"I realize my race and color and can't expect my endowments as others who are white. . . And God promised Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed. As this is the fullness of all dispensations — is there no blessing for me?" — Letter from Jane Elizabeth Manning James to LDS Church President John Taylor
From her baptism until her death in 1908, the first free black woman to join the LDS Church petitioned its leaders to allow her to access to one of the faith's temples so — like her fellow white church members — she could perform sacred ordinances LDS Church members believe will secure them to their loved ones and God forever.
Though her petitions were consistently denied, Jane Elizabeth Manning James maintained her loyalty to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to her grave. Now her example of devotion and faith will come alive as an example to contemporary Mormons in a new play based on her life.
"I Am Jane," written by Margaret Blair Young, chronicles the life one of Utah's first black pioneers. During a March 5 debut for members of the local Genesis group, composed of black Latter-day Saints and organized by the church, the production drew a standing-room only crowd. James is widely considered to be the matriarch of the LDS black community almost a century after her death, Young said, because her faith kept her anchored to a belief that God is just, even if social conditions are not.
Her story inspires people of all religions and races, Young said, but particularly resonates with black Latter-day Saints who wonder about the continuing impact of racism in a church that did not grant sacred temple and priesthood privileges to blacks until 1978. Young, who teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University, is white but has been involved with the Genesis organization for several years.
Genesis President Darius Gray said her involvement with the group had divine origins. "I think she's with us for a reason."
Part of that involves telling the story of black Latter-day Saint pioneers, he said. "I think so often in the past it has been forgotten that there were black pioneers and black members of the church from the early 1830s on, but blacks have been members, contributed and been a part from its very beginnings."
The new production, which includes authentic dialogue taken from letters, journals and the transcript of an interview done with James shortly before her death, shows "that blacks were there, that they were involved and interacted with their white, Hispanic, Asian and European brothers and sisters."
As it now stands, the vast majority of the well-researched early history of the LDS Church involves white church members who either joined the church in the East, or immigrated from European nations. In fact, Gray said, many LDS Church members are surprised to learn that there were black pioneers at all.
Once the play finishes its public debut in Springville June 30, July 1, 3, 7,8, and 10 at the Villa Theater, Young said the cast will travel to Chicago, where they have been invited to perform for many with questions about the LDS Church's history regarding blacks.
"Many people have heard about Jane's trip to Nauvoo, but the story gets much more inspiring as you follow her life West. She was relentless in her pursuit of temple blessings, and wrote at least five letters (to LDS Church leaders) where she is begging to enter the temple," Young said.
James walked to Utah from Illinois as a member of one of the first Mormon pioneer companies to enter the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
The journey came shortly after she and several family members were taken in and cared for by LDS Church founder Joseph Smith and his wife, Emma, in Nauvoo, Ill., following their 800-mile barefoot trek from Connecticut to join the Latter-day Saints. She was employed in the Smith home as a housekeeper until Joseph Smith's martyrdom in 1844.
Following his death, she lived in Brigham Young's household before the Mormons were driven from Nauvoo beginning in 1846. During this time she met and married another free black Mormon, Isaac James. She gave birth to their son, Silas, at Winter Quarters, Neb., in 1846, then became part of the lead company heading west.
She wrote of her sufferings with cold and hunger during her first years in the Salt Lake Valley. "The keenest of all was to hear my little ones crying for bread, and I had none to give them." What little she had, she shared.
Through hard work and thrift, the family established a home and farm, and six more children were born between 1848 and 1860. But in 1869, Issac James left his wife, only to return years later. His funeral was held in her home in 1891.
Jane James was a devoted member of the LDS Relief Society and helped with special fund-raising projects. She donated to help build the St. George, Logan and Manti LDS temples.
While she never realized her dream to enter a temple during her lifetime, her request was finally granted posthumously in 1979, shortly after the landmark revelation to LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball in 1978 allowing temple privileges and priesthood ordination to worthy members of all races.
Last summer, members of Genesis dedicated a stone marker — depicting James giving some of her scant food supply to a white friend — at ceremonies in the Salt Lake City Cemetery to honor her memory.
Shortly before her death, she said that her "faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is as strong today, nay, it is if possible stronger than it was the day I was first baptized . . . I try in my feeble way to set a good example to all."
E-mail carrie@desnews.com