Why Were Black Members Denied the Priesthood Until 1978?

LDS Perspective

For much of its early history, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not restrict Black members from priesthood ordination. During the first two decades of the Church’s existence, several Black men were ordained to the priesthood, including Elijah Abel, who also participated in temple ceremonies in Kirtland, Ohio. There is no reliable evidence that any Black men were denied the priesthood during Joseph Smith’s lifetime. However, in 1852, President Brigham Young publicly announced that men of Black African descent could no longer be ordained to the priesthood, and subsequent Church Presidents extended this restriction to include temple endowments and sealings. This policy remained in place from the mid-1800s until 1978. Over the course of this restriction, Church leaders and

Historical Perspective

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintained a prohibition against ordaining Black men of African descent to its priesthood from 1852 until 1978, a policy that also barred Black women from temple ordinances essential for celestial marriage and exaltation. This 126-year restriction represented a significant departure from the church's earliest practices under founder Joseph Smith, who personally ordained at least two Black men—Elijah Abel and Q. Walker Lewis—to the priesthood during the 1830s and 1840s. Elijah Abel served multiple missions and remained a faithful priesthood holder until his death in 1884, demonstrating that the earliest Mormonism did not inherently restrict sacred authority by race. The shift occurred under Brigham Young's leadership, who instituted the formal