For John Kwarm, Jan. 20, 2009, was a significant day. Seeing an African-American occupy the most powerful position in the United States speaks volumes about how far this country has come, says Kwarm, a recent BYU graduate from Virginia.
"(President) Obama's inauguration was a very exciting event," Kwarm said. "In a generation we went from tolerating and promoting Jim Crow laws to looking beyond a man's skin color, making him our president."
Marcus McCoy, a recent BYU graduate from Louisiana, says that President Barack Obama's administration represents a positive step forward in race relations.
"I am very pleased that he is president because he represents change," he said.
Kwarm, McCoy and other African-Americans who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are sharing in the nationwide optimism about race relations in the United States. And while living in Utah and being a minority in the LDS Church bring challenges, African-Americans also recognize the progress that has been made.
"Because of hard work … equality is a reality for (African-Americans) and other minority groups," Kwarm said.
According to McCoy, race relations have improved not only in the United States, but in the LDS Church as well.
"For the most part, there is no prejudice (in the church)," McCoy said.
However, African-Americans are still extremely outnumbered in the faith. According to Kwarm, being a minority in the church can be challenging.
"I have felt alone at times," Kwarm said. "It's hard to be somewhere where the understanding of your cultural background seems to be based on negative stereotypes."
Whitney Amott, a senior at Spanish Fork High School, echoed Kwarm's sentiments.
"Sometimes I wish there were more blacks," Amott said. "It's kind of hard to go (to church) sometimes because I feel that people look at me differently."
McCoy rarely feels marginalized, but says people often look to him as the standard for all blacks in the church.
"It can be difficult," McCoy said. "Because I'm black I have to live to a higher standard. If I give a bad example, it can be perpetuated. People take the example of one black person and stereotype the whole culture."
Both Kwarm and McCoy say they have felt singled out in the church because of their race. However, Kwarm feels that fellow church members are not trying to be prejudiced.
"People are people. Latter-day Saints are not perfect. Sometimes I come across people who have not had opportunities to be around black people," Kwarm said. "Their reactions to me are different — but rarely extreme. It is not a reflection on LDS people. It is a reflection on human nature."
Black Mormons in Utah not only have the challenge of being a minority in the church, but in the state as well. According to the 2000 census, African-Americans make up less than one percent of the population in Utah.
For Kwarm, being black in Utah definitely has its ups and downs.
"Growing up in the D.C. area and then moving to Utah was hard," Kwarm said. "But Utah is my home now. At the same time, I know I live in a state where a majority of people do not interact with people like me on a daily basis."
Amott, who has lived in the state her entire life, has learned to deal with the negativity she sometimes encounters.
"Sometimes it's hard because there aren't very many (people) like me," Amott said. "When I was younger, I'd get people that would make obnoxious comments or jokes. Back then, I didn't really joke about it like I can now, so it really bothered me."
Like many black Saints in Utah, both Kwarm and McCoy came to the state to attend BYU. Both had good experiences at the university, but admit it was never easy.
"Overall it was positive," McCoy said. "But there are people who thought the only reason (I could) be there is if I was an athlete. There is something wrong with the ideal that the only reason (African-Americans) should be at a university is because (they) are playing sports. It is kind of like you are mentally excluding people."
Kwarm believes that the occasional negative comment is part of the college experience, no matter what university you attend.
"I had my difficulties. I came across racially ignorant and racist classmates," Kwarm said. "But overall, I count it up as a part of my education, and I count my responses to those classmates as a part of their education."
Aside from the occasional negative comment, Amott, Kwarm and McCoy feel confident with their current positions in the church and express optimism about the future of blacks in the gospel.
Amott looks forward to the day when more African-Americans will join the church and find themselves in leadership positions.
"I hope that more blacks realize that this is the true church and that they have the same power as anyone else in it," Amott said.
Kwarm, who served an LDS Church mission in Uganda, feels it is essential for more African-Americans to be introduced to the gospel for the good of the next generation of church members.
"I would love to see more African-American Latter-day Saints, to see LDS children have religious role models of every race," Kwarm said. "Like in any realm of life, I think it is necessary to have role models you can identify with on as many levels as possible."
A returned missionary who served in Brazil, McCoy feels a personal responsibility to continue spreading the gospel to fellow African-Americans.
"My hope is that (I) can help more into the church. There are many people in my culture waiting to hear the gospel," McCoy said. "It is important that we make an effort to do that."
McCoy also hopes that race relations will continue to improve in both the United States and in the church.
"I don't think we've reached Martin Luther King's dream, but we are moving forward," McCoy said. "(African-Americans) are children of God. He loves them just like he loves anyone."