I received the following in my email. I’ll post it since it’s a great documentary as well as being a great Mormon book store.
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BENCHMARK BOOKS
3269 So. Main Street, Suite 250
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Phone: 800-486-3112, (801) 486-3111
Email: benchmarkbooks@integra.net
We Cordially Invite You To a Screening of:
“Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons”
“Few people, Mormon and non-Mormon, are aware that there has been an African American presence in the LDS Church from its earliest days, that the vanguard company of Mormon pioneers included three “colored servants” whose descendants remained active Mormons for several generations. This documentary talks about that little-known legacy, and confronts the hard issues, which surfaced in the most turbulent years of the Civil Rights Movement, when the Church’s restriction of its priesthood from those of African descent drew national attention It discusses how that restriction was lifted and what the lives and challenges of the modern Black Mormon pioneers are. Besides never-released footage shot in 1968 and many rare archival photographs, the documentary includes interviews with renowned scholars, historians, and Black Mormons.” The film is 73 minutes in duration and included on the DVD is over 100 minutes of special features.
Tuesday, June 30
Screening will start at 6:00 PM.
(We urge you to be on time so the film will not be interrupted)
Co-directors/producers Margaret Young and Darius Gray will be here to discuss the topic and answer questions.
**Copies of the DVD are available for sale (now or at the screening) for $19.99**
Utah residents add 6.85% sales tax. Shipping and handling: $3.00 (USPS) for first copy and $1.00 for each additional.
Hours: Mon. – Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5
We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover or check or money order
Another note – there will be a transcript of the film in the next issue of Dialogue. If you’ve not yet subscribed, do so now.
Comment by matt b. — June 24, 2009 @ 1:34 am
Nice, thanks for the tip, Matt!
Comment by Jared T — June 24, 2009 @ 1:40 am
I went to the screening tonight. It was a good time, and Darius and Margaret were on hand to answer questions. Darius mentioned that the documentary says that there were an estimated 400 black members in 1968 and now the estimate is 1 million, which is an amazing.
Margaret mentioned that a number of people said they had heard about this screening from blogs, so go blogs! 🙂
Comment by Jared T — July 1, 2009 @ 12:22 am
A few other little stories that I remember from last night. Someone asked if Darius ever felt like an apostate (in other words, if people treated him like one) because of his speaking out on this issue. He said that he had never considered himself so, but once his boss got a call from Harold B. Lee telling him to tell Darius to “tone it down” a bit. So, he said, he supposed that some might have felt at times that he was outspoken.
He also related how he had always felt negatively toward the Pearl of Great Price because of how certain portions had always been interpreted to justify the Priesthood ban. He said he got a spiritual slap in which the Spirit told him to look at the whole chapter. And in doing so, he realized that the chapter didn’t say what it had been made out to say.
I’d say that if you ever have the chance to attend one of these screenings or any event with Darius, don’t let the opportunity pass you by. He’s a special man with a special spirit.
Comment by Jared T — July 1, 2009 @ 8:16 pm