by Keith L. Brown | Jun 14, 2013 | About Mormons
Edward Dube was born on 12 May 1962 in Chirumanzu, Zimbabwe to Clement Dube and his wife, Rosemary.
He has been a General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 9inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church by the media and others) since April 2013. He is the first Zimbabwean and the second Black African to serve as a General Authority.
The Influential Power of the Book of Mormon
Elder Dube was a young man working as a servant in the home of Leaster Heath when he was given a copy of the Book of Mormon. Two years passed before he gained an interest in reading the Book of Mormon, but once he did, it made a tremendous impact on his life.
I remember sitting in a railway station and reading the book. I read it for a very long time that day. To me, what was touching was the Prophet Joseph Smith’s testimony, when he related his experience with Moroni’s visitation to him. I would be reading in the middle of the book and go back to the introduction and just read that part. [1] (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | Mar 19, 2013 | Black Mormon
Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month, is an annual observance in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February, and the United Kingdom in October. (Source: Wikipedia, Black History Month.)
The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week”. This week was chosen because it marked the birthday of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Woodson created the holiday with the hope that it would eventually be eliminated when Black history became fundamental to American history. (Source: Wikipedia, Black History Month.)
In 1976, the federal government acknowledged the expansion of Black History Week to Black History Month by the leaders of the Black United Students at Kent State University in February of 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month occurred at Kent State in February of 1970. Six years later during the bicentennial, the expansion of Negro History Week to Black History Month was recognized by the U.S. government. (Source: Wikipedia, Black History Month.)
On 24 and 25 February 2013, more than 800 people participated in a two-day Black History Month celebration of the Miami Lakes Florida Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with such guests as Mormon recording artist Alex Boyé and author Marvin Perkins. Boyé, who is a member of the world renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir, emphasized Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and his performances included “Our Savior’s Love.” Perkins, guest speaker and co-author of “Blacks in the Scriptures,” gave a presentation of “Blacks in the Bible.” (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | Feb 5, 2013 | Black Mormon
According to The Birmingham News, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (more commonly referred to as the Mormon Church) has named Peter M. Johnson, who served a mission to Birmingham, Alabama from 1987 to 1989, as the Bessemer, Alabama Stake President, the first Black regional leader for Mormons in Alabama. Johnson and his family were living in Utah and have just recently moved back to Alabama.
A stake is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ comprised of multiple congregations – the smaller congregations are called branches and the larger ones are called wards. It may be compared to a Roman Catholic Church diocese. The name “stake” is derived from the metaphor employed by Isaiah, comparing Zion to a tent fastened securely by stakes:
Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken (Isaiah 33:20.) (more…)
by Keith L. Brown | Sep 12, 2012 | Black Mormon
There are many people who know very little, if anything, about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as the Mormon Church), and quite a bit of what they do know about the LDS Church and its teachings and beliefs has come from critics of the Mormon religion. One of the main issues that critics of The Church of Jesus Christ tend to focus on is the relationship that exists between Blacks and Mormons, and whether or not the LDS Church is racist.
The fact that Latter-day Saints of African American descent were not permitted to be ordained to the Priesthood for a long period of time has triggered, and continues to trigger, uncertainty in the minds of some people, in particular, those of the Black race, who view this action as a sign of prejudice or racism on the part of the LDS Church. This one fact becomes even more complex for some to understand and accept as there has never been an official statement released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as to why those of African American descent were not permitted to be ordained to the Priesthood, which in turn also restricted them from participating in the sacred ordinances of the Holy Temple. (more…)
Elder Dube was a young man working as a servant in the home of Leaster Heath when he was given a copy of the Book of Mormon. Two years passed before he gained an interest in reading the Book of Mormon, but once he did, it made a tremendous impact on his life.