As an LDS mom of adopted Black children, nothing thrills me more than meeting and learning about other Black church members. The church is growing by leaps and bounds in places like Nigeria and Ghana, and is finally gaining a solid footing in American cities with large African American populations such as Cleveland. The Genesis Group has long been a beacon of light and source of support to LDS Church members of color, and the numbers of well-known Black LDS members, even though small, are steadily growing.

This brings me to Gladys. I love Gladys Knight. She was the first famous person I ever saw outside of my television screen, and I was so impressed that she’d be out shopping in “my” mall in Las Vegas with the rest of we common folk. ;) For whatever reason, this experience left an impression on my young mind and I’ve been intrigued by her ever since.

Now that Gladys Knight is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have even more respect and admiration for her. Black investigators of the church tend to get a lot of ribbing and ridicule from friends and family (“The LDS church is a racist church,” they say), so I admire her for putting her fame and fortune on the line and forging ahead in spite of criticism. But she hasn’t stopped there. She’s using her fame to educate other people of color about the Church, and bears her testimony at every opportunity. Her two CDs with the Saints Unified Voices (SUV) Choir are staples at our house, and they speak out to millions of others across the globe.

I appreciate Gladys and others like her - these modern-day pioneers - who are shucking off the burden of myths and misconceptions and forging a path for my children and other people of color. May the roads they cut into the earth be deeply rutted and followed by millions after them.

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photo source: LDS Music World