- Darius Gray
-
Darius Gray is an African-American Latter-day Saint speaker and writer.
Gray was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in the mid-1960s and then attended Brigham Young University for a year. After that he transferred to the University of Utah.
Gray worked for a time as a journalist.[1]
Gray was a counselor in the presidency of the LDS Church's Genesis Group when it was formed in 1971.[2] He was president of the group from 1997 to 2003. Gray was also the co-director (with Marie Taylor) of the Freedmens Bank Records project for the church's Family History Department. He is a speaker on African-American genealogy, blacks in the Bible and blacks in the LDS Church. He had also written a trilogy of historical novels ("Standing on the Promises")with Margaret Blair Young, and co-produced/directed a documentary with Young as well: "Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons." Utah's NAACP honored him with its Martin Luther King Jr. award in 2008, and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity of Iota Iota Chapter honored him as "Citizen of the Year" in 2011.
Gray has traveled throughout the United States to make presentations. In 2007, he appeared in the PBS documentary, The Mormons.[3] In February 2008, he made an invitation-only presentation at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit that was partly sponsored by New Detroit.[4] . He is also featured in the BYU Television series "Questions and Ancestors."
Gray has also served as a developer of the website blacklds.org[5] and on the advisory board of Reach the Children, a humanitarian organization designed to help people in Africa.[6]
Notes
- ^ Carole Mikita, "Romney's Faith an Issue on the National Scene", 2007-02-20, ksl.com, accessed 2008-04-21.
- ^ "The Genesis Group: History of Genesis", ldsgenesisgroup.org, accessed 2008-04-21.
- ^ PBS Frontline TV show video
- ^ The Rhema: Renowned Author and Genealogist Darius A. Gray Presents 'Blacks in the Bible' and 'African American Roots'
- ^ Blacklds.org about us page
- ^ Reach the Children listing of members of various boards
References
- Church News March 29, 2008; June 14, 2003
Categories:- American Latter Day Saint writers
- Converts to Mormonism
- Genealogy and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Mormonism and race
- Living people
- African American religious leaders
- Brigham Young University alumni
- University of Utah alumni
- Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement
- Historians of Utah
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