Margaret Blair Young

Academic Historian

Margaret Blair Young teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University. Besides publishing or producing short fiction, novels, plays, and essays, she and Darius Gray co-authored a thoroughly documented trilogy of historical fiction titled Standing on the Promises, about Black Mormon pioneers or slaves of Mormon pioneers, which received a special award from the Association for Mormon Letters. She has also co-produced (again with Darius Gray) a documentary about African American pioneer Jane Manning James, titled Jane James: Your Sister in the Gospel. She is currently working on another documentary.

Eugene Orr (1946– )

African American LDS activist Eugene Orr was born on March 16, 1946, to David Orr and Martha Wilder Orr in Ashburn, Georgia. The family was deeply religious and planned for young Orr to become a minister. As a child, Orr would sometimes put corn silk … Read MoreEugene Orr (1946– )

Gobo Fango (1855-1886)

Gobo Fango was born in the Eastern Cape Colony in what is now South Africa around 1855, just before the beginning of the eighth of the nine Xhosa Wars (Cape Frontier Wars) against British and Boer settlers. Fango was a member of the Gcaleka tribe, … Read MoreGobo Fango (1855-1886)

The Genesis Group of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1971– )

In 1971 Ruffin Bridgeforth, Darius Gray, and Eugene Orr, all African American Mormons, met at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City to create a strategy for receiving greater support for the black members of the Latter Day Saints. In that year, there were … Read MoreThe Genesis Group of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1971– )

Martha Ann Jane Stevens Perkins Howell (1875–1954)

“Image Ownership: Pulic Domain” Martha Ann Jane Stevens Perkins Howell, born on January 20, 1875, was named for her maternal grandmother, Martha Vilate Crosby Flake, who had been a slave during the Mormon migration to the West. Martha Howell’s maternal grandfather was Green Flake, also … Read MoreMartha Ann Jane Stevens Perkins Howell (1875–1954)

Darius Aidan Gray (1945– )

“Image Ownership: Public Domain” African American Latter Day Saints (LDS) Church activist Darius Gray was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Elsie Johnson and Darius McKinley Gray on December 12, 1945. His mother was a domestic worker (maid), and his father a handyman. His grandfather, … Read MoreDarius Aidan Gray (1945– )

Abner Leonard Howell (1877-1966)

Image Ownership: Public Domain Abner Leonard Howell was a star athlete in Utah whose accomplishments went largely ignored during the peak of his football career because of his race. Howell, born on August 9, 1877, moved with his family from Louisiana to Salt Lake City, … Read MoreAbner Leonard Howell (1877-1966)

Phillis Wheatley (1754-1784)

Enslaved in Senegal [in a region that is now in Gambia] at age eight and brought to America on a schooner called the Phillis (for which she was apparently named), was purchased by Susannah and John Wheatley, who soon recognized her intellect and facility with … Read MorePhillis Wheatley (1754-1784)

Green Flake (1828-1903)

Born enslaved on January 6, 1828 on the Jordan Flake Plantation in Anson County, North Carolina, Green Flake at the age of ten was given as a wedding gift to James Madison Flake, Jordan’s son who married Agnes Love in 1838 in Anson County, North … Read MoreGreen Flake (1828-1903)

Elijah Abel (1810-1884)

Elijah Abel, early convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), was born on July 25, 1810 in Washington County, Maryland to Andrew and Delilah Abel, likely in bondage. There is some evidence that he used the Underground Railroad to escape slavery. He eventually … Read MoreElijah Abel (1810-1884)