156. W. Paul Reeve on Religion of a Different Color

In this episode, we welcome Dr. W. Paul Reeve to discuss his book Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness. Though many will know some of the history of the race-based priesthood and temple ban within the LDS community (that was ended in 1978) – most do not know the history of the racializing of the Mormon community itself by the broader American public. In this episode, Dr. Reeve will take us through the history of how Mormons were considered a distinct “race”, a non-white race with degraded bodies – and a “barbaric” society that was a threat to what was considered a “civilized” American democracy. This is, in part, the context for the racial regulation from within – in order to integrate into a segregated American society, and be welcomed as full citizens. Moreover, Paul will take us through the origins of the priesthood and temple restriction upon black LDS, the debate over slavery in Utah territory between Brigham Young and Orson Pratt, and answer the question of whether President Spencer W. Kimball’s revelation in June 1978 was a radical innovation – or part of a conservative “[return of] Mormonism to its universalistic roots” of broad racial acceptance.Book: Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for WhitenessAlso check out these two amazing websites:- Century of Black Mormons- This Abominable SlaveryOther books by Dr. Reeve:- This Abominable Slavery: Race, Religion, and the Battle over Human Bondage in Antebellum Utah- Making Space on the Western Frontier: Mormons, Miners, and Southern Paiutes- Between Pulpit and Pew: The Supernatural World in Mormon History and FolkloreOther resources:- Noah’s Curse: The Biblical Justification of American Slavery; The Last Segregated Hour: The Memphis Kneel-Ins and the Campaign for Southern Church Desegregation by Stephen Haynes- The Curse of Ham by David M. Goldenberg- “Miscegenation”: Making Race in America by Elise Lemire- Conflict in the Quorum by Gary Bergera- “Mormonism’s Negro Doctrine: An Historical Overview” by Lester Bush- Gospel Topics Essay: “Race and the Priesthood”- Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality; The Mormon Church and Blacks: A Documentary History by Matthew Harris- E.g. “Celestial Marriage” by LDS apostle George Q. Cannon