Missouri History Museum

They came west with the Mormons, enslaved and freeborn. They could not enter the temples they had helped build. The Church they loved called them cursed. Now, the Church invites them to be Mormon pioneers once again, with a new Zion in sight. How will they answer? 

There has been a continuous African American presence in the LDS Church from its earliest days.  Until the 1850s, some Black converts were even ordained to the Mormon priesthood. Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons discusses that little-known legacy and confronts the hard issues that surfaced during the 1960s, when the Civil Rights Movement drew attention to the Church's priesthood restriction.  That restriction was lifted in 1978, opening the door for an influx of new Black Mormon pioneers.

After the film, stay for a Q&A session with producers Darius Gray and Margaret Young.

Be sure to join us in the AT&T Foundation Multipurpose room at 1:30pm for the regularly-scheduled Saint Louis African American Genealogy and History Workshop.  This program features Darius Gray, who offers an in-depth look at research strategies for both Mormon Church records and the Freedman's Bank records.