"Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons" is thought-provoking, deeply personal and, at times, extremely difficult to watch.Which does not make it any less worth watching. On the contrary, both members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and nonmembers will benefit from watching it."Nobody Knows" (Tuesday, 7 p.m., Ch. 7) is exactly what the title indicates. It's the story of people of African descent in the LDS Church.And the locally produced documentary doesn't shy away from the subject at hand — the continuing controversy over the church's policy, past and present, toward blacks."Perception is that it really is not open. That it's a closed kind of community that really does not want others to be a part of that tradition," says Martin Luther King III, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.But there are plenty of black Mormons who dispute King's appraisal."I'm a proud black man," says author/historian Darius Gray, who is also the co-producer/director of the documentary. "I am the son of black parents who were proud of their ethnicity, proud of the accomplishments of our race. And yet, I embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ and I've stayed in that faith for 39 years. That should say something. I hope it does. I'm not stupid. I'm not a fool. And I'm not an Uncle Tom. This gospel is for all people.""Nobody Knows" outlines the history of the LDS Church and the history of its black members. How, in its earliest days, there was no discrimination. How a black man baptized in 1832 was ordained to the priesthood by LDS Church President Joseph Smith himself.And how that changed to a policy that those of African descent could be baptized but were not eligible for the priesthood. How that was justified by the (since repudiated) idea that blacks had been less valiant in their pre-mortal lives.How church policy toward blacks was "a non-issue for over a century" because not only was the nation segregated, but so were other religions. And how that became a major point of contention in the 1960s and '70s.How the 1978 revelation received by LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball extended the priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy males.However, the narrative does not end with the 1978 revelation. It's made clear that the church is strongly against racism — there's even footage of late church President Gordon B. Hinckley preaching that during general conference — but several of those interviewed speak of racism they experience from some church members."The first time ever I was called a n——- was in the Salt Lake Temple," says Tamu Smith. She says it without bitterness, but it's a shocking moment.As is the case with others who recount poor treatment, Smith remains a faithful member of the LDS Church."People are mean and people are ignorant, and they say mean and ignorant things," she says. "However, because the Spirit testified to me of the truthfulness of the gospel, I could not go and look my Savior in his eyes and say, 'I couldn't do it because people were mean.'"The 1978 revelation "did extend priesthood but did nothing to repudiate the racist folklore — the idea of a curse and the concept that blacks had been less valiant than others in a pre-mortal life," intones the narrative.And black Mormons are troubled by the references in "Mormon Doctrine" — the book by the late apostle Elder Bruce R. McConkie — to Cain and curses and those less valiant in their pre-mortal lives."The fact of the matter is, it's still in print and a whole generation of new people can then pick that up and read it as if it were truth. As if it were Mormon doctrine, instead of, say, a person's opinion about what this is," says Marguerite Driessen, an African-American attorney and LDS Relief Society president.The disclaimer added to the front of the book is seen on-screen — that it is not official Mormon doctrine."But, heck, that's the title," Driessen says. "And I would think that the disclaimer could be a lot stronger and should be prefaced with his disclaimer in '78."(Elder McConkie disavowed portions of the book in light of the '78 revelation.)Again, a lot of this is tough to hear but should be food for thought."Nobody Knows" is not the most sophisticated production. But what it lacks in glossiness it makes up in earnestness.It's more than a bit odd to have Gray as an interviewer, interviewee and co-director/producer (with Margaret Young), however. It's as if a reporter quotes himself in a story — only you're not aware that the person being quoted actually wrote the story.There's a disclaimer at the beginning of "Nobody Knows" declaring, "The contents of the documentary represent the views of the producers and persons interviewed and not necessarily official positions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." And there's an agenda to the documentary, too — a desire to make the LDS Church look at its history, its present and its future of race relations."Realize that ... there are ideas among people in the church about curses, about different races, about all these things. Acknowledge it first and don't sweep it under the rug," Driessen says. "And then, having acknowledged it, acknowledge that it's not right."Teach correct information. Debunk the myths. And just say, flat out, this isn't true."
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com