I have not seen the movie but will probably order it and share it with my family, in particular because one of my children and their spouse has stepped away from the church, the spouse has lots of struggles with lots of things, personal, family and church. Church wise this individual struggles with church history one of those being about blacks. My second comment, I came home from my mission in the spring of 1978 and went to work for a bricklayer/contractor, one of the brick layers was a man named Howard Kennedy who was black. On the day the church made public the announcement one of the guys came around to the side of the house where I and a couple others were working and excitedly said the church had just made the announcement that blacks could receive the priesthood at which point one of the other brick layers said "well that will make Howard's mom happy", I said " why is that" and he replied that Howard's mom was a member of the church. Many years later I went to visit an old neighbor who was in the hospital, as I entered the room there was his wife and an elderly black woman who was introduced to me as a Mrs. Kennedy, I said "nice to meet you" and then said I had worked with a Howard Kennedy some years before and did she know him. She said Howard was her son. I came to learn she was one of the first, maybe the first, don't remember all the details, but one of the first blacks to join the church in the Ogden/Northern Utah area. She has since passed away I believe but certainly her story/conversion should be part of the black history in the church.
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Corey D.June 20, 2021
I have not seen the movie but will probably order it and share it with my family, in particular because one of my children and their spouse has stepped away from the church, the spouse has lots of struggles with lots of things, personal, family and church. Church wise this individual struggles with church history one of those being about blacks. My second comment, I came home from my mission in the spring of 1978 and went to work for a bricklayer/contractor, one of the brick layers was a man named Howard Kennedy who was black. On the day the church made public the announcement one of the guys came around to the side of the house where I and a couple others were working and excitedly said the church had just made the announcement that blacks could receive the priesthood at which point one of the other brick layers said "well that will make Howard's mom happy", I said " why is that" and he replied that Howard's mom was a member of the church. Many years later I went to visit an old neighbor who was in the hospital, as I entered the room there was his wife and an elderly black woman who was introduced to me as a Mrs. Kennedy, I said "nice to meet you" and then said I had worked with a Howard Kennedy some years before and did she know him. She said Howard was her son. I came to learn she was one of the first, maybe the first, don't remember all the details, but one of the first blacks to join the church in the Ogden/Northern Utah area. She has since passed away I believe but certainly her story/conversion should be part of the black history in the church.
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