Interracial Couples in Salt Lake City (transplants, neighborhood, living in)

[Heps]

We're an interracial married couple (I'm white, she's black) who's possibly relocating to Salt Lake City in a near future. We both enjoy the outdoors and I'm a big ski/snowboard buff, so we're both pretty excited about it. My only concern is the very low percentage of black people there and the very high (60%) percentage of Mormons. I have nothing against Mormons, since I have never met, talked or had any experiences with anyone who was LDS. I'm sure they're nice people like anyone else. All I "know" is, that their believes are/were partially based on white supremacy. Let me know if I'm completely wrong and again, I don't judge people I've never met, I'm solely looking to be enlightened. I guess my question is, how is a couple like us going to be received in Salt Lake City?. Would love to hear from other interracial couples.

Thanks

[Elder_Shawn]

My wife and I are inter racial and I've never had a problem. Neither of us is black though. Black people outside of Hill Airforce Base are pretty rare around here in Salt Lake. The major minotiry group here is hispanic. I'm always blown away how many black people there really are in the United States everytime I visit my wife's family in TN.

[SergeantL]

Originally Posted by Heps

All I "know" is that their [beliefs] are/were partially based on white supremacy. Let me know if I'm completely wrong and again

OK, Heps, if you insist, you are

Originally Posted by Heps

completely wrong, again.

First, Mormons were abolitionist. This fact was one of the reasons the Church was persecuted and eventually driven out of the United States into the area that is now Utah. Next, African Americans have always been members of the Church. Yes, African American males were not allowed to hold any Priesthood position in the Church until 1978. No, it had nothing to do with white supremacy. Finally, there are many interracial marriages inside the LDS Church, so I see no reason why you will be bothered.

[lolagranola]

I don't have an interracial marriage...but in the near future we will have a black child. Everyone I know (we're are one of the few "non" families around) is extremely supportive and excited for us. There is a black/white couple with alot of kids in our neighborhood, and are very well liked and accepted. I am in Davis Co, just north of SLC. We're transplants from the east coast, LOVE it here, we're staying!

[chazcrew]

I have a friend who is black, married to a white man, living in SLC. She does sometimes feel out of place, being the only black person around at times, but she generally gets along just fine. They are LDS, and it hasn't been a problem with their fellow church members, either.

I honestly feel like SLC has far less prejudice than most other areas, perhaps because there's simply not a lot of black/white history to make it an issue. However, you will probably run into the occasional old-timer who has some deep-seated issues. I've met a couple myself, and I was shocked at their attitudes, coming from seemingly normal, nice people. I had never seen such open, extreme bigotry before. But you'll find people like that anywhere, I suppose.

[Trail Runner]

Originally Posted by SergeantL

OK, Heps, if you insist, you are First, Mormons were abolitionist. This fact was one of the reasons the Church was persecuted and eventually driven out of the United States into the area that is now Utah. Next, African Americans have always been members of the Church. Yes, African American males were not allowed to hold any Priesthood position in the Church until 1978. No, it had nothing to do with white supremacy. Finally, there are many interracial marriages inside the LDS Church, so I see no reason why you will be bothered.

Forgive my ignorance regarding the Mormon religion - but if it had nothing to do with their race, what was the logic behind denying African American men Priesthood positions?

Was it simply a coincidence that none of them were Priests? Were they not interested?

[coolcats]

This might also help address your question in the post above:

http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/r..._prejudice.htm

[Aggro - Thingy]

Originally Posted by chazcrew

I have a friend who is black, married to a white man, living in SLC. She does sometimes feel out of place, being the only black person around at times, but she generally gets along just fine. They are LDS, and it hasn't been a problem with their fellow church members, either.

I honestly feel like SLC has far less prejudice than most other areas, perhaps because there's simply not a lot of black/white history to make it an issue. However, you will probably run into the occasional old-timer who has some deep-seated issues. I've met a couple myself, and I was shocked at their attitudes, coming from seemingly normal, nice people. I had never seen such open, extreme bigotry before. But you'll find people like that anywhere, I suppose.

The wife and I get worse stares here in central Cali (She's Hispanic, I'm white). Honsetly, the most stares don't occur because of the interracial thing, it's the public displays of affection that Utahns seem to dislike =P

[chazcrew]

Coolcats, I love that site. It's one of the first places I go when I need a coherent explanation about something church-related. I can tell the guy who runs it has put a lot of time into it.

[HappyHopeful2007]

Salt Lake City is a white working class and lower middle class city which bases its "status" on superiority to SLC's downtrodden and marginalized dark skinned hispanic and Native American minorities. Salt Lake's population of white working class and lower middle class strongly resent the presence of middle class, educated, attractive, and of course interracially partnered and married black people, especially black women. If your girlfriend is biracial or very fair skinned with caucaisian textured hair then you may not experience such harsh resentment. However, a middle class brown or dark skinned woman partnered interracially will suffer great hatred. The mormon culture, even by those not LDS, worship marriage and relationsips as major value of one's worth. The white working class and lower middle class women of Salt Lake are competing, crying, and longing for any half way good looking, employed, and outdoorsy white man to commit to them. The white women in Salt Lake are conditioned to believe that they are better and certainly more attractive than a black woman. Your girlfriend will be viewed as taking you off the market and it is a small city with very little anomynity and you may suffer some painful emotional repercussions. However, honestly, if your girlfriend is inarticulate from the hood and a walking stereotype, then you will have no problem because she will not be considered a threat. Hope this helpful and you should vacation here for a long time and your girlfriend should interview at many places, maybe even work during the vacation to feel things out past the "I'm smiling and being extra nice to prove I'm not the racist I am" phase. Mormons do follow a doctrine of friendliness and kindness and they have mastered these qualities co-existing with instutuionalised and passive racism.