Season 2 Episode 6 of the Scholars & Saints Podcast Now Available

University of Virginia, Mormon Studies Program

The second season of Scholars & Saints continues as new host, UVA Ph.D. student, Nicholas Shrum, explores some of the most pressing issues and cutting-edge methods in Mormon Studies.

Season 2 Episode 6 – Second-Class Saints (feat. Matt Harris)

For over a century, the LDS Church forbade Black Latter-day Saints from temple ordinances, and Black men from the priesthood. How did Black Latter-day Saints experience this discrimination, and what effects and consequences of these restrictions carry over to today? On this episode of Scholars & Saints, Nicholas speaks with Dr. Matthew L. Harris, Professor of History and Director of Legal Studies at Colorado State University-Pueblo, about his 2024 book, Second Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality. Dr. Harris draws from first-hand accounts of Black Latter-day Saints during the temple and priesthood ban, details the Church’s past global response to race, explains the reaction of the LDS Church to the Civil Rights movement, and presents the Church’s contemporary work at racial reconciliation.

To find out more about Dr. Harris and his upcoming projects, click here.

What is Scholars and Saints?

Scholars & Saints is the official podcast of the University of Virginia’s Mormon Studies program, housed in the Department of Religious Studies. Scholars & Saints is a venue of public scholarship that promotes respectful dialogue about Latter Day Saint traditions among laypersons and academics. On this podcast, we dive into the academic study of Mormonism, engage recent and classic scholarship, interview prominent and up-and-coming thinkers in the field and reflect on Mormonism’s relevance to the broader study of religion.

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