Forum set on faith, race

SANDY — Two black members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will speak at a public forum on Friday to answer questions about the church's 1978 revelation allowing people of all races to hold the faith's priesthood.

Darius Gray, former president of the local Genesis organization for black Latter-day Saints, and Marvin Perkins , who is active in LDS affairs in Southern California, will present the four-part discussion at Salt Lake Community College's Miller Campus auditorium, 9750 S. 300 West. The meeting begins at 11 a.m. The forum is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Attendees must register by e-mail to perkinsmc@sbcglobal.net.

Gray has done similar presentations for years all across the United States, he said, and has lost track of the number. While he still gets frequent requests from both LDS and non-LDS groups, his health now limits the number of forums he can present. Friday's sessions will be videotaped for use in the future, he said.

The forum has no sponsors other than the presenters, he said. "It's to say Christianity is for all of humanity and is no respecter of ethnicity. It provides some of the key words or code words so black people can identify themselves there."

One part of the presentation includes a "reverse genealogy" that traces descendants of Ham in the Bible. "Many of them are quite prominent. Unless you thought about it, you wouldn't know they were people of color."

Another feature is the chronological history of LDS priesthood restrictions prior to 1978. "There are so many people out there with questions that this fills in the blanks," Gray said. "We don't try to draw conclusions for people. We let them draw their own. We're just a couple of black guys trying to get the message out that we are God's children, all of us."