facebook-pixel

‘Mormon Land’: Do Latter-day Saints need their own Anti-Defamation League?

Such a civil rights organization could defend members in court, correct media misrepresentations, and educate the public about the faith.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune)  A choir sings at General Conference in Salt Lake City's Conference Center in 2022. A magazine for Latter-day Saints maintains that church members need an independent organization dedicated to protect their civil rights.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) A choir sings at General Conference in Salt Lake City's Conference Center in 2022. A magazine for Latter-day Saints maintains that church members need an independent organization dedicated to protect their civil rights.

For 115 years, the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, has been advancing the cause of justice for Black Americans. For 111 years, the Anti-Defamation League has been doing much the same for Jewish Americans. And for 104 years, the American Civil Liberties Union has been safeguarding the constitutional rights of everyone in the United States.

So which group is protecting, advocating and advancing the rights of Latter-day Saints?

While The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints certainly looks out for its own interests and apologetic groups defend church teachings, no independent organization is dedicated to civil rights for members.

It’s time to change that, argues Public Square Magazine. In a recent staff editorial, the online publication written from a Latter-day Saint perspective, called for the establishment of a civil rights organization to advocate for the rights of members in “political, legal and cultural spaces.”

On this week’s show, Public Square Managing Editor C.D. Cunningham and Associate Editor Brianna Holmes discuss why such a group is needed, how it could operate and whom it could benefit.

Listen to the podcast:



Support free news for Utah

sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.

Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.

You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.