‘Mormon Land’: NAACP president discusses the unlikely alliance with his new friend: the LDS Church
Derrick Johnson talks about the evolving partnership with a former foe that once barred Black members from holding the faith’s priesthood or entering its temples.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, during the announcement of new joint initiatives with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Monday, June 14, 2021.
In an unexpected and bold move, President Russell M. Nelson announced a partnership with the NAACP in 2018 — just days before The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrated the 40th anniversary of the end of its centurylong priesthood and temple ban on Black members.
In recent weeks, the Utah-based faith elevated this unlikely alliance with the nation’s oldest civil rights organization by unveiling nearly $10 million in scholarships and humanitarian aid.
On this week’s show, NAACP President Derrick Johnson talks about how the former foes became friends, why this evolving relationship is important, and where it is headed.
Listen here:
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