Doc Mode 1 - Expository Mode

I don’t think I can recall a certain moment when I learned about Blacks being denied the priesthood, temple endowment, and sealing for such a large portion of our Church’s history. Although I knew that that wasn’t right, I never really dwelt on it that much. I thought, it’s not like that anymore, so its ok now. However, the more and more I’ve studied and learned about personal stories of racism and mistreatment of minorities in other contexts, the more and more I’ve come to realize I can’t keep turning a blind eye. Although I will never fully understand what it is to be a minority, I feel it is my obligation to at least try to empathize and when I can, to be an advocate. It is necessary to acknowledge injustices to be a promoter of positive change.

            Reading the Gospel Topics Essay on Blacks and the Priesthood brought to the forefront this negotiation within my own faith. I was forced to confront the issue head own, leaving behind all blind eyes, and grapple with the reality that for decades, the leaders of our church acted in racism. They were inherently a product of their times, just as we all are. I appreciated that the essay left nothing covered up or coated with sugar; it unapologetically stated that what happened was a mistake. It denounced all previous theories or “doctrines” that members have been using to justify the leader’s actions for years. However, this frankness had stripped away all plausible deniability I had enjoyed before. I was left with an ugly truth.

            Wanting to understand this issue better, and how it makes its true victims feel, I set out to gather personal experiences or stories. I first asked if I could talk with my roommate about her own experience. She is an African American member from Tennessee. She told me the story of how her parents found the church, and how later they learned the same things I was learning now. She told me how eventually her father became disaffected and later her brothers. Her mother and older sister still hold true to the faith, however. I asked her what makes her stay; how, or can she reconcile this dark spot in our church’s history? Her answer was poignant. She told me that this is something she has never been able to just put aside and say it’ll all be figured out in the next life. She can’t just ignore the blatant racism of past leaders and often of members today. This is something she will always be forced to wrestle with. But for her, what keeps her in the church is the undeniable witness she has received by experimenting upon the word. She has received answers and trusts in the Lord. She understands, even better than most, that our leaders are imperfect, so she will never take what they say or teach at face value. For her, her testimony lies in trying out what they counsel and seeing what fruit it brings. 

            I looked for another example of this struggle in the film Jane and Emma. Though I’m not sure how entirely accurate the film is, I know the fundamental story of Jane Manning, a black convert who would become dear friends with the prophet’s wife. Though the ban on priesthood for blacks was not in full definition during the time of Joseph Smith, there was still a permeating culture of racism, even among the saints. Jane struggled to feel at home with the saints in Nauvoo despite her powerful visions confirming the truth of the church. She found hope and acceptance through Joseph Smith and Emma, but through few others. Notwithstanding some of the terrible things she endured among the early saints of the church, she remained faithful to the end of her life. It seems that her strong faith and conversion carried her through, even being denied the temple blessings that Joseph himself had promised her. Hers was also a story that struck me. 

Jane Manning

Emma Hale Smith

            I honestly don’t know if this is something I can fully come to terms with right now. I’ve only gathered two personal accounts and have much more learning and researching to do to better understand this part of our church history. However, I am beyond awe-struck at the immense faith that active black members of our church have and do demonstrate in continuing forward in the face of this difficult history. I feel inspired by their conviction and perhaps can only continue to do as my roommate continues to do, experiment upon the word and watch for the fruits.

Isaac James, Jane's husband

Samuel D. and Amanda Chambers

Green Flake

Elijah Abel

Documentarian Statement

This Doc Mode takes the form of hybrid Thick Description and Photo Essay. It was inspired by a personal desire to understand this challenging concept better. It’s a rather vulnerable exposition of many of my thoughts and feelings, but I feel a certain duty to express them. Perhaps these expressions can help someone else dealing with similar struggles, or perhaps at least allow me to find greater comprehension. This is an issue I have been wrestling with personally, and I felt it was due the necessary investigations. These inquiries are in no way exhaustive or comprehensive, but rather are the start to what I hope is a longer journey to understanding. 

With this investigation and research, I felt most closely aligned with the expository mode of documentary. This mode "assembles fragments of the historical world into a more rhetorical or narrative frame than an aesthetic or poetic one,” (Nichols 121). It employs indexical images, poetic and affective associations, storytelling qualities, and rhetorical persuasiveness to expose information and story. These types of documentaries rely heavily on spoken dialogue to inform the audience. In this project, I negotiate with this historical issue from a personal engagement and perspective. I tell the narrative of my own thought process as I’ve gathered information accompanied with a strong dose of pathos. The images that supplement the text are portraits of the black saints that I discuss as well as several others. With the inclusion of their pictures, I hope to expose further the wide range of experiences and stories in this history. Though I don’t directly mention them in the essay, they serve as visual context to the broader dialog. The tone of delivery is more casual rather than academic; I wrote this as if I were talking to a friend or family member. I want this to feel personable, and relatable. 

I am also reminded of the other very vulnerable and personal films we saw in class, Time Indefinite (Ross McElwee, 1993) and Stranger With A Camera (Elizabeth Barret, 1999). Both had a similar tone and approach to their own very personal experiences. Ross and Elizabeth confess many intimate thoughts and feelings as they navigate historical events from their own lives. Ross contemplates the meaning of death and life with the passing of his grandmother, father and first child to the birth of his second son. Elizabeth investigates how her own profession as a filmmaker is adversely interwoven with the history of her childhood town. I negotiate challenging experiences with the history of my faith and religion. All three pieces of media are searching for something; perhaps trying to expose a truth or encounter a solution. However, all three inevitably end with a gained understanding that perhaps certain things are meant to be grappled with indeterminately.