The most transformative experiences during my years of researching and writing about Black LDS pioneers and their descendants happened as I became friends with the Black LDS population in Utah and elsewhere. Both Darius Gray (my co-author) and I experienced miracles as we told the stories of Jane Manning James, Green Flake, and Elijah Abel. It was clear that we had divine help. But it was also clear that the racial divide hadn’t gotten much better since these pioneers were... Read more
I thought the story of my friend, Maye, was finished when I submitted my last Patheos blog in “The Judge” series. Fortunately, it did not end when I thought it had ended. Maye[s case actually ended on November 16, 2022, when the decision from the Utah Board of Pardons came down. (For background information, see my series starting with Part 1): Maye was given a unanimous and unconditional pardon by the state of Utah, and all of the charges against... Read more
In 2006, my youngest children were ages 14 and 16. I had become concerned by the ways external media was nudging their world views into concern with self. Ads showed ridiculously skinny models, ridiculously big houses, and all things glittery. It all felt like propaganda from Vanity Fair. My children were not getting a sense of how most of the world lived. They were spoiled by their privilege and unaware that for many, having a working toilet was an extravagance. I... Read more
On Instagram, coup participant Marcel Malanga had a screenshot of these verses in Deuteronomy 28, from LDS scriptures (so identified because of the footnotes): “The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 13And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou... Read more
My first contact with Joseph Malanga, Christian Malanga’s father, was in October, 2014. He heard that we were making a film in the DR-Congo and sent me a note: “I want to be involved.” Joseph was a refugee from the Congo and the president of the African Help Line Society, which no longer exists. He sought financing from various grant makers and emphasized the great poverty and corruption in the DRC, as shown in this youtube which he liked to... Read more
I looked at my text messages on Sunday morning, May 19, 2024. I had one from a number I didn’t recognize. It was a Facebook Live video. I pushed the arrow to see it. There was Christian Malanga, a resident of Salt Lake City who is a Congolese national, dressed in Congolese military fatigues, a red beret on his head, camouflage pants. My first thought was, “Christian, where did you get those clothes? And why are you wearing them?” I... Read more
When my husband and I were missionaries in Mbuji Mayi, DR-Congo, we noticed that there were many albino people. When we traveled to Ngandajika, we met some doctors from Spain who were there to treat Albino children, many of whom had tumors. That was two years ago. Today, we are finishing a film which features several albino actors, and we are working to support doctors in the area (Kasai province). These doctors remove tumors and otherwise treat skin conditions endemic... Read more
Patrice Lumumba Film: Why NOW is the moment. Starting in July, 2023, events from the 1960s have drawn unusual attention. The film Oppenheimer (July 2023) was an unmitigated success. Though the atomic bomb was created in the 1940s, Christopher Nolan’s film is framed with Oppenheimer’s status in the 1960s, when his alleged “Communist” alliances brought him into the anti-Communist fear mongering. The decision of Lewis Strauss to refuse Oppenheimer a security clearance is particularly important, inasmuch as Senator John F.... Read more
Any of us who have worked in charitable endeavors have learned that good intentions are not enough for our offerings to meet actual needs. Our years leading the Congo Rising Corporation have been full of successes and failures. We have had equipment and money stolen or misappropriated, but we have also seen our film initiatives launch many new production companies which are self-guided and staffed by Congolese filmmakers. (more…) Read more
I remember going to the hospital to see my mother-in-law, Ruth, who had just passed away. She looked impossibly small. All of the life which had animated and somehow magnified her body was simply gone. Darin and his partner, Steve, were both present, both in tears, and Daren was ready for the next step. Even though he is no longer a practicing Mormon, he was the one to whom Ruth had given her final instructions. She had told him where... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In