Racial Challenges tothe Church

The United States underwent severe racial disruption during the 1960s, and the Church was pointedly singled out for charges of discrimination against blacks. This caused many tense moments, tremendous debate, and unrest among the membership, particularly in the Church leadership ranks.

The most memorable events to typify this stressful period were the racial riots at Los Angeles in 1965. On August 14 there were massive black riots in South Los Angeles: four hundred or more fires were started, scores of stores were looted, and numerous whites were attacked.

Elder Lee had been scheduled to hold a conference in Los Angeles that weekend, but after the explosive situation was explained he conferred with President Hugh B. Brown of the First Presidency and they decided to adjourn the conference after only the leadership meeting had been conducted. The days that followed showed the wisdom of that decision as rioting continued and the situation remained tense. The National Guard was in "ready combat" at every block within a forty-two-mile radius.

Before that, on Sunday, March 7, a group of three hundred protesters marched to the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City, demanding that the Church speak out in favor of civil rights for blacks. The march was repeated also the next day.

There were rumors of blacks invading Salt Lake City to take vengeance upon the Saints and the Church. In 1962 the Salt Lake Temple east doors were bombed. The vandalism was never totally ascribed to racial problems, although it appeared a possible act of racism.

The peak of the challenge on racial issues came in 1969. Late in October Elder Gordon B. Hinckley came to Elder Lee to express his concerns about current issues and struggles. Prominent among his worries were the difficulties facing Brigham Young University because of the protests blacks made against their athletic teams. Of course, the problem had its roots in the long-standing doctrine relative to restricting the priesthood from those of black descent. Now there were strong pressures being placed on the Church Board of Education to permit the recruiting of black athletes to appease those who were protesting against the university.

Three days later the Brethren assembled for their weekly meeting in the Salt Lake Temple. Elder Lee described this temple meeting as characterized by an unusually deep spiritual atmosphere. Elder Lee was called on to pronounce the opening prayer at the temple altar. He was strongly impressed to pray for a oneness such as the Master prayed for with his disciples long ago in Jerusalem. He prayed that God would safeguard the portals of the temple and, if necessary, send the protective agency of those personages translated, but not yet resurrected, who were reserved to protect the Lord's work on earth. He pleaded for direct intervention to give the leadership of the Church divine guidance in decisions that must be made within the week and would determine the course of action the Church would take to meet the racial issue. The ramifications of such an important decision could stay with them as long as they lived.

In the first week of November a spirited Church Board of Education meeting was held. The Brethren met under the backdrop of a recent meeting of the athletic directors of the Western Athletic Conference universities, which ended in a brawl when a delegation of blacks forced themselves into the meeting. At that meeting, the BYU representative had read a policy statement rebutting the charge of racial discrimination at the Church school. Now at the Church Board of Education meeting the subject of prime concern was the adoption of a policy permitting recruiting of black athletes at BYU. Obviously, only the Church Board of Education could discuss the real issue, the long-standing prohibition of black male members from holding the priesthood.

Knowing that a policy statement would be necessary from Church headquarters, Elder Lee had spent several days documenting his own thinking on this weighty subject. He then asked G. Homer Durham and Neal A. Maxwell, prominent educators, to do likewise. Placing their texts with his own he delivered the three approaches to Elder Gordon B. Hinckley and asked him to formulate out of their combined thinking the most satisfactory statement that could be read by the critics of the Church, as well as the Church members, to make the Church's position clear.

The background to that position, which President McKay had always reaffirmed, was that the priesthood restriction was not merely a practice or a policy but was based upon a principle handed down by divine order; and that therefore a change could be made only by a revelation from the Lord through his prophet. After two or three drafts and revisions, the statement on the Church and the blacks was ready.

Although misleading announcements in the media caused much confusion during the Christmas holidays of 1969, the statement, which earlier had been circulated to Church leaders in missions, stakes, and wards, was released nationally. It appeared in print for the Latter-day Saints to read in the Church News, on Saturday, January 10, 1970, signed by all members of the First Presidency.

The Church tried to take some positive steps to give black baptized members an improved status in the Church as a social organization. Under date of June 10, 1971, President Lee recorded in his diary his concerns and action: "I spent considerable time in the temple meeting of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve considering what could be done with our black members locally who want to be more fully fellowshipped. More meetings will be held with these members."

A study was made by three members of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elders Howard W. Hunter, Thomas S. Monson, and Boyd K. Packer, which resulted in the organization of a social group of black members known as Genesis. In deciding how to implement this organization, which met in addition to the customary involvement in local wards, where they participated in Primary Association, Relief Society and social activities, President Lee, according to the recollection of Elder Monson, gave this counsel, after deep and solemn pondering and prayer: "I can see where we should not have Sunday School included in the program, but my feelings are, however, that we should extend to our black brethren every blessing up to the holding of the priesthood, and then the Lord will show us the next step."

The subject was not easily put to rest, however. But when it was finally handled and resolved, eight years later, it was done so as a divine principle requiring a revelation from God to his prophet on earth. President Spencer W. Kimball's historic announcementfn on June 8, 1978, declaring that all worthy male members of the Church, regardless of race, may be ordained to the priesthood brought joy and happiness to almost everyone and ended a social issue which had been a divisive and burdensome trial to many people in and outside the Church.


(L. Brent Goates, Harold B. Lee: Prophet and Seer [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1985], 381.)