You can hear Alex Boyé’s Mormon conversion story in the video below. Find an extended interview with Alex Boyé on the Mormon Channel’s “Why I Believe” series.

You might also enjoy this video we stumbled on of Alex Boyé leading an impromptu song on an airplane with members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The post Alex Boye Conversion Story appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

No, he’s not running for president in the United States. Yeah Samake is running for president in the country of Mali.

Brother Samake and his family are the only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this country, which is about 90% Muslim. He says that his faith is not something that is a divider in his country. What people are talking about is his service and desire to stamp out corruption in the government.

Hear more about him and his passion for education, service, honesty, integrity and faith in this video.

You can find out more about Yeah Samake and his life, professional and political background, and faith in the following articles/podcasts:

BYU Alumnus to Run for President in Mali at Deseret News

Yeah Samake Runs for President in Mali at LDS Mag

The Other Mormon President at Slate

Radio Interview: Latter-day Saint Mayor runs for President in Mali

Mormon from Mali interview at PRI

Note: This story is meant for informational purposes only (it is not meant to be a political post). 

The post Black Mormon Running for President appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

There’s currently lot of media activity around The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and racism after a controversial article hit the press this week. We wanted to first share some snippets from official Church statements about Mormonism and racism:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone. The Book of Mormon states, “black and white, bond and free, male and female; … all are alike unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33). This is the Church’s official teaching.

People of all races have always been welcomed and baptized into the Church since its beginning. In fact, by the end of his life in 1844 Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, opposed slavery. During this time some black males were ordained to the priesthood. At some point the Church stopped ordaining male members of African descent, although there were a few exceptions. It is not known precisely why, how or when this restriction began in the Church, but it has ended. [It ended in 1978.]

…

The Church’s position is clear—we believe all people are God’s children and are equal in His eyes and in the Church. We do not tolerate racism in any form….

Some have attempted to explain the reason for this restriction but these attempts should be viewed as speculation and opinion, not doctrine. The Church is not bound by speculation or opinions given with limited understanding.

(See here and here at the Church’s Newsroom site for the full text of these statements.)

We understand that some may have questions about Mormon history and this priesthood ban. But as the statement says, we don’t fully understand it. So, rather than try to participate in speculations about the whys on the priesthood ban for blacks from Mormon history, we wanted to share links to personal thoughts, experiences, and testimonies of black members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hearing their stories may help answer the question that some people may have: Why would someone who is black choose to be Mormon? We’ll let our black brothers and sisters answer that (and other questions you may have about Mormon life and beliefs) for you.

And we hope that if you have questions about this issue, that you will take your questions to the Source of answers — God, our Heavenly Father. It is through prayer and receiving answers to prayer that these people have chosen to follow this faith. Going to God with questions and relying on Him for guidance is central to Mormonism, and something we encourage anyone to do in their life, regardless of what the questions may be.

Meet Mormons of Black or African-American descent at Mormon.org

More content about and from black Mormons will be featured in posts for the rest of this week. 

The post Black Mormons and their Faith appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Elizabeth is an black Mormon who’s lived a full, loving life. She is currently a single mother to five children she’s adopted, in addition to being a mother to her grown biological children. Her roles also includes being a grandmother and a great-grandmother, and a foster mother. She says: “I have always loved the idea of being a mother. My first passion was to be a mother, especially to little babies. I love spending time with my children and taking them places. I feel like I’m staying younger by living my life through my children. When I need time away, I love going to garage sales and finding things to recycle and make new again. I love to fix up things and make them beautiful, and I love finding things at good prices.”

Meet Sheryl, a black Mormon woman who says this about herself: “I’m an urban school teacher. Building strong friendships is important to me. I love my family. I’m a Mormon.” Sheryl joined the Mormon Church at the age of 10 when missionaries came to her home. She served a mission in South Africa.

You can meet other Black / African American Mormons at Mormon.org. Meet others of various ethnicities, or by prior religious affiliation, or by no variable at all. But you can probably find someone who is a lot like you, as well as finding a diversity of people who will be different from you in some ways. What connects us all is our faith in the Savior and in God’s plan of happiness.

The post Testimonies and lives of Black Mormons appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.