During a time of personal change and unsettling experiences in my life, I came across the Book of Mormon. It converted me to Christ and safely guided my mind towards higher thoughts. One of those thoughts was that I can have my new faith and membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint and still be my Black self!

Having faith in the church’s teaching was not easy for me at the young age of 15 when outside pressures were teaching me that I had become estranged from reality by joining the “Mormon” church.

I had sought to distance myself from groups of supposed friends by not associating with people who supported negative behavior as synonymous with being a Black American.

I was a “sell-out” according to some and I was fine with the accusation eventually. Pride sent me down the wrong road to deal with my hurt. I did not want to be associated with a group of people that glorified violence and dishonesty towards people because of race.

I equated my microcosm of experience in my small Southern town with the reality of Black culture at the large scale–a mistake, but it happened nonetheless.

I stopped calling myself Black and would not associate with Blacks who spoke with a certain rhythm in their voice for fear that person was going to mock me and pull me away from the truth.

I changed my speech patterns to obscure my racial identity so that only upon meeting me could a person discover my race. I abandoned music and anything relating to the unique and beautiful culture of my ancestors.

I had successfully in my teens turned myself into the so-called “Oreo” and “Sell-out” less enlighten Blacks or Whites decided to call me. I became so anal about my behavior my friends who were White started to question my racial identity and thought my friendship was no advantage towards learning more about other Black people.

I did this on purpose. I distanced myself for a few years from my culture.

Several good things came out of this short period in my life of which two I share here:

• One, I had learned how to speak with a so-called television accent, which served me well.
• Two, and probably the most important is I provided God the opportunity to teach me just how precious my heritage is (and  how not to go overboard because a few people of both Black and White races unwittingly offended me).

In the Book of Mormon, specifically in the book of Alma when some of the Lamanites converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (now mind you, this is decades before Christ was born!), Mormon mentions something specifically that stood out to me about this people. Let me give you some background about this period in Lamanite history because I believe the Lord prepared these people to receive His word.

Somewhere on the American continents there is told of several civilization who exist though there is no archaeological proof. I mention two, the Lamanites and the Nephites. The Lamanites as a group felt that they had been robbed of their heritage and rights. They felt that the Nephites committed treason against them from the time that Nephi and his followers left Laman and his followers in the original heritage land call the land of Nephi by the Nephites. I have no record of what the people who eventually became known as Lamanites called the land of Nephi.

Laman and his followers always held animosity towards Nephi because he would take charge and direct a situation rather than murmur and was therefore ordained of God to lead those who would follow him. Because of his natural leadership ability, Laman felt threatened and accused Nephi of going against the natural succession of leadership to the eldest son.

Because Nephi departed from Laman and his ilk after their father Lehi passed away with the records and other sacred items associate with the birthright of Lehi–with the Lord’s warning and blessing by the way–Laman, his associates, and their descendants taught their children for 400 years to hate the Nephites and ravage them because they stole the birthright treasures and established another group without the leadership of the first born.

In a nutshell, the Lamanites hated the Nephites because they were taught to do so and the Nephites hated the Lamanites because the Lamanites would not leave them in peace. This multi-century struggle set the stage for the change the Lord had in mind for the children of Lehi and me!

The Lamanite culture seemed to emphasis the inferiority of the Nephites because of transgression toward their ancestors and continued to light the fire of hate towards the Nephites who only wanted to do what God told them to do, most of the time.

Nephites emphasized the filthiness of the Lamanites and the color of their skin as a way to separate them from the Lamanites and not mingle with them because of their wickedness.

1. Lamanites hated Nephites because of bad history and refused to let that history go until some recompense was paid them for the alleged wrongs.
2. The Nephites reviled the Lamanites because of the color of their skin.

Nephite Mission to the Lamanites

King Mosiah had several sons, Ammon being foremost among them, who went to reclaim the Lamanites. The Nephite had attempted missions to the Lamanites before and failed because the language had become corrupted according to Mormon and the people gloried in wickedness.

Dissenters from the Nephites went among the Lamanites over the centuries and taught them Nephite customs and reintroduced the language that the original group spoke who landed on the Americas in the ship. This is telling,because Mormon does not indicate that the sons of Mosiah learned another dialect to begin the work of the gospel among the Lamanites.

The Mission to the Lamanites was successful in that thousand joined the church of God. The other Lamanites considered those who joined the church headed by a pack of Nephites deluded and felt sorry for them at first. Notice the connection a young person like me would make from this, being that I was considered deluded for being in a White church. Well, those Lamanites were in a Nephite church!

After a while the Lamanites became hostile towards this group of people who rejected the Lamanite culture becoming pacifists–more extreme by far than the Nephites to the point where the converted Lamanite would allow their fellow Lamanites to persecute and kill them before they would retaliate. They were called traitors as implied by Mormon’s abridgment of their history–similar to selling out their own kind. 

Of course, the major difference between me being called a sell out and those people  was that this group of people were considered treasonous for adopting Nephite philosophy in opposition to a kingdom. I had not developed that understanding as a youth; however, so the significance of that fact eluded me at the time.

To keep the Lamanite Converts from being destroyed, God told Ammon to get the people out from among the wicked Lamanites and into the safety of the Nephite country. Eventually this group of Saints settled in a Land called Jershon. They were known for their zeal towards the Lord and remained so ever after.

Points to Remember from The Book of Mormon

• Lamanites hated Nephites because of bad history and refused to let that history go until some recompense was paid them for the alleged wrongs.

• The Nephites reviled the Lamanites because of the color of their skin and culture.

• The other Lamanites considered those who joined the church headed by a pack of Nephites deluded and felt sorry for them at first.

• Converted Lamanites were called traitors–similar to selling out their own kind.

• Converted Lamanites were known for their zeal towards the Lord and remained so ever after.

I Identified the Lamanites as the Black People of Their day

Already in my mind, Black people were wicked and I had to learn otherwise. My association began with the Lamanites hating the Nephites and trying to kill them. I started to see a link between the Lamanites and the people that I had learned to loathe because of the wickedness of the few whom I dealt with. The link that I saw was for my own personal benefit, but it helped me to gain some understanding even though that understanding was based on erroneous assumptions about Black people in general.

What I compare is the desire to not enter the ships to leave their homeland, not the rebellious nature of Laman and Lemuel.

B: Lamanites had something stolen from them that was a part of their heritage, whether it was for good or bad.

B: So did Black American slaves have something stolen from them–heritage and language.

Though the Lamanites claim was misguided at best, Blacks, we truly had our culture ripped away!.

C: Lamanites wanted the Nephites to acknowledge their rights to leadership and rule that was taken from them using subterfuge.

C: Blacks also want to be acknowledged as equals from Whites whose ancestors used tactics to gain slaves from other Blacks in Africa.

Though the Lamanite were wicked with their misapplied claims, descendants of African slaves had real issues of redress.

D: Lamanites rejected Nephi influence as much as possible even though it is what helped them maintain society and normalcy.

D: Black Americans have no other culture than what the Whites have provided. Any derivative taken from that culture is just another aspect of European culture.

Many of our people reject the culture and attempt to create another in line with Lamanite thought.

The Good things Blacks and Lamanite Converts Share

After I had taken all of my negative imagery of my race and applied it to the Lamanites, I started to see the good things also of the Righteous Lamanites. 

1. Lamanites were a deeply spiritual people and did not disbelieve in God. 
As soon as they were converted to the gospel they held fast to it and called upon the Lord for support.

1. Black Americans are also deeply spiritual and are religious by nature. My ancestors sang praise to God and prayed through song while working in the fields.

 

2. Lamanites were known for their devotion to their faith. No matter how difficult the situation was for the Lamanites who lived in Jershon, a righteous city of Lamanites, they remained true to the covenant they made with God. These people would die before abandoning God.

2. Black Americans are also known for their worship of God and devotion to Him. The slaves only had religion. It is what kept them through the hard days of work. Religion is the central unifying fact for Black American society today!

 

3. Jacob in his book extolled the sense of Family among the Lamanites. The Lamanites did not cheat on their wives as did the Nephite who took it upon themselves to practice polygamy illegally. 

3. Blacks in America still identify as brothers and sisters to one another because family is so important. The slave owners separated family because they treated slaves like animals. Every Black person became family.

 

4. The Lamanites remained a close knit society after they became Christians and perpetuated the good in their culture.

4. Blacks still unite to form organizations to strengthen each other no matter in what stratum of society. 

Though the history is fun to read and ponder on, the fact that once the Lamanites who converted to Christ decided that their overall culture was wrong, they only cast away the bad parts and kept the good parts truly changed my outlook about my own culture!

I also cast my culture away–only I cast the good and the bad parts away and became a empty vessel. I was devoid of true culture save the limited and twisted perspective of so called “White” culture I thought was more righteous at the time!

It has been taught in the Church for as long as I can remember, to bring the good we have and let the church add to it, but Mormon taught it first through his addition of that story of the people of Ammon who were converted Lamanites and lived in the City Jershon.

My skin was not a sign of my wickedness. The Lamanites were considered black, but they were the most righteous group of the land when they turned to God.

Slavery was a horrid thing and the racism that followed and sparked the Civil Rights Movement was just as bad or even worse! But it taught me that bad things happen. Good can come of it.

The Lamanites allowed themselves to be killed by the hundreds when they converted to Christ rather than break their oath to be peace makers. Those who killed their brethren ended up joining with them and through forgiveness they became a good people. A God loving people. A God introduced to them by the Nephites, people they once hated.

My ancestors suffered here in America; but because of their pains, I live here with freedom and felicity. They died hoping for freedom with their eyes turned to God. A God introduced to them by the White man. A people who enslaved them.

I learned that I could forgive the White man and other Blacks for hurting me and build a bridge of Faith. I can be proud that I am here and I accepted God’s plan for me in spite of where I came from or who my ancestors where or what curses were supposedly upon me.

The Book of Mormon taught me how to love the good part of my heritage and let that part shine before men as I learned other good things to help my spirit grow–never to diminish my heritage.

The Lamanites who became righteous let me know that I do not have to be just another brother down for the cause of Blackness,what ever that is. I can be up for the cause of Christ and cherish the life given to me as one of instruction.

I learned that I could forgive the White man and other Blacks for hurting me and build a bridge of Faith. I can be proud that I am here and I accepted God’s plan for me in spite of where I came from or who my ancestors where or what curses were supposedly upon me.

The Book of Mormon taught me how to love the good part of my heritage and let that part shine before men as I learned other good things to help my spirit grow–never to diminish my heritage.

The Lamanites who became righteous let me know that I do not have to be just another brother down for the cause of Blackness,what ever that is. I can be up for the cause of Christ and cherish the life given to me as one of instruction.

Presently Still Black

So know if you meet me and you have not heard from me in a long time, you may notice that I am not so uptight about the hint of resonance in my voice that would betray me as a Black man. I do not run when I see the man talking Ebonics, but I try to share too. I still try to speak the Queen’s English and live the laws of God, but I do so as a Lamanite living in the city of Jershon instead of as the old me allowing the deception of the world to separate me from the race that God gave me–not living on an island of self loathing. You can support my life history project here.