism still must be addressed

Three days before the white-supremacist-fueled massacre in South Carolina (where I grew up), I sat in a Southern Relief Society room in which racist comments were being made. Particularly, that there was "a good reason" behind prophetic counsel against interracial dating/marriages, which remains in current manuals as instructions to youth and couples.

The one black woman in the room answered that the explanation for racist teachings like miscegenation was "ignorance," and although the teacher attempted to correct her, I respectfully raised my hand to agree with such word choice: I said prophets/leaders are only human, are influenced by their cultural backgrounds/privileges, and have made mistakes in the past (like the priesthood and temple ban against black members until 1978). I said we as church members must not rationalize what we feel is morally wrong but instead think for ourselves and act accordingly: doing so is our moral responsibility.

My feedback didn't go over well in the mostly-conservative room, especially since the lesson was on following prophets/leaders no matter what because they are always right.

My years living in South Carolina and Utah were more similar than we Mormons would like to admit. Systemic racism, and the privilege it granted me as a white woman, laced my interactions in both states. The process of recognizing that racism opened my eyes to the need for social justice and equality. Counsel against "race-mixing" in current LDS instruction, failure to apologize for the racist priesthood/temple ban, the Church-owned Deseret News' shocking editorial in response to deaths in Charleston (co-opting this incident of white supremacist terrorism to push an unrelated religious freedom agenda), Darrien Hunt's senseless death, and the Orem Owlz' recent "Caucasian Heritage Night" scandal are just symptoms of the greater, systemic problem we refuse to face in the state of Utah, the nation and Mormonism.

We learned from the church's own essay that the cultural climate of pervasive racism in the United States influenced the priesthood/temple ban's origins, as well as the teachings, declarations of doctrine, and policy decisions surrounding it, beginning with Brigham Young and continuing through later prophets and apostles until Spencer W. Kimball lifted the ban after years of prayer and self-reflection. Yes, Brigham said that one day the ban would be lifted, but the essay failed to include the full quote: Brigham stipulated that would only happen after the earth's destruction and after every righteous white male that had ever lived had received the priesthood first. The shortened (and misleading) quote instills confidence in prophetic declaration, but the fact is Brother Brigham was mistaken.

No question, my own experience as a white LDS woman is nothing like that of my black brothers and sisters, and the inequities that white LDS women face don't hold a candle, nor can ever be compared in any terms, to those inequalities and injustices faced by black U.S. citizens and church members. I've never had to worry about lynchings, bombings, being attacked by police dogs, my children shot in the street, or being beaten within an inch of my life for sitting at a counter. And in church, I never had the temple barred from me or was made to feel like an unwelcome outsider simply because of my skin color.

But studying LDS history and scripture led me to see what seems like one possible parallel in the church's revelatory change process. That is the only parallel I have a question about: Is it possible that perhaps just as the priesthood/temple ban for black members was influenced by cultural racism of the time, the current female priesthood ban could likewise be influenced by cultural sexism of the time, both in Brigham's day and now?

As an a scholar and activist deeply concerned about equality for all and the need to think for ourselves, I've asked my leaders and others that key question over the past two years. So far, no one can answer it. Nonetheless, we have a moral obligation to speak up when we feel something isn't right, and I hope everyone who agrees will share the race and priesthood essay locally and voice their concerns with the vestiges of racism, respectfully but firmly.

Kristy Money is a psychologist and member of the Ordain Women board.