Posted on 03/04/2003 5:10:30 PM PST by restornu
On Sunday, March 2nd, the Washington D.C. Visitors' Center hosted it's closing event commemorating Black History Month. The Fireside featured several prominent speakers including Darius Gray, President of the Genesis Group. Also, speaking were Mark E. Mitchell, Margaret Young and 2 recent coverts to the Gospel.
Mark E. Mitchell is a historian, dealer, appraiser and collector. He is considered to be on the nation's foremost authorities in the acquisition, research and preservation of original historical newspapers, manuscripts and documents. His collections have been featured at numerous locations, including the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History. Most recently, the Washington D.C. Temple Visitor's Center featured the newest items from his collection of African American historical items. Nearly all of Mr. Mitchell's multi-million dollar collection was featured exclusively last year at the Visitors' Center. Mr. Mitchell spoke at the fireside sharing his feelings in the value of collecting, preserving, and teaching about the history of Blacks in America.
Sister Jan Spells, who was baptized into the church on September 20, 2002, spoke about her personal conversion to the Gospel. She recounted the prominent role that her parents had played in the Civil Rights Movement in the South with Dr. Martin Luther King, and the general animosity that many people had against the church during that tumultuous time. She also described the difficult process of her conversion following her daughter's baptism and marriage in the temple to a member of the church. Sister Spells described how the birth of a grandchild to her daughter had prompted her to visit her daughter's family in Utah. Afterworlds, she remarked, the Lord had "changed her in a millisecond."
Brother John Harley, recently baptized into the Church, also bore his testimony about the Gospel and the feeling that prompted him to change his life. A prospective writer, Brother Harley eloquently related his conversion story and his excitement for his future growth in the church.
Sister Margaret Young is an award-winning author and playwright who teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University. She and Darius Gray are the authors of the trilogy, Standing on the Promises, the acclaimed historical fiction series tracing the extraordinary lives of several prominent African-American Latter-day Saint pioneers. Sister Young relayed the remarkable stories of Len Hope, a Black member of the church who was baptized during the early 1920's. Sister Young also expressed her feelings about the revelation granting the priesthood to all worthly males. She noted that this June will mark the 25th annivesary of that revelation.
Darius Gray, was the concluding speaker of the Fireside. Brother Gray is a former journalist, and presides over the Genesis Group, an official organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized in 1971 to support Church members of African decent. President Gray was a driving force behind the Freedman Bank Project, a genealogical record of African Americans who had accounts at the Freedman's bank following the Emancipation Proclamation. He was recently awarded the prestigious Kind Award by the Salth Lake Chapter of the NAACP.
President Gray spoke about the formation of the Genesis Group, his conversion to the Gospel and fielded questions from the audience. Responding to questions of diffilculties surrounding race relations, President Gray responded that "Race is a crucible, a refiner's fire." He continued: "How are we going to react to the Gospel? How are we going to react to one another? Don't let the small things grind you down. Don't let the big things grind you down."
Nearly 400 people were in attendance for the fireside which was the closing event for the month-long celebration of the Black History Month. The commemoration started in early February with a production of the playI Am Jane written by Margaret Young and based on the above-mentioned book co-authored with Darius Gray. Other events included a well-received fireside featuring Camille Lewis, former Miss Maryland.
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