BYU prof., Latter-day Saint leader, apologizes for comments about Black members

SALT LAKE CITY — A BYU professor and leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is apologizing for comments he made on Sunday about Black church members during a youth fireside.

Brad Wilcox, a second counselor in the Young Men general presidency, was answering a question about why Black church members couldn’t get the priesthood until 1978.

In response, he said the question people should be asking is “why did whites and other races have to wait until 1829,” and he went on to outline other instances of waiting or unfairness in timelines of other religions.

You can view the video at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbO3gVVVy5g.

In an apology issued on Facebook, Wilson called his remarks a “serious mistake.”

Response from BYU

In a tweet on Tuesday, BYU indicated concern for Wilcox’s comments and their belief that he is “committing to learn from this experience.”

We are deeply concerned with the words recently used by Dr. Brad Wilcox. We appreciate his sincere apology & believe he is committed to learn from this experience. BYU remains committed to upholding President Nelson’s charge to root out racism in our institutions. 1/2

— BYU (@BYU) February 8, 2022

Simone Seikaly contributed.

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