Q: Describe for us the impact of LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball's 1978 revelation.

It impacted every aspect of the Latter-Day Saints' lives. It impacted not only black Latter-day Saints, but white Latter-day Saints as well. For the first time, we as black Latter-day Saints could go to the temple, be sealed to our family, and perform those ordinances that we consider sealing ordinances. That never had been available to us and now it was.

Q: What is the background of Genesis?

Genesis was begun in 1971. Three black Latter-day Saint men approached the LDS Church, and said that "We see that there are some common issues within the LDS black community, and we need some help. We need to find a way of being able to meet the needs of our people." We had a lot of our members dropping away, becoming inactive in the church.

As a result of that, we started meeting with three of the General Authorities, three of the Apostles. We met for over a quite a lengthy period of time and from that came an organization. We were called to be the presidents of an organization, and it was given to us to come up with a name. The name we selected was "Genesis," a beginning. I think it is interesting that Genesis began in October of 1971, and just seven years later the Priesthood was available. I think we needed to have that happen, we needed to have Genesis in place to transition to the Priesthood.

Q: Let's talk about the group's numbers and how it's grown, because now more people are coming into the religion.

When Genesis started we had maybe six people, I think, in the organization. But today we don't even know what the numbers are; they're that high. Even like today we will have three, four hundred people here -- and that's pretty standard. Of our monthly meetings we have between eighty and hundred and forty people in attendance at the meeting. That includes the children.

We have members not only here in Salt Lake City, but across the county. Today we have people here from Portland, Oregon and Atlanta, Georgia. We have an outreach to support black Latter-day Saints wherever they are. It's not a black only organization, and that's important to know. Genesis has never been segregated. Our membership is probably 60 percent black, and 40 percent white. We have parents who have developed bi-racial kids, multi-racial kids -- they are a part of Genesis. So we have a nice mix. We like to think of ourselves as equal-opportunity Christians.

Q: What's going on with Genesis today? What's the purpose of the organization?

Each year we have an annual Genesis picnic. This time we are also celebrating the Priesthood as well. It is a special time when we get together and we can share each other's company, and be relaxed not in a church setting, although our church settings are more relaxed than most LDS settings. It is just a fun time for all.

Q: You were LDS before the revelation. Can you talk about pre- and post-feelings? What it meant to you?

There weren't too many. I think when I joined the church in 1964 it was estimated that worldwide there were maybe three hundred or four hundred Latter-day Saints of African decent. Today, there are over one hundred thousand in Africa alone, and tens of thousands in the Caribbean. How many in the United States? I have no idea. More tens of thousands in South and Central America.

The difference was just not one of number, though. I remember being in a Sacrament meeting, pre-1978, and the sacrament was being passed and there was special care taken by this person that not only did I not officiate, but I didn't touch the sacrament tray. They made sure that I could take the sacrament, but that I did not touch the tray and it was passed around me. That was awfully hard, considering that often times those who were officiating were young men in their early teens, and they had that Priesthood. I valued that Priesthood, but it wasn't available.

Q: Is there still racism in the church?

There is racism in the world. There is racism in the United States. Sadly, I think there is a resurgence in racism. I think I am seeing more now than I've seen in forty years. Is there racism in the church? Yes, because we are a cross-section of the United States, of the people here. Now, is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints racist? No, never has been. But some of those people within the church have those tendencies. You have to separate the two.

People might think that the Genesis group just meets in one group all by itself. But in fact, my understanding is you meet in the wards of where ever you are, but once a month you come together. Let's clear up the misconception about how you meet, when you meet, etc.

We meet once a month. We are all active in our own wards, and we hold positions, many of us, in our own home wards in our stakes. Then we come together and share and celebrate who we are. We don't have to lose our culture. We don't have to lose our racial identity to be within the gospel.

We come together. It's kind of like an LDS meeting that you might find in a sacrament meeting, but you don't hear an "Amen" in an LDS sacrament meeting. But you can hear that at Genesis. There isn't a pause after a musical number in a LDS sacrament meeting, and there generally is in Genesis. You generally don't hear gospel or spirituals in an LDS meeting, and we do at Genesis. So, we're a blend -- we have LDS, we have our racial backgrounds, our cultural backgrounds, and they go together very well. You don't have to have one exclusion of the other.

Q: Can you tell us about the first president of Genesis?

Ruffin Bridgeforth was the first president of Genesis. He was ordained to that position by Gordon B. Hinckley in 1971. He held that call in the church 'till his death. He was never released 'till he died, twenty-five years and some months later. A dear man, a grand man, probably the most Christian man I've ever known: humble, soft spoken, knowledgeable, that quiet wisdom that leads so well. He is greatly missed, loved and remembered.

Q: How does the future look to you and the Genesis organization?

I hope that the future -- long-range, thirty, forty years -- will be that there is no Genesis group. When Genesis was formed we shared the building with the Norwegian and Danish branches. Most of the converts to the LDS church at that period time were from Europe. As the flow now has started to come from other parts of the world, there isn't the need for support organizations for Norwegians or Danes. Instead you will find listings in a phone book for a Cambodian, a Thai, a Chinese, an Hispanic-speaking ward. Those sorts of wards are there now. In the long run, as everyone becomes more woven into the fabric of the church, I don't think that those wards will exist, and I don't think there will be any need for Genesis. Right now we are a safety net. Once things are secure those things are no longer needed.