A bevy of black Mormon choirs and others will join their voices June 1 at the Conference Center in an epic commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the end to the LDS Church’s long-standing ban on black men and boys being ordained to its all-male priesthood and on females entering its temples.
“I am looking forward to this great celebration of freedom from an erroneous teaching and policy,” said Alice Faulkner Burch, president of the all-female LDS Relief Society at Genesis, a support group for black Mormons.
It is a significant move for the LDS black community to gather with other members of the Utah community, Burch said, to recognize “the strength, courage and faith of our black LDS ancestors and the resilience and faith of the successive black community.